2.3 Viveka
I heard Vhy coming in to the kitchen, and saw him looking around hesitantly. I was making pancakes--flapjacks as Steve used to call them back in NYC--and the place was full of the smell of roasting dough and maple syrup.
The maid was at the far end, rolling more atta with a belan.
I glanced around. "Hey."
"Hey," he said, not very enthu.
I turned a flapjack over. Nice and golden brown, just the way I liked them. I waited for Vhy to get his nerve up.
"Viv," he said. "About last evening..."
"Say no more," I said without turning around. "It's our secret."
He heaved a sigh of relief. "That's great. I was worried that, you know, you'd get all high and mighty and moralistic like you always do. And last night, you weren't really in a mood to talk."
He was right. After I caught him and Ruchi making out in the passage--in the passageway of all places!--I was sort of curt with him, told him I had something urgent to see to, and we'd talk about it tomorrow. This was tomorrow.
I finished the flapjack, dumped it on a plate, and turned to look at him. A strand of hair had slipped out of my hair-band and it fell down over my face. I pulled it behind my ear and waved the dripping spatula at him. He backed off a step.
"Don't get me started, okay?" I said, waving the spatula for emphasis. "You're seventeen. Too young to be bringing girls into the house when Dad and Mom are out. Definitely too young to be getting upto adult-like mischief in your bedroom!"
"Come on," he said, embarrassed to be discussing this with me in front of the maid. Not that Shanti-bai, our Marathi maid, ever understood anything we said, she barely spoke Hindi let alone Angrezi. "You make it sound like I sneak a different girl into the house every day of the week! Ruchi's my steady gf. And we were just watching a movie, that's all."
I looked at him with with squinty eyes, trying to give him the Arnold. "Yeah, sure, and Eyes Wide Shut is a Disney animated film."
He grinned. "Can I help it if she has a thing for Tom Cruise's buns?"
I started to smile at that. Then smelled my next batch of flapjacks starting to get over done and flipped them over quickly.
"Okay," I said over my shoulder. "So I won't be running to Dad or Mom to deliver a full confession about your extra-curricular activities. But the next time you want to bring your gf over and make like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, do us all a favor, ask them for permission, okay?"
Vaibhav pretended to look confused. "Ask Tom and Nicole for permission?"
I swatted him lightly on the shoulder with the spatula. "Ask Mom and Dad, you nut. Now, get the hell out of here before you make me set the place on fire."
He didn't leave. He waited a moment while I finished the batch and put them onto the plate the maid held out.
"Sab ko bolna ke naashta tayaar hai," I said to the maid, speaking slowly and carefully to make sure she understood. I think she followed the general gist at least.
Vhy said, "You know, it's great your Hindi sounds so desi even now, after seven years in the US of A. Not like those pseuds who go to New Jersey for a week and come back sounding like third-generation Indian Americans."
I glanced at him again. "What's on your mind?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, really."
"Come on. I know you, little bro. Something's bothering you. If it's about the grope-fest last night...relax." I made a gesture like I was zipping my lips. "My lips are sealed with Cellotape--no, with Fevicol!"
When that didn't even get a teensy smile out of him, I knew something was wrong. He shook his head. "It's something else...It's about Mikey."
I frowned. "What about Mikey?"
While I was talking, I opened the fridge and took out the butter dish. "Isko bhi rakhna table pe," I said to the maid. Vhy waited until the maid had left the kitchen before going on.
"Ruchi and I," he said. "We saw something last night in his room. Something really weird going on."
I shrugged. "Like what?"
He hesitated. "This is going to sound wierd."
"Try me."
He was silent for a minute or two. That told me more than anything else. Vhy had always been able to tell me anything. Well, almost anything. But somehow, I didn't think this was some girl-boy thing he was talking about.
After a long pause, he launched into an explanation of what he and Ruchi had seen. I got the impression he was leaving out some stuff--probably the shenanigans he and she were upto just before she went out of his room--but soon I was caught up in his narration and trying to understand what he was saying.
"So let me get this straight," I said when he'd finished. "Ruchi saw Mikey sitting at his comp. Then he disappeared in front of her eyes. And then you saw the empty chair, and then saw him come back. Out of thin air. Right?"
He nodded unhappily. "I'm telling you, Viv, it sounds weird, I know. But something happened there."
I sighed and wiped my hands down the front of my Italian-style red-and-white checked apron, leaning back against the granite platform. It was warm from the heat of the stove. "What happened? He was kidnapped by aliens and then they dumped him back because he was too expensive to feed?"
"I don't know. But Ruchi and I both saw something else. First there was this thing happening with his computer monitor, like darkness coming out and enveloping him. Deleting him out of existence. That's what she saw. All I saw was just something black throbbing like a trance-rhythm light sequencer. And the word 'Vortal'."
"Vortal," I repeated.
"Yeah, that's like a--"
"I know what a vortal is."
