"It's raining today." "Don't play in the playground." "It will be very muddy." "If you slip, you'll break your head." " Play inside." " Okay." "And don't walk under trees." "One fell nearby yesterday." "And an overpass collapsed, we saw it on the news." "But it has stopped raining." "It can always start again." "Here he is." "Hey!" "Wait a minute!" "Did you remember all the spices?" "No, Auntie, I think I forgot something." "I knew it!" "I could smell it up here!" "Here." "Thank you, Auntie." "Just a little bit does it." "Okay." "This new recipe will do the trick for you." "Auntie." "I know you're laughing." "Don't believe me now." "But one day you'll see." "Mm." "Smells perfect!" "One bite of that and he'll build you a Taj Mahal." "The Taj Mahal is a tomb, Auntie." "I know that!" "Take it back." "Fernandes." "Fernandes, this is Shaikh." "Shaikh, Mr. Fernandes." "Shaikh used to work in Saudi Arabia as a chief accountant." "He will take over your responsibilities when you leave next month." "Shaikh comes with very good references." "Very pleased to meet you, sir." "Mr. Shroff speaks very highly of you." "I had him join us early so that you can train him in all that you do in Claims." "Good luck." "Mr. Shroff said you've been here for 35 years." "Your colleagues will miss you a lot." "How does it feel, sir?" "I mean, your golden years are about to start." "How does it feel?" " Oh, fantastic." " Fantastic." "Can we start the training?" "Sure." "But it's lunchtime right now." "You come at 4:45." "Four forty-five, 4:45." "Okay, sir, no problem." "I'll come later then." "Thank you very much, sir." "Nice to meet you." "In today's class the recipe is the all-time favorite Paneer Do Pyaza." "Auntie." "Auntie." " Are you asleep?" " What happened?" "Auntie, the lunchbox is back." "So?" "Go on." "It's completely empty." "Completely?" "Yes!" "It's like he's licked it clean!" "What did I tell you?" "This is just the beginning." "Oh." "Auntie, turn the tape off." "Rajeev is back." "Okay." "Good, you came back early." "How was lunch today?" "It was good." "Um..." "Just good?" "Good, as usual." "You sent the lunchbox back empty so I thought..." "Your cauliflower was really good." "It was very good." "Hello." "Ah." "Just reached home." "I was waiting for your update." "Okay." "Oh." "Oh-ho." "Was it so boring?" "What can you do?" "Auntie?" "Auntie." "What happened now, sir?" "I'm retiring next month." "I'll be canceling the lunchbox service." "Okay, sir." "I'll make a note of it." "I'll settle up at the end of the month." "Okay, sir." "No problem." "Fine." "And..." "Who made the lunch today?" "We did, sir." "Why?" "The food was good!" " What?" " It was good, very good." "Maintain the same standard." "Okay?" "What's with him today?" "The cauliflower did it for us!" "Let's make it again tomorrow." "Here, serve this." "Hey, hey." "What is this?" "Mr. Fernandes, a ball went inside your balcony." "Please, can we have it?" "Please, sir?" " Do I look like your servant?" " No." "Please." "We'll not play here." "We'll play on another side." "If you play in front of this door again, I'll chase you down in the street." " Please." "Please." " Sir, we'll play on the other side." "Mr. Fernandes, please." "Sorry." "Huh?" "Ila!" "Oh, Ila." "Ila." "Yes, Auntie, I'm here." " Did you call out to me earlier?" " Yes." "I was changing Uncle's diaper." "What did Rajeev say?" "Nothing." "What?" "Auntie, the lunchbox went to someone else." "I don't think Rajeev got it." "It went to someone else who liked it and finished it." "But the delivery men never make a mistake." "What is it?" "Good morning, sir." "How are you?" "Good morning." "Sir, I came by yesterday." "You were not to be seen." "I was right here." "You were late." "I was here at 4.45." "I was here." "You were late." "No problem, sir." "Are these Claims files, sir?" "This is the Claims Department." "Uh..." "Uh..." "When do we start the training, sir?" "Let's do it." "Definitely, sir?" "Let's do it after lunch." " I'll come back then." " Yes, come back." " Are you sure, sir?" " Yes." "You'll definitely be here?" "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Thank you for sending back an empty lunchbox." "I had made that food for my husband." "And when it came back empty, I thought he would say something to me." "For a few hours, I thought the way to the heart is really through the stomach." "In return for those hours," "I am sending you Paneer." "My husband's favorite." "Ila." "Auntie, this letter business is strange." "Ila, you owe a thank you." "What happens if this goes to Rajeev?" "So good." "Rajeev ate someone else's food yesterday and didn't notice." "Let him notice today." "Should I write something else?" "No." "Keep it short!" "Auntie!" "Auntie." "Are