Page 127 of The Rules of Playing with Fire

“You look glamorous, Mrs. Thomas,” I said as I stood at the door beside Sona.

“Thank you, Mihir. You both enjoy your evening,” she said, and we all walked indoors.

“What should we do?” she asked when we locked the door behind them. “Watch a movie?”

“Sure, anything you want.”

“What I want is to learn the tricks of poker. You seem awfully good at it, and I might not get another chance.”

I remained unfazed at her proclamation as we walked to the dining table. “Alright, get the cards,” I said. I still had one powerful move left to try and win her back.

“This is difficult,” she huffed half an hour later. “Maybe I should stick to something simple, like Go Fish!”

“Don’t lose patience. Stay with me, we’ll get there,” I said, sans a grin but she got my meaning.

While she was busy burning a hole in my face with her glare, her cell buzzed on the table. She took a quick glance at the number then jumped off the chair to answer it.

Speaking in Marathi, she managed a restrained timbre, but her body bubbled with excitement. Her eyes were wide, her smile so lovely, it made my balls twitch. She hung up the call and then faced me with a theatrical pose.

“Mihir, guess who that was?”

I shook my head and shrugged. “No clue.”

“It was your mother.”

“Mom?”

Holding my arms, she pulled me up. “No. Your mother, Sharda.”

I stood before her speechless. My heart raced. “She’s agreed to meet?” I asked, looking at her jubilant face.

“Yes.” She returned an exaggerated nod.

“Oh!” I hugged her tight. I might have cursed, I’m not certain. When my heart rate came back to normal, we settled in the living room, and I held her hand. “Shit, I can’t believe it! You are something, Sona! Do you realize, I would’ve never gotten past the first day if it wasn’t for you? I would’ve gone in search of Kamte, never found him, and returned home desolate.”

She gave me her shy smile. “I’m glad I could help, Mihir. I really am.”

“When are we meeting her?”

“Tomorrow, at a café. Is that alright? It’s a public space, but maybe we can find a nice corner.”

“Can you accompany me?”

“Yes, she wants me there too. I think she’s as anxious as you are.”

“I’m not anxious,” I blurted in a knee-jerk reaction, but when she rolled her eyes, I said, “You’re right, I am. But I’m here with you, in all my vulnerability.”

She rolled her eyes again. “Dramatic, much?”

MIHIR

The next afternoon, I paced my hotel room, waiting for Sona to show up. I had two hours before the meeting, but my nerves refused to calm down.

In my excitement last night, I had wanted to call my parents, but I worried I might misrepresent my feelings. Waiting another day wouldn’t hurt.

I called Sona.

“Where are you?” I asked impatiently when she answered her cell.

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