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“I’m relaxed,” Ram said briskly, dusting his t-shirt off. “I’m going to wash this nonsense off my face and come.”
“If you leave it on for another ten minutes,” Veda called to his retreating back. “It will make your face glow.”
He didn’t look back, just flashed her his middle finger and kept going. Veda chuckled as she picked up the television remote and randomly surfed for something they could watch together. Ram came back, his face damp but clean and sprawled on the recliner in the corner of Raashi’s room. They’d chosen her room to vegetate in since they knew neither of their parents would come looking for them there. Everyone knew better than to enter Raashi’s room without her permission.
Speaking of parents… “Where’s Nanna?” Veda asked. “Still not back from work?”
Ram shrugged. “Don’t think so. Looks like he’s having a busy day.”
Their father thrived on breaking the latest news to the people. On days when big news or big scandals came to light, he didn’t even come home. Sometimes for weeks…
Amma had arrived an hour ago, thrilled with her shopping and slightly tipsy from a dinner with her kitty party buddies. She’d kissed Veda on her cheek, not bothered to ask what she was doing here, and then disappeared into her bedroom. They hadn’t seen her since.
Raashi’s stomach gurgled loudly, startling Veda. “Good God, haven’t we fed that monster enough?” she asked her brother. The three of them had been snacking nonstop since they’d settled in together.
“It’s never enough,” Raashi intoned in a sepulchral voice making Veda squeal and throw a pillow at her.
“I thought you were asleep,” Veda told her sister, throwing a chips packet at her. It smacked Raashi in her face. With a huff, Raashi sat up, ripping the packet open and shoving her hand in to pull out a chip.
“I can order us some biryani,” Ram said mildly, pulling the remote out of Veda’s hands and switching to another OTT provider.
“I want mutton,” Raashi announced before Veda could even pretend to decline. “Don’t try to fob me off with chicken and all.”
“Like you’ve ever been fobbed off by anyone or anything,” Ram muttered, placing the order on his phone and tossing it aside.
A niggling worry snuck through Veda as she sat between her siblings. Something felt just the slightest bit off in the day. She didn’t know what but her poorly tuned sixth sense was tingling.
“Anna, call Nanna,” she interrupted Ram and Raashi’s squabbling. “Ask him when he’s coming home?’
Ram glanced at her in surprise but whatever he saw in her face had him picking up his phone and dialling their father. Veda watched him as the phone rang and rang. But Nanna didn’t pick up.
“He’s probably busy,” Ram offered as explanation, disconnecting the call. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Of course it means something,” Raashi drawled as she hoovered up the last of the crumbs in the chips packet. “It means he couldn’t be bothered to answer his children’s calls.”
Ram didn’t bother defending their father. Their family was dysfunctional at best and there were no excuses to be made, no blame to be cast. This was who they were, for better or for worse.
“He’ll be home soon,” was all Ram said.
But Nanna never came. Veda watched the night sky darken and deepen until all that was there was an inky black. No star was visible tonight. Neither was the moon. All Veda saw was darkness.
On a whim, she picked up her own phone and dialled Agastya. Just like with her father, the phone rang and rang but no one picked up. She called Ganesh Anna next. If anyone knew where Agastya was and what he was doing, it was Ganesh Anna. But he didn’t pick up either.
Her unease deepened, fear so visceral it seized her by the throat, setting in.
“Anna something’s wrong,” she whispered.
“Hmm?” Ram seemed to have finally found a show he wanted to watch and wasn’t paying attention.
“Anna-“ But Veda never got to finish her sentence as a car came shrieking down their driveway, its tires squealing and screeching in protest. All three of them ran to the large bay windows that looked out on to the long driveway that led from the front gate to their house. They watched as Nanna got out of his BMW, waving off the helper who came running to be of aid.
A strange elation seemed to line his jerky movements as he walked up their front steps. He stopped at the top, his hands on his hips, as he lifted his head to the sky and inhaled deeply. Veda’s fear took root, branches unfurling.
“He looks happy,” Raashi observed.
“That can’t be good,” Ram muttered. “For anyone.”
“No.” Raashi shook her head. “It never is.”