you asleep?" "What happened?" "Auntie." "The lunchbox has come back." "It's empty again, but with a reply." " A reply?" " Yes." "What does it say?" "And it's not in Rajeev's handwriting." "Read it!" "Uh... "Dear, Ila, the food was very salty today."" "What else does it say?" ""Dear, Ila, the food was very salty today."" "What?" "No "Thank you," no "Hello"?" ""Dear Ila, the food was very salty today."" "Who does he think he is?" "He empties the lunchbox and then complains!" "Wait a minute." "Here, use this." "No, I don't like all this." "I'll tell the delivery man the box is going to the wrong address." "He should've thanked you!" "No, I really don't like this." "Why?" "It's not like you know him." "Good afternoon, sir." "How are you?" "Good." "I couldn't find you at your desk, so I came here." "You were reading in the canteen, so I didn't want to disturb." "Your lunchbox has an amazing aroma." "I could taste the food without eating it!" "Your wife, sir, she has magic in her hands." "My wife is dead." "Dear Ila, the salt was fine today." "The chili was a bit on the higher side." "But I had two bananas after lunch." "They helped to extinguish the fire in my mouth." "And I think it'll also be good for the motions." "There are so many people in this city who eat only a banana or two for lunch." "It's cheap and it fills you up." "Hello." "My husband came home late last night." "He didn't say a word." "This morning he went to work." "My daughter went to school." "And I started cooking with Deshpande Auntie." "She lives in the flat above us." "Her husband has been in a coma for the last 15 years." "One day he woke up and started staring at the ceiling fan." "Since then he does just that." "He stares at the fan all day and falls asleep at night." "In the morning he wakes up and stares at the fan again." "He doesn't say anything." "This has been going on for 15 years." "Even the doctors have lost hope now." "It's an old "Orient" model fan." "It is never switched off." "Auntie thinks that the fan keeps him alive." "One day the power went off." "And so did the fan." "Uncle's heartbeat slowed." "Luckily the power came back on." "After that, Deshpande Auntie had a generator installed." "Deshpande Uncle stares at the fan." "My husband stares at his phone." "As if nothing else exists." "Maybe nothing else does..." "What do we live for?" "Madam." "Dear Ila, your husband sounds like a busy man." "Life is very busy these days." "There are too many people, and everyone wants what the other has." "Years ago, you could find a place to sit in the train every now and then, but these days, it's difficult." "If Mr. Deshpande wakes up now, he will see the difference and probably go back to his Orient ceiling fan." "When my wife died, she got a horizontal burial plot." "I tried to buy a burial plot for myself the other day, and what they offered me was a vertical one." "I've spent my whole life standing in trains and buses, now I'll have to stand even when I'm dead." "Why don't you have another child?" "Sometimes having a child can help a marriage." "Rajeev?" "How is this?" "It's nice." "You forgot." "The last time I wore this was for our honeymoon." "I thought I'd try it today and see if it needed altering." "But look." "It fits perfectly." " Doesn't it?" " Yes." "In fact, it's loose." "Yes, it looks good." "After our honeymoon, we had no idea that Yashvi was on the way." "We didn't find out for a while." "We didn't find out for two months!" "We didn't have much then." "Mm." "When she arrived, our luck turned." "These days things are so expensive, luck is not enough." "And why do you make cauliflower every day?" "Did you buy it in bulk?" "Rajeev." "Mm-hm?" "What if Yashvi had a little brother or sister?" "You had a brother." "And he..." "Please don't make cauliflower every day, it gives me gas." "Hm?" "Rickshaw, bus, airplane..." "Everything gets stuck in Mumbai traffic." "This road has been jammed for hours." "You see that building?" "That tall tower." "A woman jumped off along with her little girl this morning." "Jumped with her little girl?" "Yes, she jumped." "What was her name?" "How would I know, sir?" "I'm not related to her." "Must be family problems." "Do you know someone in that building?" "Is she completely dead?" "Hello." "This morning, my husband went to work..." "Good afternoon, sir." "How are you?" "I'm busy, actually." "What about the training?" "This is lunch time." "Please come back later." "Everybody told me not to expect anything from you." "My name is Aslam Shaikh." "I am an orphan." "I gave myself this name." "I've taught myself everything I know." "And I will teach myself this job too." "That's all." "Thank you very much." "Listen." "Come here." "You go to my desk." "There