Page 18 of Twisted Bonds

Chitra looked at Mihir. “Now that I mentioned the yummy Diwali sweets, I am craving to have some too.”

Mihir laughed. “Then let’s go.”

Chitra got up and she and Mihir went to the dining area.

As they made their way to where the snacks and sweets were served, Chitra noticed a few people giving Mihir a lot of attention. Some even greeted him, and a few tried to converse with him.

She was glad Mihir was making more acquaintances, which would help him adapt to the new country and make it his home.

They relished the sweets and snacks. Mihir, especially missed the Indian sweets, which he was able to finally binge on.

Chitra laughed. “Wow. Looks like you love Indian sweets.”

“I love them. In fact, my sis---” He suddenly broke off.

He looked at her. “Chitra, I need to tell you something. Can we go to a quieter place?”

“Sure. I know a place where we can even watch fireworks from. Let me wash my hands and I will join you.”

He nodded.

Excited to watch fireworks, especially with Mihir, she stepped into the women’s bathroom.

She washed her hands which had become sticky with the sugar syrup from the sweet. She smiled, recalling how many sweets Mihir had eaten that evening.

“Mihir Thakvar is the heir of a royal clan in India.”

She was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard Mihir’s name from the woman next to her. The woman was talking to her friend. Both women looked slightly older in age. They appeared to be in their thirties or forties.

“The Thakvars have a four-hundred-year-old mansion, and the Singoor desert region is among the wealthiest and most prosperous places in India. The family is well respected. Did you notice the logo of the attacking tiger on his ring and the pendant on his chain?”

Chitra was amused they mistook Mihir to be a royal from a faraway desert. She bit back a smile and left the bathroom, not wanting to miss the fireworks and unable to wait to tell Mihir what the women were saying about him.

***

Chitra didn’t get the chance to tell Mihir about the funny conversation she heard.

As soon as she stepped out, she was surrounded by children who watched the fireworks with her and Mihir.

It was much later when the temple patrons started to leave for the night, and the volunteers started cleaning up.

“Mihir, you should go. You have classes tomorrow.”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t help you this morning with the setup because of my classes, but now I’m staying and finishing the rest of the work.”

She wanted to argue and insist that he leave, but looking at his determined expression, she sighed.

“Okay. But you can stay only for thirty minutes.”

He smiled. “I’ll stay until you stay.” With that, he walked away to help dismantle the big stage set up specially for that night.

She laughed, shaking her head, and made a note to finish her work quickly. Mihir was polite yet adamant in his ways, and she knew he would not leave until she finished her work. He had done that even at the soup kitchen, where they worked together on many occasions.

She helped clean up the prayer hall until it was restored to its original setup, ready for everyday events. And then she walked to the kitchen, somehow knowing that was where Mihir would be. She paused at the kitchen entrance when she spotted him carrying a large stack of cleaned utensils back to storage.

She walked over to one of the other volunteers in the kitchen. “Can you take over for Mihir? I will cover one of your shifts next week.”

The volunteer smiled. “I’ll be happy to. And there’s no need to cover for me next week. You’ve already covered for me so many times before.”

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