Chapter 11 #2
Sampath laid his book on his chest. ‘I know. We’re so dependent on it,’ he said. ‘I keep checking my phone, but obviously there’s nothing. It’s just a fancy clock right now.’ It was like an itch in his brain.
Lal pulled his own phone out, waggled it, sighed and put it back again. ‘You know who’s really suffering?’ he said, switching to Sinhala. ‘Our man. He keeps looking at his phone and pacing. I think Kalpana Miss is getting a bit annoyed with him.’
Sampath nearly sat up but caught himself in time. ‘Is she okay?’
‘Oh yeah. She’s sitting upstairs near the balcony railing, reading a book.
She doesn’t seem bothered at all. Which is also weird, if you ask me.
’ The younger man picked up the flower that had been left on his pillow and twirled it in his fingers.
‘What do you think we can do tonight? It’s a long evening without a TV even. ’
He had thought of that. ‘Well,’ he slipped off the bed and went to his bag, ‘this might help.’ He pulled out a bag containing a few bottles of beer. Not many, because he wasn’t much of a drinker and Lal had to drive the next day.
‘Oh, nice! Appu said there’s games and stuff in the cupboard near the balcony. That should do nicely.’ Lal sat up. ‘I suppose we’ll have to sit on the other side or in the front room or something, right? Because Our man and Miss might object to us playing cards and drinking near them.’
‘Yeah, maybe. We can see how we go. They wanted us to eat with them today.’
Lal raised his eyebrows. ‘Sometimes they do that, the white people. When we have local hires, I always eat in the kitchen.’ He made a face. ‘To be honest, I prefer the kitchen. It’s a quicker meal, you know. Less chit-chat. In and out.’
Sampath nodded. He liked talking to the staff in places like this.
It was a good way to learn more about the place.
But, on the other hand, hanging out with the clients was good too.
The things they let slip when they were relaxed were often better indications of what really made them happy.
When he was in front of them, asking questions, they tended to present a more sanitised version of their wants and needs.
Weddings came with a lot of expectations and baggage; most people started off wanting to recreate the images on their Pinterest mood boards, it often took a while to get to the things that were really important to them.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to sit at a table with Kalpana and Marcus, though.
Ever since that moment in the sari shop, he kept noticing Kalpana more and more.
Her mannerisms, her voice, the subtle shifts in her expressions and body language.
It was taking a lot of effort not to let it show.
Right now, he was managing quite well, keeping his distance and being professional.
It would be that much harder if he relaxed.
But if the client wanted him to eat with them, then he had to eat with them.
He was glad that Lal would be there too.
Hopefully, he would deflect attention from Sampath.
The younger man was much more interesting than he was.
***
Kalpana changed into a dress for the evening. It seemed more appropriate than wearing the travel-mussed slacks and T-shirt she’d been in all day. Marcus, dressed in a fresh shirt, sat on the bed, looked at his phone and huffed.
‘There seriously is no signal or anything out here.’
‘Well, yes,’ Kalpana said. ‘We knew that. It was part of the appeal, I thought. A chance to unplug.’ She could pretend her agent and her deadline didn’t exist.
Marcus threw his phone to the end of the bed. ‘I have things to organise. I can’t be incommunicado.’
‘What things?’ As far as she knew, the itinerary for this trip had already been organised by Sampath. ‘Surely, there isn’t anything that can’t wait a day.’
‘Nirmala was going to call me about a meeting she was arranging for the day after tomorrow,’ Marcus snapped. ‘So it is quite important to be able to get in touch.’
Nirmala. Again. That woman’s shadow seemed to loom large. He had left her to buy the wedding sari by herself because of her. Suspicion stirred. She clicked her tongue.
‘What?’ said Marcus.
She didn’t want to upset what little tranquillity they had.
Marcus was already in a bad mood … but then again, if she said nothing, it would just nag at her the whole time.
‘It’s just that you’re spending a lot of time with Nirmala,’ she said, carefully.
‘Assuming she’s the one you’re always messaging.
You’re talking to her more than you’re talking to me. ’
Marcus stared at her for a moment, then his eyes narrowed. ‘What exactly are you insinuating here, Kalpana? Are you accusing me of having an affair?’
Was she? She didn’t know anymore. A couple of weeks ago, she would have said, confidently, that Marcus was faithful to her. But the way he had been lately was eroding that confidence.