are files from the Ahmedabad sector." "Calculate the amounts, prepare the pay orders, and send them to Accounts." "Thank you very much, sir." "Okay." "Thank you so much, sir." "Sir, I'll be right back." "No, don't come back." "You go work." "Yes, sir." " Thank you very much, sir." " Okay." "This morning, my husband went to work and Yashvi to school." "I switched on the radio, the news was on." "When my brother died, everyone said the same thing:" ""He should have had courage." "So what if he failed his exams?" "He should have had courage."" "What went through that woman's mind?" "Perhaps she took off all her jewelry." "Bracelets, earrings, her wedding necklace." "What did her daughter ask on the way?" "Mom, what are we going to play?" "It must have been so difficult to get to the roof." "Doesn't it take courage to jump from tall buildings?" "Dear Ila, please don't think like that." "Things are never as bad as they seem." "One day I was on the train on my way to work." "And then suddenly I felt something." "Someone touching me." "Down there." "Are you laughing?" "Yes, Auntie." "I just remembered a joke." "Tell me the joke!" "I forgot." " You forgot?" " Yes." "Soak five almonds in water every night and eat them in the morning." "It's a tonic for memory." "I will right away, Auntie." "How are you, sir?" "Going to the station?" "Yes." "I get off at Bombay Central." "I live in Dongri." " And you, sir?" " I live in Bandra." "Sir, can I ask you a question?" "Yes." "People in the office say..." "You were walking and kicked a cat." "It got hit by a bus, and you just went on your way." "Didn't even look back." "Is this true, sir?" "Actually, it wasn't a cat." "It was a blind man." "He asked for directions so I pushed him, and he got hit by a bus." "You better be careful." "Thank you." "Give me a cigarette." " I'll pay you later." " Okay." "You're joking, right?" "Have you always lived in Bandra?" "Yes, always." "I keep moving around." "First I was at Muhammad Ali Road, then I went to Dubai, then to Saudi Arabia." "I used to keep going back and forth from Saudi, but once I met Meherunissa I never went back." "I cut the vegetables here, so when I get home I can just throw them in the pan." "Where did you learn to cut vegetables like that?" "I worked in a hotel in Saudi." " A hotel?" " Yes." "Cooking, room service, cleaning, accounts." "All in one." "It's dry in Saudi." "There's no such thing as entertainment there." "You pray, you work, you pray, you work." "And nothing else." "Here I get some free time." "Now I cook and wait for Meherunissa." "She comes back in the evening." "We eat, then go for a walk." "Very good." "But I love her, sir." "No matter what." "What do you do in the evenings?" "I watch TV... sometimes..." "Sir, come with me." " Where?" " My house." "I'll make pasandas for you." " What?" " Pasanda." " What is that?" " It's a special lamb dish that you chop like this." " A lamb dish?" " Yes, sir." "And I'm a specialist." "Yes, I'll come." " Come now." " Today?" "Please come now!" "I have some important work at home but I'll come next time." " For sure next time?" " Yes." "Promise?" "I'll be expecting you." "I'll come next time." " Okay, sir." "See you, bye." " Bye-bye." "Hello." "My husband came home late last night." "He got a call and went back to work." "Yashvi fell asleep." "When I got married, I took some things without telling my mother." "Among those things I found an old diary." "Grandma wrote all her recipes in it." "I found one for spring apples." "Spring apples are in season." "I think you will like it." "Excellent." "How are you, sir?" "Can I sit?" "Sit." "Thank you, thank you, thank you." "Thank you very much." "Here." "Try." "Sure?" "Yeah." "What happened?" " Who made this?" " Why?" "A restaurant near my house." "Why?" "It's great." "Just great." "Sir, book a lunchbox for me as well." "It's shutting down soon." "But it has such great food!" "There's no value for talent in this country." "You're right, sir, talent has no value in this country." "You need magic in the hands." "Anyone can make food but you need magic." "Dear Ila, your grandmother's recipe was very good." "Even better than my favorite aubergines." "Yesterday even I found something from many years ago." "I found old TV shows that my wife used to record." "You must have been a child when they played on TV, or not even born yet." "My wife used to love them." "I don't know why I wanted to see them." "I watched them for hours." "I went through them show by show, episode by episode." "And then finally, after staying up all night," "I realized what it was that I was looking for." "Every Sunday when she watched the shows," "I was outside repairing my bicycle or just smoking." "Andi would glance through