Tara put down Ordinary People, Lavi’s summer reading from the previous year that she had found on a shelf in the basement, and stared out of the window. The darkness held regular pools of lamplight. Summer reading was a great idea but to suggest something so quietly devastating to a fourteen-year-old? English teachers sometimes forgot how young their charges were, expecting them to be able to stomach things way beyond their years. Or was it that they were trying to tell them in the way they knew that life wasn’t always what it ought to be? She remembered reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles in her early teens and being sick for three whole days.
She had tried to get Lavi to eat some of the food she had made but the girl had stuck to her Cheerios, which she took up to her room. Who knew what demons possessed her. Life in this house couldn’t be easy. She had tried to make contact but had been met with barely polite monosyllables or a silence that struck her as somewhat hostile. How isolated such kids were, especially in a family like Kamala’s, that seemed to keep itself aloof, whether by choice or circumstance one couldn’t know.
She got out of bed and stepped out of her room for a second. Lavi had the television on. She got back into bed and read for some more time but couldn’t focus. Rahul and the doctor. What was going on at home? She really needed to send some mails off, call people up: Shantanu, their uncle but barely old enough to be that, Akhil, their neighbour from the old days, Madhulika, her university mate, friends in Boston. It was sometimes simpler not to do anything. Who wanted unforeseen ripples in the pond when it had its own steady undertow? At least, mails were somewhat easier to hold off, there was no direct confrontation.
She switched off the bedside lamp and looked up at the dark flying saucer of a fan as it spun away. It was okay to be here, all things considered. It was not a holiday choice she would have made herself, and certainly not at this time of the work year. But at least it meant not having to face the dailyness of life at home, the attack of the ringing doorbell, the friendly phone call during work-time. She dug her toes deep into the comforter.
Some neural event that she was unaware of had taken place in her brain because the next second she leapt out of bed and rushed out of her room to stand outside Lavi’s door. She could hear the television going. Did the sound of it seem different? She wondered whether to knock on the girl’s door and check if everything was okay. Lavi would resent it deeply.
She found herself knocking on the door.
‘Lavi?’ she called out. Then, ‘Lavi!’ a little louder. Slugger came rushing up the stairs, tail wagging wildly, ready for an adventure. No response. She knocked again. Still nothing. Had she fallen asleep with the television on? She opened the door softly, fearful of provoking her niece with what she would consider an unpardonable invasion of her privacy. The dog brushed past her. The television was on but there was no sign of Lavi. The bed was still made. A perfume she didn’t recognize slithered through the air.
‘Lavi,’ she called out, knocking on the bathroom door. She waited for a few minutes, then tried the door. It was unlatched. Steam streamed out. On the floor were a heap of dirty clothes, evidently recently discarded.
But no Lavi.
She shut the bathroom door.
Maybe she was downstairs, sleeping in her parents’ bed. She went down, accompanied by a delighted Slugger. But the monster bed in the master bedroom was undisturbed. ‘Lavi!’ she called out. No response. She tried every room, with the dog tripping her at every step. There was no sign of Lavi anywhere.
What had the girl pulled?
She ran back upstairs, to Lavi’s room. Looked around the room, she didn’t even know for what.
A friend’s name or number, someone who may know, a neighbour, Ariel?
Could she have told Kamala where she was off to, the rotten little kid?
No, Kamala would have let her know.
The computer was switched off. There was nothing she could find. God, how well these kids covered their tracks.
If that was what Lavi was doing.
In this case, literally, considering that every inch of floor space was occupied. The kid had left the damn television on just to throw her off. She ran out of the room and downstairs, forgetting to switch it off.
Where was the wretched girl? What ought she to do? She had better hurry up and do it, whatever it was. It was past ten o’clock. Whom could she call at this time of night? Kamala would kill her. Besides, what could she do from so far away? She went back into Kamala’s room, snatched up her sister’s robe, wrapped it quickly round herself and opened the front door.
The cold air cut her like paper. A couple of cars with red lights went by. She paused, wondering what she should do, walked down the path towards the road. The cheerful flowers of day had turned ghostly. A sudden chilly gust made her draw the thin robe closer around her. She heard a sound behind her. She turned around just in time to see the front door being shut on her by some interior displacement of air. She leapt towards it, tried to push it open. But she had been very efficiently locked out by an imperturbable American front door. Slugger stared woefully at her from behind the glass panel. Yeah, right, all she needed was to be locked out with a dog.
Her chest constricted. Good god, had she misplaced her mind? No money, no mobile, no bloody clothes even, no way of getting back in. That bloody Kamala should have given her some emergency numbers. But how would she have called them anyway, frigging idiot that she was?
