spread out on the pale pink covers. And a tall woman we’d never seen before.
“Hello, hello, you must be the famous Hemant! And this lovely girl must be Varsha,” she said. She held out her hand. “I am Anu Krishnan.”
I didn’t know how to react to that. Nobody has ever called me lovely. I wasn’t sure what to say or do, so I frowned at the woman to let her know I wasn’t aboutto be taken in by praise. Later on, when I read her notebook, I knew she was a smiling liar.
But I have to admit, she looked kind of cute, and her clothes were really, really nice. Her hand was still out, but I decided not to shake it, just because. Later on, after I read those pages from her notebook, I was glad that I didn’t take her hand. She was no friend. She was a liar, Anu Krishnan. She never meant a word of anything she said to us. How was it she described me in her horrid book? Ugly little thing, teeth like her grandmother’s coconut scraper, beady eyes. And Hem was a troll, pretending to be sick all the time. And Suman needed help to get away from us all, and she, Anu Krishnan, outsider, was going to give it to her. Oh yes, she lied and cheated and planned to steal.
In the meanwhile, my dear little brother was doing his bit to make Suman feel miserable. He threw a hissy fit and believe me, nobody does that better than him.
“Why weren’t you there?” he shouted, near tears, glaring at Suman, ignoring the stranger. “I thought you were dead.”
“Don’t be silly, Hemu.” Suman looked embarrassed. Akka was startled. Anu Krishnan was smiling as if my brother was a comedy show. “Why would I be dead?”
“THEN WHY WEREN’T YOU THERE?” Hem hollered. Once my brother gets going, he can be spectacular.
“I said I was sorry, Hemu.” Suman walked over to him and knelt beside him, looking worried, the way she usually looks.
“Stop shouting, Hemant,” Akka said sternly. “What is there to be scared of? Your sister was with you.”
“Mama said there are strangers on the roads, she said they do bad things to kids. She said she’d always wait for us. I WAS SCARED!”
“I said I am sorry! It will never happen again, I promise.” Suman reached out again to hold Hemant, but he pushed her away and stalked out of the room with me in tow.
Behind us, Suman said, “I am so sorry, I don’t know what has got into my son. He is normally a good little boy, isn’t he, Akka?”
“Yes, he is,” Akka agreed. “But I think he is getting a bit spoiled by you, Suman. They can walk home by themselves, at least in summer. Varsha is thirteen, old enough to take care of them both. And why have you filled their heads with nonsense about bad people and kidnappers and rubbish like that? There is nobody around for miles here.”
We waited, crouched on the landing at the head of the stairs, Hem and I. Heard chairs scraping backwards in Akka’s room. The woman’s voice. “I think I’ve held you all up for long enough. If you give me the keys, and point me in the right direction, perhaps I could find my own way?”
So that’s who she was—our tenant for the back-house, which Papa had decided to rent out.
Suman’s voice floated up: “I’ll walk you there. Show you where all the things are …”
Then Akka’s. “And when are you coming back to see me, Anu?”
I was startled. Akka sounded friendly . What was wrong with her? She is usually so sensible. Suman, yes, you can count on her to be daft about everybody, but our grandmother said she always took her time to get to know people.
The tenant laughed. “Whenever you want me to, Akka. Your wish is my command!”
Suman looked up and spotted us hovering on the landing. “Varsha, Hemu, do you want to come with me to show Anu the back-house?”
I held Hem’s wrist hard. We were not going anywhere. We were not going to speak to Suman. She had to be punished for neglecting us, her children, in order to spend time with a stranger. I stared down at Anu, standing behind
“Hello, hello, you must be the famous Hemant! And this lovely girl must be Varsha,” she said. She held out her hand. “I am Anu Krishnan.”
I didn’t know how to react to that. Nobody has ever called me lovely. I wasn’t sure what to say or do, so I frowned at the woman to let her know I wasn’t aboutto be taken in by praise. Later on, when I read her notebook, I knew she was a smiling liar.
But I have to admit, she looked kind of cute, and her clothes were really, really nice. Her hand was still out, but I decided not to shake it, just because. Later on, after I read those pages from her notebook, I was glad that I didn’t take her hand. She was no friend. She was a liar, Anu Krishnan. She never meant a word of anything she said to us. How was it she described me in her horrid book? Ugly little thing, teeth like her grandmother’s coconut scraper, beady eyes. And Hem was a troll, pretending to be sick all the time. And Suman needed help to get away from us all, and she, Anu Krishnan, outsider, was going to give it to her. Oh yes, she lied and cheated and planned to steal.
In the meanwhile, my dear little brother was doing his bit to make Suman feel miserable. He threw a hissy fit and believe me, nobody does that better than him.
“Why weren’t you there?” he shouted, near tears, glaring at Suman, ignoring the stranger. “I thought you were dead.”
“Don’t be silly, Hemu.” Suman looked embarrassed. Akka was startled. Anu Krishnan was smiling as if my brother was a comedy show. “Why would I be dead?”
“THEN WHY WEREN’T YOU THERE?” Hem hollered. Once my brother gets going, he can be spectacular.
“I said I was sorry, Hemu.” Suman walked over to him and knelt beside him, looking worried, the way she usually looks.
“Stop shouting, Hemant,” Akka said sternly. “What is there to be scared of? Your sister was with you.”
“Mama said there are strangers on the roads, she said they do bad things to kids. She said she’d always wait for us. I WAS SCARED!”
“I said I am sorry! It will never happen again, I promise.” Suman reached out again to hold Hemant, but he pushed her away and stalked out of the room with me in tow.
Behind us, Suman said, “I am so sorry, I don’t know what has got into my son. He is normally a good little boy, isn’t he, Akka?”
“Yes, he is,” Akka agreed. “But I think he is getting a bit spoiled by you, Suman. They can walk home by themselves, at least in summer. Varsha is thirteen, old enough to take care of them both. And why have you filled their heads with nonsense about bad people and kidnappers and rubbish like that? There is nobody around for miles here.”
We waited, crouched on the landing at the head of the stairs, Hem and I. Heard chairs scraping backwards in Akka’s room. The woman’s voice. “I think I’ve held you all up for long enough. If you give me the keys, and point me in the right direction, perhaps I could find my own way?”
So that’s who she was—our tenant for the back-house, which Papa had decided to rent out.
Suman’s voice floated up: “I’ll walk you there. Show you where all the things are …”
Then Akka’s. “And when are you coming back to see me, Anu?”
I was startled. Akka sounded friendly . What was wrong with her? She is usually so sensible. Suman, yes, you can count on her to be daft about everybody, but our grandmother said she always took her time to get to know people.
The tenant laughed. “Whenever you want me to, Akka. Your wish is my command!”
Suman looked up and spotted us hovering on the landing. “Varsha, Hemu, do you want to come with me to show Anu the back-house?”
I held Hem’s wrist hard. We were not going anywhere. We were not going to speak to Suman. She had to be punished for neglecting us, her children, in order to spend time with a stranger. I stared down at Anu, standing behind
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