the window every now and then just for a second, and I would see her reflection on the TV screen." "Laughing." "Laughing at the same jokes over and over." "Each time as if she was hearing it for the very first time." "I wish I had kept on looking back then." "I sent all the pay orders, sir." "An apple and a banana for you." "Okay." "Have." "No, sir." "No, have." "Have." "Okay, sir." " What is this?" " Sir, uh, paper." "Could I have some water please?" " How is it?" "Good?" " Mm." "I love this." "Yeah." "Thank you." "Nowadays everyone uses e-mail, not paper." " What paper?" " The letter." "We are in the era of e-mail." "Hello." "My mother loves the old TV shows." "When I was little I would watch them with her for hours." "I wanted to tell you something." "Every cigarette takes five minutes off your life." "My father has lung cancer." "When the pain is too much, he says he should have smoked more to avoid going through all this." "Don't mind." "Oh, Ila." "Yes, Auntie." "Did you get my carrots?" "Yes, here they are." "Here!" "They only cost 10 rupees." "What else did you get?" "The usual things, Auntie." "What's the other name for "aubergine"?" ""Eggplant."" "It's vegetarian, so how come it has "egg" in its name?" "He's on new medicine these days." "It helps, but he sleeps all day." "Ma, where is the TV?" "There are no good programs on TV these days." "Do you need some money?" "We're doing okay, child." "This new medicine seems very expensive." "Don't worry." "I'll handle it." "How?" "Where will you get the money?" "If my son were alive, I wouldn't have to ask anyone for money." " I'll talk to Rajeev." " No, no!" "There is no need." "I'll arrange for about 5,000 for now." "We're the girl's side." "Does it look nice?" "Asking for money all the time?" "It's fine, you can pay it back slowly." "No." "I have some money." "I can handle it." "Okay, fine." "But don't tell your father." "The 5,000 should cover the cost of the medicine for this month." "Next month something will turn up." "Do you want to see him?" "Shall I wake him?" "It's late, we should go home." "Okay." "Dear Ila, you won't believe what happened to me yesterday." "In the evening, as I was walking to the station with Shaikh..." "Shaikh and I, we work together." "I felt like stopping to look at a painter's works." "All his paintings are exactly the same." "But when you look close, real close, you can see that they are different." "Each slightly different from the other." "A different car here, a different man daydreaming on the bus there." "A stray dog gallantly crossing the street." "Whatever catches the painter's fancy on that day." "And in one of them, I saw myself." "At least I think it's me." "And then I treated myself to an auto rickshaw." "The old houses of boys I used to play with when I was a child are gone now." "My old school too." "But some things are still the same." "The old post office..." "Still there." "And the hospital where I was born and where my parents died." "And my wife." "I think we forget things if we have no one to tell them to." "Did you say something, sir?" "What?" "Did you say something?" "No." "What are you playing?" "Blind Man's Bluff." "Can I tell you what we used to play?" "What?" "Look." "Let's untie this first." "Should I do it?" "I'll do it." "We used to play house." " Ah-uh." " Mm." "This was the baby." "I was the father." "And your uncle used to play the mother, my wife." "Hello." "I want to tell you something." "My husband is having an affair." "I thought I should confront him, but I don't have the courage." "Where would I go?" "There is one place." "My daughter learned in school that in Bhutan everyone is happy." "They don't have Gross Domestic Product, only Gross National Happiness." "What if we had that here?" "Madam." "You look very distracted today, sir." " Did I do anything wrong?" " No." "Tell me something, Shaikh." "Yes, sir." "Have you ever been to Bhutan?" "Bhutan?" "I was thinking instead of Nasik, I could settle in Bhutan." "I've only been to Saudi." "Bhutan is good as well." "The economy is down there, one rupee here is five there." "So one can go there." "My mother always used to say..." "Always says:" ""Sometimes the wrong train will get you to the right station."" "Your mother says?" "But you told me you were an orphan." "I am, sir, but when I say "my mother always says" people take it more seriously." "And it feels good." "Right." "You are listening to Radio Bhutan..." "How can we go to Bhutan together?" "I don't even know your name." "How are you, sir?" "A banana and apple." "Here, try this." "Here, taste this." "You are glowing today, sir." "What is it?" "You look 10 years younger." "Your mother says:" ""The wrong train will get you to the right station."" "Mother