I was silent for a minute or two, looking at him, thinking. I could see from the way he was looking at me, that he thought that I thought that he was pulling some kind of elaborate prank on me.
"I'm not joking, Viv. I'm serious. Mikey disappeared for five whole minutes last night."
"Vhy, will you listen to yourself? How crazy this sounds?"
He sighed. "I know, sis. Ruchi called me and we talked this morning. Neither of us got much sleep last night. And we both agreed that we hadn't just imagined it or anything. It really happened."
I shook my head, unable to decide whether Vhy was pulling my leg or suffering from some kind of delusion. Somehow, despite how crazy his story sounded, I didn't think either applied in this case. "Look, bro, I know you're a good kid. But you're making me wonder if maybe the two of you were doing more than just watching a movie last night in your room."
Vaibhav looked confused--and slightly guilty too. "What do you mean?"
"You know. Maybe sharing a toke, or a joint, or something?" I almost regretted the words when I said them, but they were out before I knew it.
Vaibhav looked offended now. "Drugs? You think we were stoned?"
I shrugged. "Come on, Vhy. Indian kids these days..."
Vaibhav looked like he was about to deliver a little speech on Indian kids versus American kids. But he visibly controlled himself.
"No drugs," he said stiffly. "And no alcohol. Or pills. Or intravenous shots or anything. Ruchi and I are 100 percent clean, okay? For God's sake, you're my big sister, you should know I hate that crap."
"Okay, okay," I said, backing off. "Don't get all upset. I was just asking."
"And I answered. No drugs. I saw what I saw. And so did Ruchi."
I chewed my lip. "I don't know what to say then, Vhy. I guess you saw something, but maybe you made a mistake or something. I mean, people don't just vanish into thin air."
Vhy shook his head. "Come on, Viv. If you don't believe me, say so. But we saw it. It happened. I don't know how or why. I just know it did."
We were both silent again for another long moment, then a voice called from the living room. It was Mom, calling us for breakfast. The maid returned, carrying the empty platter. "Memsaab kehti hai bahut achcha banaya hai. Amriki roti aur chahiye," she said.
I turned back to the stove. "Vhy, I have to do breakfast, okay? We'll talk about this later."
I didn't turn back to look at him, but I sensed after a moment that he had left. I felt relieved as well as ashamed. Relieved because I really hadn't known how to react to such a story. Ashamed, because obviously Vhy believed that story, and I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a worse thing.
So I did the only thing I could under the circumstances: I made more flapjacks. And then I joined my family for breakfast.
The maid was at the far end, rolling more atta with a belan.
I glanced around. "Hey."
"Hey," he said, not very enthu.
I turned a flapjack over. Nice and golden brown, just the way I liked them. I waited for Vhy to get his nerve up.
"Viv," he said. "About last evening..."
"Say no more," I said without turning around. "It's our secret."
He heaved a sigh of relief. "That's great. I was worried that, you know, you'd get all high and mighty and moralistic like you always do. And last night, you weren't really in a mood to talk."
He was right. After I caught him and Ruchi making out in the passage--in the passageway of all places!--I was sort of curt with him, told him I had something urgent to see to, and we'd talk about it tomorrow. This was tomorrow.
I finished the flapjack, dumped it on a plate, and turned to look at him. A strand of hair had slipped out of my hair-band and it fell down over my face. I pulled it behind my ear and waved the dripping spatula at him. He backed off a step.
"Don't get me started, okay?" I said, waving the spatula for emphasis. "You're seventeen. Too young to be bringing girls into the house when Dad and Mom are out. Definitely too young to be getting upto adult-like mischief in your bedroom!"
"Come on," he said, embarrassed to be discussing this with me in front of the maid. Not that Shanti-bai, our Marathi maid, ever understood anything we said, she barely spoke Hindi let alone Angrezi. "You make it sound like I sneak a different girl into the house every day of the week! Ruchi's my steady gf. And we were just watching a movie, that's all."
I looked at him with with squinty eyes, trying to give him the Arnold. "Yeah, sure, and Eyes Wide Shut is a Disney animated film."
He grinned. "Can I help it if she has a thing for Tom Cruise's buns?"
I started to smile at that. Then smelled my next batch of flapjacks starting to get over done and flipped them over quickly.
"Okay," I said over my shoulder. "So I won't be running to Dad or Mom to deliver a full confession about your extra-curricular activities. But the next time you want to bring your gf over and make like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, do us all a favor, ask them for permission, okay?"
Vaibhav pretended to look confused. "Ask Tom and Nicole for permission?"
I swatted him lightly on the shoulder with the spatula. "Ask Mom and Dad, you nut. Now, get the hell out of here before you make me set the place on fire."
He didn't leave. He waited a moment while I finished the batch and put them onto the plate the maid held out.
"Sab ko bolna ke naashta tayaar hai," I said to the maid, speaking slowly and carefully to make sure she understood. I think she followed the general gist at least.