She saw a car approaching and rushed down the path towards it. She jumped into the middle of the round and waved it down, arms moving like a manic windmill. It stopped just short of her with a scream of brakes and tyres. A window was rolled down and a male voice yelled: ‘Lady, you crazy? What are you doing? You could have gotten yourself killed!’
It belonged to a thirty-something black man with dreadlocks and heavy gold chains.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but you’ve got to help me!’ she said. She opened the passenger seat door and jumped in. ‘I’m from India and my niece is missing!’
‘Lady, lady,’ the man said, ‘what are you doing? You can’t just get into my car! What do you mean, missing? You mean she ran away from India?’
She distractedly noticed that he pronounced India ‘In-dee-ah’, like all Americans. ‘Of course not,’ she said. ‘She lives here, that’s my sister’s house.’ She pointed behind her. ‘I’m supposed to keep an eye on her and now the horrible girl has gone away somewhere without telling me, she’s probably drunk or worse. Besides, I’m locked out, I have no money, mobile phone, and I don’t know anyone here except you! You’ve got to help me.’
‘Hey, hey!’ he said. ‘You don’t know me, and you want my help? That’s just great.’
‘Please, I really don’t know anyone, I’m sorry, you’ve got to help me!’
The man stared at her. ‘Where’s your niece at? When she leave?’
‘If I knew that, she wouldn’t be missing, right?’ What an idiot.
He reached beyond her and opened the door. ‘Lady, get outta my car.’
‘Sorry! Sorry! Just give me a second, okay, please? I need to think for just a second.’ She drew a deep breath, held her head in her hands.
The man laughed. ‘Take your time,’ he said. ‘I have all the time in the world.’
‘Thanks,’ she said, not catching his tone, still thinking.
He stared at her. ‘You expect me, a perfect stranger, to drive you all round town looking for your niece, that too, when I’m on a weekend visit?’
She looked at him, registering him for the first time. ‘I’m sorry, I really am! I know it’s an awful lot to ask of a stranger! But you’ve got to help me. I don’t know anyone else.’
‘Like hell, lady.’ He looked at her, huddled on the seat beside him. ‘Doesn’t your sister have friends or neighbours around here who can help you? C’mon, lady, I gotta be somewhere, like, now!’
‘I don’t think my sister has any friends. Besides, you’re a neighbour, aren’t you? You could help me.’
‘I just told you I don’t live here. How could I be a neighbour?’ He shook his head.
‘Please, you’re not letting me think! Can you let me think for just a second?’
She heard an odd sound and found him laughing. ‘What, what are you laughing at? What’s so funny? You think a young girl missing is funny?’
‘Is that really a robe you have on there, with pyjamas underneath?’
‘No! Yes.’
He scratched his head. Stopped laughing. ‘Look, we can’t just sit here forever. There’s an Indian family that lives right next to my parents’ place, over on Cherry Court, two streets over. You want to go talk to them?’
‘What good would that do?’
‘Well, you have any better ideas?’
‘Hold on a minute. I think my niece’s classmate, whatsisname, lives somewhere in this subdivision. He may know if there’s a party or something on tonight, right?’
‘What makes you think she’s at a party? She’s probably run away from home. Maybe she’s scared of you! I am.’ She looked at him. ‘No, no, you’re probably right. She’s probably at a party. C’mon, it’s Saturday night. I’m going to a party myself, that is, if you let me. Jeez, how’d I get mixed up in this shit? He’s probably there himself!’
‘What are you talking about? Who?’
‘Dude you mentioned, you know, the classmate or whatever. But how the heck are we going to find him, or his parents? You don’t even seem to know his name!’
She reached over and patted his hand. ‘Thanks for saying “we”. Maybe those Indian neighbours are worth a try.’
‘That’s what I said, didn’t I, like about five minutes ago? Hang on. Let me find out where they are from my folks.’
A few minutes later, they were outside a house very similar to Kamala’s, except for the statue of a baby Krishna crawling on the lawn. She got out of the car and ran up the driveway, and rang the doorbell. The door was opened after what seemed ages by a thin, tall, dull-faced Indian boy.
‘Yes?’ He didn’t seem surprised to see a strange Indian woman on the doorstep dressed in a faded green silk robe at this hour.
‘Quick, do you know Lavi – Lavanya?’
‘Sameer!’ a woman’s voice called out from somewhere inside. ‘Who is it?’
‘Hold on a sec, Mom!’ he yelled back, startling her.
Sameer – that was it. ‘Sameer,’ she said, ‘look, I’m your classmate Lavanya’s aunt, Tara.’ She saw him look at her clothes, then out at the black man in the car. ‘This is very odd, I know, but do you know if any of your classmates are having a party? We’re trying to find Lavi.’
