Page 233 of A King's Oath

“Sev,” her nose crinkled. “You cheater, Sam!”

He rolled his eyes. Then thought this was a lost game if he gave her more guessing chances. So he conceded defeat and threw open the basket. Parmeshwar had packed the food meticulously, just as he had ordered.

“You like sweet and savoury together, right?” He opened a foiled box to a bed of piping hot jalebis. Then another to freshly fried fafdas. Brahmi’s eyebrows shot to the top of her head.

“Jalebi,” he picked one in his fingers and took a bite. Then set it down, reached for a slice of fafda and bit into it — “Fafda.”

Her lips rounded in a closed O this time.

“You wanna try?”

She shook her head.

“It’s like eclairs and fries. I tasted it. Won’t you?”

She opened her mouth and he held the jalebi out to her — “Small bite.”

Her face split into a naughty grin and she bit off a massive chunk, giggling. He popped the rest of it into his own mouth and held out the fafda to her. She scoffed, shaking her head.

“Try it, you’ll like it.”

Her nose twisted.

“Try it before your jalebi is gone. There’s the magic.”

As if that word had got to her, Brahmi opened her mouth and bit into the crunchy fafda. At first her mouth opened as if shewould spit it out but then it snapped shut. She chewed. Chewed, chewed, chewed, then swallowed.

“How was it?”

She grabbed a piece of fafda and began nibbling on it. Then reached for a jalebi, broke a small stick and popped it into her mouth. That was his answer right there. Samarth was so proud that his body felt light as air. He glanced at Ava. And the sun was setting on her face. Her smiling face. Her soft, watery, smiling face.

He offered her a jalebi. She took it, biting into it. Trying his luck, he pushed a piece of fafda her way. She scowled. He laughed, reaching inside the basket and opening a jar of rabdi. She took it, dipping her jalebi into the sweetened cream.

“What else do you have there? Or is it all dessert?”

“Oh no, I am feeding two very special ladies. I had to start with something sweet. For the main course we have thepla, white dhokla, bataka nu sukku shaak, masala khichdi, dahi,” he set up the containers. “And to end the meal we have,” he pulled out a bunch of green grapes and a waist chain. A burst of laughter rattled Ava. Brahmi stared bewildered as her mother fell to the ground wheezing.

“Why is Mama laughing?”

“I told her a joke.”

“What joke?”

“There was once an elephant and an ant…”

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“Look at me go reverse!” Brahmi called out, running up the slide the wrong way. Samarth waved at her, his body turned so that he could keep an eye on her playing as well as sit next to Ava and lether enjoy the sunset. After an initial few minutes of being alert to keep a watch on Brahmi, she had relaxed and turned her eyes to the sun on the horizon beyond the river.

“I thought she would crash the moment she had eaten,” he observed.

“She is wired differently. Lunch makes her sleepy, dinner makes her energetic.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“How do you manage it all?”

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