Vhy said, "You know, it's great your Hindi sounds so desi even now, after seven years in the US of A. Not like those pseuds who go to New Jersey for a week and come back sounding like third-generation Indian Americans."
I glanced at him again. "What's on your mind?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, really."
"Come on. I know you, little bro. Something's bothering you. If it's about the grope-fest last night...relax." I made a gesture like I was zipping my lips. "My lips are sealed with Cellotape--no, with Fevicol!"
When that didn't even get a teensy smile out of him, I knew something was wrong. He shook his head. "It's something else...It's about Mikey."
I frowned. "What about Mikey?"
While I was talking, I opened the fridge and took out the butter dish. "Isko bhi rakhna table pe," I said to the maid. Vhy waited until the maid had left the kitchen before going on.
"Ruchi and I," he said. "We saw something last night in his room. Something really weird going on."
I shrugged. "Like what?"
He hesitated. "This is going to sound wierd."
"Try me."
He was silent for a minute or two. That told me more than anything else. Vhy had always been able to tell me anything. Well, almost anything. But somehow, I didn't think this was some girl-boy thing he was talking about.
After a long pause, he launched into an explanation of what he and Ruchi had seen. I got the impression he was leaving out some stuff--probably the shenanigans he and she were upto just before she went out of his room--but soon I was caught up in his narration and trying to understand what he was saying.
"So let me get this straight," I said when he'd finished. "Ruchi saw Mikey sitting at his comp. Then he disappeared in front of her eyes. And then you saw the empty chair, and then saw him come back. Out of thin air. Right?"
He nodded unhappily. "I'm telling you, Viv, it sounds weird, I know. But something happened there."
I sighed and wiped my hands down the front of my Italian-style red-and-white checked apron, leaning back against the granite platform. It was warm from the heat of the stove. "What happened? He was kidnapped by aliens and then they dumped him back because he was too expensive to feed?"
"I don't know. But Ruchi and I both saw something else. First there was this thing happening with his computer monitor, like darkness coming out and enveloping him. Deleting him out of existence. That's what she saw. All I saw was just something black throbbing like a trance-rhythm light sequencer. And the word 'Vortal'."
"Vortal," I repeated.
"Yeah, that's like a--"
"I know what a vortal is."
I was silent for a minute or two, looking at him, thinking. I could see from the way he was looking at me, that he thought that I thought that he was pulling some kind of elaborate prank on me.
"I'm not joking, Viv. I'm serious. Mikey disappeared for five whole minutes last night."
"Vhy, will you listen to yourself? How crazy this sounds?"
He sighed. "I know, sis. Ruchi called me and we talked this morning. Neither of us got much sleep last night. And we both agreed that we hadn't just imagined it or anything. It really happened."
I shook my head, unable to decide whether Vhy was pulling my leg or suffering from some kind of delusion. Somehow, despite how crazy his story sounded, I didn't think either applied in this case. "Look, bro, I know you're a good kid. But you're making me wonder if maybe the two of you were doing more than just watching a movie last night in your room."
Vaibhav looked confused--and slightly guilty too. "What do you mean?"
"You know. Maybe sharing a toke, or a joint, or something?" I almost regretted the words when I said them, but they were out before I knew it.
Vaibhav looked offended now. "Drugs? You think we were stoned?"
I shrugged. "Come on, Vhy. Indian kids these days..."
Vaibhav looked like he was about to deliver a little speech on Indian kids versus American kids. But he visibly controlled himself.
"No drugs," he said stiffly. "And no alcohol. Or pills. Or intravenous shots or anything. Ruchi and I are 100 percent clean, okay? For God's sake, you're my big sister, you should know I hate that crap."
"Okay, okay," I said, backing off. "Don't get all upset. I was just asking."
"And I answered. No drugs. I saw what I saw. And so did Ruchi."
I chewed my lip. "I don't know what to say then, Vhy. I guess you saw something, but maybe you made a mistake or something. I mean, people don't just vanish into thin air."
Vhy shook his head. "Come on, Viv. If you don't believe me, say so. But we saw it. It happened. I don't know how or why. I just know it did."
We were both silent again for another long moment, then a voice called from the living room. It was Mom, calling us for breakfast. The maid returned, carrying the empty platter. "Memsaab kehti hai bahut achcha banaya hai. Amriki roti aur chahiye," she said.
I turned back to the stove. "Vhy, I have to do breakfast, okay? We'll talk about this later."
I didn't turn back to look at him, but I sensed after a moment that he had left. I felt relieved as well as ashamed. Relieved because I really hadn't known how to react to such a story. Ashamed, because obviously Vhy believed that story, and I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a worse thing.
So I did the only thing I could under the circumstances: I made more flapjacks. And then I joined my family for breakfast.
posted by Ashok K. Banker at 12.10.05
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