‘Find her?’
‘Yes, I’m supposed to be looking after her while her parents are away, and she’s gone off somewhere without telling me,’ she said as quickly and clearly as she could.
He was silent for so long that she wanted to shake him.
‘…I think there’s a party on at Bruce Radner’s house, so I heard at lunch the other day,’ he said at last.
‘Well, where’s this house? Can you please be quick, if you don’t mind!’
‘I don’t really know. I think it’s somewhere St Matthews’ way, off Brownsboro Road, maybe Ridge Street.’
‘Well, do you have a school directory or something that would list, you know, phone numbers and addresses and things?’ She tried not to be irritated with his slowness. Lavi probably hated this guy.
‘No, I think mine’s lost.’
‘Sameer! Who is that?’
He looked at her. ‘Just the neighbour lady, Mom.’
Tara made a quick decision. She grabbed Sameer by the arm and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to come with us! There’s no way the two of us are going to find this place on our own!’
‘But my mother…’ he said as she sped him down the driveway, opened the back door and pushed him in.
‘Sameer!’ they could hear his mother from the door. ‘What on earth are you doing? Who are those people? Are they kidnapping you?’
Sameer woke up at the tone. He buzzed down the window as they sped away and yelled, ‘Mom, I’m fine, I’ll be back soon, I’m not being kidnapped, I promise!’
‘Come back at once! I’m calling the police!’ she screeched, running down the path.
‘She’ll understand, we’ll explain later, I’ll explain later!’ Tara said as they made the bend.
‘You don’t know my mother, she’ll have the cops after you. I hope this car is not stolen,’ he said.
‘What the heck do you mean by that, kiddo?’ said the man, swinging around.
‘No, I’m just saying.’
‘Never mind all that, please. Now, how do we get to this place you think the party is?’
‘I told you I don’t know where the freaking party is!’
‘Hey, watch your tongue, kid!’ the man said. ‘That’s no way to talk to a lady.’
‘Please, let’s deal with that later, okay, I beg of you. Let’s just get him to take us to this place. Now, at the junction, right or left, Sameer? Hurry up, please!’
‘Right,’ he said, sulking. ‘You can’t just bother folks in the middle of the night. Serves that stupid Lavanya right if she gets into trouble, thinks she’s some kind of princess! No, turn left at the lights. God!’
‘Hey, why don’t we all introduce ourselves?’ she said, as though at a party. ‘I’m Tara, Lavanya’s aunt. Oh, sorry,’ she said to the man, ‘you’ve never met my niece!’
‘I haven’t had that pleasure, ma’am,’ he said. ‘Gentry.’
She looked puzzled.
‘What, you’ve never heard that name before? That’s my name.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ she said. ‘I didn’t quite get it.’
Sameer maintained a silence.
‘Well, this young man in the back, who has been so kind as to help us, is Sameer, Lavanya – Lavi’s – classmate.’
Sameer muttered under his breath. Gentry swung around once again to look at him. The car veered a bit, making the car in the next lane honk wildly. They could see a man cursing them.
‘Guys, guys, let’s just do this, okay? I promise I’ll make it up to you!’
‘How?’ Gentry said.
‘Cash,’ said Sameer, coming to life. ‘I need cash. I need a new iPod. I lost my last one.’
‘I’ll figure something out, I promise,’ she said to Gentry, and then turned round to look at the boy. ‘Fine, you’ll get your cash. Now could you please direct us without further confusion? We’re losing valuable time here!’ She tried to keep her tone light although discomfiting images of Lavi kept popping into her head. Drat that child, what had she gone and done? She hoped to god she was okay.
Gentry’s mobile rang. ‘Sorry, Jaden, I’m going to be a little late,’ he said. He paused, listening. ‘It’s too difficult to explain. Why don’t y’all go ahead and I’ll join you as soon as I can?’
They got off Brownsboro Road and went deeper into St Matthews. A newly enterprising Sameer pulled out his mobile, switched it on, and called one of his friends to find out if he knew anything more. ‘Let’s just drive around these streets and see if we can find a house which looks like it’s having a party, maybe has some cars parked,’ he said. He sounded almost pleasant. His mobile starting ringing insanely. ‘Ma, I’m fine,’ he said, and switched it off again.
Gentry turned left, made the block, then made a perpendicular turn and another block. They could hear the whine of a cop car somewhere in the background. The third square they made, they were rewarded by the sound of music played louder than usual, and a few cars that were parked up the driveway off a wide tree-lined street with a broad stretch of lawn in front of the houses.
‘That’s it!’ Tara said, ‘hurry up, Gentry!’