Marcus threw up his hands and looked heavenward. ‘I don’t believe this,’ he said. ‘My friend offers to do me a favour and you think it’s because she wants to sleep with me? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.’
‘Is it though? I’ve seen the way she looks at you.’ Something clicked into place in her mind. The way Nirmala seemed almost proprietorial about him. The familiarity. ‘She’s not just a friend, is she? She’s an ex.’
Marcus froze for a fraction of a second, then said, ‘Yes. We dated for a bit when we were students. So what? That was a long time ago and I’m friends with a lot of my exes. Nirmala and I have been just friends for years, Kalpana.’
Kalpana crossed her arms. ‘You could have told me that.’ Why hadn’t he?
Marcus narrowed his eyes. ‘What exactly are you getting at here?’
She met his eyes and some of her anger evaporated. What was she getting at? She knew very well that you could be friends with your exes. She sucked her bottom lip to moisten it. ‘It’s just that this is meant to be our holiday. Us. As a couple. And you’re spending most of your time with her and—’
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ Marcus said. ‘Look. I live in the UK. Nirmala lives here. How the hell would we have an affair when we live halfway across the world from each other? Use your brain!’ He stood up. ‘I’ve never been so insulted in my life.’
Remorse speared through her. Of course it was a ridiculous idea to think he was having an affair with Nirmala. She was being silly.
She leapt forward and grabbed Marcus’s arm as he turned to leave the room. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s just that … these past few days have been a lot, and you have been distracted lately, which, given we’re supposed to be planning our wedding …’
Marcus studied her, his mouth a straight line. ‘What are you trying to say? Are you having second thoughts about us getting married?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘But I’m worried that you are.’
His expression cleared. He blinked, then gave her a sad smile.
‘I see.’ He picked up her hand, which was still resting on his arm, and held it.
‘I’m sorry I’ve been distracted. My books are vitally important to me.
You understand that, right? Your books are important to you.
That’s all it is. I’ve seen an opportunity for my books to find a new market.
It has nothing to do with not wanting to marry you.
’ He kissed the back of her hand. ‘I’m sorry you felt neglected. ’
She felt very silly now. ‘I guess I’m just feeling a little insecure. What with the writer’s block and everything …’
Marcus stepped closer to her and stroked her hair. ‘All that imagination has nowhere to go without a book to write, I suppose.’
She sighed and leaned her forehead against his chest. ‘I’m sorry. I overreacted. I just don’t like it when you disappear like that. Especially on this trip when we’re supposed to be planning our future together.’
‘I’m sorry I made you feel bad.’ He kissed the top of her head. ‘Let’s forget about it and just go have dinner.’
***
The hotel’s other double room was occupied by an elderly Australian couple called Bob and Kathleen.
They joined in the meal too. Given the choice between having their own table or joining the bigger party, they opted to join in.
It meant that it felt like a big family table, with all the dishes placed in the middle, kept warm by putting them over trivets with tealights underneath.
Marcus expressed an interest in eating with his fingers, so Kalpana tried to show him.
‘It’s the one Sri Lankan thing my parents showed us how to do,’ she said.
‘Because they both agreed that the food just tastes better when you eat with your fingers.’ She mixed up a portion, enough for a mouthful.
‘You mix it like this, with the tops of your fingers. You keep the palm of your hand clean.’ She held the mouthful up to Marcus, who looked at her with a mischievous look in his eye and let her feed him.
Then he kissed her fingertips. Kalpana smiled.
This was more like the Marcus she knew. Thank goodness.
‘I’m not going to feed you the whole meal,’ she said, laughing. ‘You try it.’
‘I want to have a go too,’ Kathleen said.
Sampath offered to show her how.
Both the Aussies had a go. They managed better than Marcus, who couldn’t quite get the knack of getting the rice and curry mix into a ball to pick up.
She watched with amusement as he got annoyed about not being good at it instantly and just got messier.
He still refused to give up and use a fork though.
When they finished the meal, Appu offered them a finger bowl each to wash their hands.
Kalpana leaned across and placed a kiss on Marcus’s cheek. She whispered, ‘Well done.’
He gave her a side-eyed glance. ‘Don’t patronise me,’ he whispered back.
Surprised, Kalpana recoiled. ‘I didn’t mean—’