The Gurkha's Daughter Read Online Free Page A

and meat for at least another thirteen days, she retreated into her shell.
    â€œIt’s okay if you eat, Bhauju,” Sarita said. “I couldn’t eat in good conscience.”
    â€œBut I was married into this family, so it’s my family, Sarita. It’s acceptable if you eat because you were married outside the family. Just don’t eat any meat.”
    â€œShe is—was—my mother. You can’t possibly expect me to eat.”
    â€œBut you’re hungry. Maybe you could start the fasting and sacrificing tomorrow.”
    â€œYes, why don’t you, Bhauju? Tonight we eat, and tomorrow we start.”
    But when the driver finally pulled up to a brightly lit restaurant in a town that bustled with night buses and diners, both announced they wouldn’t be able to forgive themselves if they ate. Kaali, Erin, Sunny, and the driver walked to the restaurant while Sarita and Parvati shopped for fruit and milk. They couldn’t get milk thick enough for their taste anywhere this late, so they made do with tea and bananas. By the time the others had returned, Parvati and her sister-in-law had finished a dozen bananas between them. Parvati discarded her plan of surprising Kaali with a banana early in the morning as she snapped the last fruit in half.
    â€œSix bananas each—we must have been hungry,” Parvati said, hoping Sarita couldn’t sleep either.
    â€œWhat did you eat, Dinesh?” Sarita asked the driver.
    â€œThe food was good,” Dinesh said, with an appreciative burp. “They had chicken and fish and mutton.”
    â€œDid you eat like a pig, Kaali?” Parvati asked.
    â€œYes, she ate quite a bit,” the driver, unexpectedly talkative, answered. “But Madam ate the most. I’ve never seen a woman eat that way. I never knew a kuiree could eat so much Nepali food. Will the spices not destroy her stomach?”
    Do you get to eat meat here? he had asked. How often do you eat meat? At my mistress’s place, they seldom ate meat. When they did, they usually left a smidgen of gravy and a small piece of chicken for me. I would put my plate to my face and lick it clean. Your new life will be different. You’ll get to eat as much as you want, but we don’t want you to be too fat. Have you seen a fat actress?
    â€œShe’s used to it. She loves Nepali food.”
    â€œOh, she eats everything you cook?” Parvati asked, surprised.
    â€œYes, everything. Earlier she had a problem with the bones, but now she’s used to them. She’s too old to cook. Otherwise, I am sure she’d make an excellent Nepali cook.”
    â€œMaybe you could teach her. I’ve heard you make delicious chicken, Sarita.”
    â€œI am learning other recipes. I am taking a home science class at PK. We get to experiment a lot.”
    â€œSo, you’re actually going to college to do a course you could study at home?” Parvati asked.
    â€œNo, this is just one of the classes. I’ve many others. I like this one best. Maybe I could do a bachelor’s in home science, then a master’s.”
    â€œWho’s heard of a mother of a teenage son with such ambitions? I think you’re throwing a lot of time and money down the drain.”
    â€œNo, I am not. As Aamaa says, this is an investment. Education is always an investment.”
    â€œNow you’re talking like Kaali. She’s been asking to be sent to school for some time now.”
    â€œWhy don’t you? She doesn’t do a lot during the day.”
    â€œWhat will she do with an education and that face? It will all be a wasted effort.”
    â€œShe wouldn’t bother you during the day,” Sarita countered.
    â€œI want her home during the day.”
    â€œShe keeps you company, doesn’t she? I always knew you were very attached to her.”
    â€œWho gets attached to a servant, Sarita? But, yes, she keeps me company. If I had a son—or even a