As he slowed to a halt, a cop car came at great speed behind them, lights flashing, siren on. They were most certainly its target. Before the cop could get out, Tara leapt out of her side of the car and, ignoring the driveway, ran across the grass, her robe flying behind her.
‘What are you doing?’ shouted Gentry. Was she crazy, running like that when a cop had pulled them over? Didn’t she get he was a black man?
‘Stop!’ said the cop, but she didn’t. Gentry and Sameer cowered inside the car. The cop didn’t chase after her but came up to the car, and tapped on the driver’s window. Gentry buzzed it down, his hand shaking. All he had wanted to do was to meet some friends at a bar.
‘License and registration, please.’
Gentry gave them to him. The cop went away to run them. He was back a few minutes later. ‘Whose car is this?’
‘See, I knew it was stolen!’ Sameer said from the back.
‘Be quiet,’ the cop said. ‘Answer the question, sir.’
‘My father’s,’ Gentry said.
‘Any relation of Judge Channing’s?’
‘Son.’
‘And what are you doing here, Mr Channing, in the middle of the night?’
‘We’re helping the woman you saw running … er … Tah-rah … to find her niece, Officer.’
The cop peered into the back.
‘And who have we here?’
‘Sameer Pandey,’ said Sameer.
‘Young man, you may not be aware of this but your mother called you in kidnapped.’ He waved at Gentry to be silent.
‘I’ve not been kidnapped, as you can see, Officer,’ Sameer said, remembering the mention of cash. ‘I’m here of my own free will.’
‘I can see that, I can see that, son. Well, I don’t know what’s up with you fine folks of colour in this area on this balmy spring night but I suggest you leave quickly unless you want me to take some action.’
Before Gentry could answer, Sameer burst in. ‘Well, Officer,’ he said in his poshest private school tone, ‘Tara … er … Auntie, whom you saw just now go up to the house, she wanted our help to find Lavanya, her niece and my classmate – and Gentry here came to help us. We’re all neighbours – Willoughby Estate.’
The cop swung around when he heard movements behind him. The Indian woman in the robe was walking–dragging what appeared to be a less-than-sober young Indian girl down the garden path. The girl was screaming: ‘You can’t just burst in here and take me home, you can’t! You’ve no right!’
‘We’ll see about that, young lady,’ Tara said, tightening her grip on Lavi as she tried to get away. When they got to the car, Tara opened the backdoor and thrust Lavi in. Lavi saw Sameer.
‘You!’ she said in disgust. ‘It was you who brought my aunt here, was it? Why couldn’t you mind your own nerdy business elsewhere, you – loser!’
‘Stop it, Lavanya,’ Tara said. ‘Sameer is a responsible young man. That’s more than I can say of you!’
‘Ma’am, it is an offence not to respond to a police officer. Perhaps you didn’t know that? I really don’t know what you’re up to, you people, you create so much confusion, don’t follow the rules…’ said the cop, shaking his head. ‘It’s a good thing I’m in a pleasant mood tonight. Otherwise I might’ve decided a night over at the station would do you all some good. Young fella, get out of the car. I’m going to drop you home. Hurry up, you’ve wasted enough of my time already.’
‘But how will we find our way home?’ said Tara.
‘This car has a GPS,’ Gentry said.
‘You can follow me, ma’am,’ said the cop, still shaking his head. These damn people, was the problem with America.
‘I know the way home. Jesus,’ said Lavi, rolling her eyes as best as she could with a head that threatened to roll away by itself.
‘But how will we get in? We’re locked out!’
‘God, what’s the matter with you? I’m here, aren’t I? I know the garage door code, for chrissake. What a mess, leaving the house like that, getting locked out. I bet you have no phone or money either – and are you barefoot? I’m going to be sick. Darn it, I feel so sick…’
‘Not inside my car,’ Gentry said. ‘Get her out now, Tah-rah!’
‘Ma’am, throwing up on the pavement is a federal offence!’
‘Is it really?’ said Sameer.
Lavi retched on the pavement with Tara holding her by the shoulders. A thin trail of saliva trickled out of her mouth. ‘God, I feel awful,’ she said.
‘You should try not drinking,’ said Sameer.
Lavi glared at him.
‘At least she has more spirit than you,’ said Tara.
‘Spirits, you mean,’ Gentry said.
Tara saw the expression on Sameer’s face. ‘I’m sorry, you’ve been very helpful! I’ll come by to see you, I promise.’
‘C’mon, young fella, let’s go! I don’t have all night.’ The cop caught him by the elbow, marched him to his car, and put him in the back, making sure to place a hand on his head as he got in.
Tara wiped Lavi’s mouth with a tissue from a box she spied in the back of Gentry’s car.
‘Come,’ she said to her niece, helping her back into the car, ‘let’s get you home.’