is always right, sir." " How is it?" " I love this." " Variety." " Variety, sir." "Auntie." "Auntie." "Yes, what?" "Auntie..." "Do you have a tape of that movie Saajan?" "Yes, why?" "The songs were good, right?" "They're okay." "Could we listen to it?" "Now?" "Yes." "Can you play it?" "I'll play it." "Hello." "Yesterday, Auntie played this tape of the movie Saajan." "A strange coincidence." "She has every Hindi movie audio tape, she doesn't have a CD or Mp3 player." "She keeps the cassette industry alive all by herself." "You must be trying to figure out what I scratched out." "Isn't it odd to keep writing like this?" "We can write anything in a letter, it's very easy." "But this," "I can tell you only in person." "I think it's time for us to meet." "Do you know the Kooler Café in Matunga?" "I've heard they have very good kheema pao." "My favorite." "Shall we meet tomorrow?" "At 1:00?" "Ila." "What?" "The boss wants to see you." "Yes, I'll come after lunch." "It's urgent." "Okay, I'll come." "May I come in, sir?" "Come in." "I just had a meeting with the Accounts Department." "And it was the most embarrassing meeting of my life." "You know what they said?" "They said, "it's as if our Claims Department does not exist."" "All the pay orders are wrong." "Shaikh's initials are all over the place." "And to think that I was going to have this man replace you." "I need you to review this." "Stay up all night if necessary, but fix it." "And as for you, Shaikh, just get out of my sight." "Please." "It's my mistake, sir." "I made the pay orders." "I asked his initials because we work together." "It's my mistake." "Fernandes," " you don't have to defend him." " I'm not defending anyone, sir." "Thirty-five years of service." "And you have not made one single mistake." "You know I would not defend anyone, sir." "Anyway," "I'll handle the Accounts Department." " Okay?" " It's okay, sir, no problem." "One more thing." "Why do these files all smell of vegetables?" " Onions, potatoes, even garlic." " Really?" "Smell it." "Smell it." "I don't..." "Sorry, sir, you saved me today." "Thank you, sir, you saved me." "Don't you ever cut your bloody vegetables on the office files." "Sorry, sir." "Next time," "I'll put a plastic bag over the files." "And then cut the vegetables." "I'm sorry, sir." "I'm sorry, sir, no vegetables." "Nothing." "I'm sorry, sir." "This isn't some cheap restaurant in Saudi!" "These are government files!" "Do you understand?" "If you cannot do this, get lost!" "Why should I get lost?" "You will teach me." "I am sorry, sir, but you will teach me!" "Did your mother also tell you to forge a degree to get a job?" "She must have gotten confused." "What kind of a person you are, Mr. Shaikh?" "Huh?" "Why don't you come over for dinner, sir?" "Sir, please." "I've made pasandas." "Sir, please." "Unbelievable, Mr. Shaikh." "Unbelievable." "Pasanda, he says." "You'll come, right?" " Sir, have more pasandas." " No, no, no." "Uh..." "It's very good." "It's my recipe, sir." ""Don't marry him, he'll chain you to the stove."" "Her father is a very dangerous man." "Last time he smiled was during the 1984 World Cup." "Just a little bit." "He's a sour face." "Sir, what does your wife do?" "Be quiet." "I'm sorry, sir, she doesn't know." "It's okay." "My wife has passed away." "But I have a girlfriend." "You?" "Yes." "What is her name?" "Ila." "I knew it, sir!" "The lunchbox, the notes..." "When did you get married?" "Marriage, sir..." "Sometimes it feels like 35 years." "Sometimes 25, or 10, and sometimes it feels like it was yesterday." "Sir, you're not eating, have some more." "It's my recipe, sir." "I really don't want it." "You're not eating at all." "Sir, I wanted to ask you something." "Go ahead." "You asked just now when we got married." "Actually, her father said no." "He said: "The boy is an orphan, short and dark-skinned."" "So Meherunissa ran away from home." "But she doesn't want to get married without her father's blessing." "I won't tell anyone." "No." "It's not that." "Her father has agreed now." "We are getting married soon." "There'll be an army from her side at the wedding." "Brothers and sisters, their husbands, children, uncles, aunts, everyone will be there." "And there is no one from my side." "I'm alone." "I wanted to ask, if you wouldn't mind, being the witness from my side." "My "guardian."" "Me?" "Yes, and if Madam Ila can come too..." "Of course." " Thank you very much." " Welcome." "Thank you so much, sir." "Her father insists on giving me a scooter." "As a gift for my promotion." "But I'm not retiring." "I was thinking of not taking early retirement." "Uh..." "I'll ask the boss to make you my assistant." "So your promotion..." "That's good news, sir!" "I mean, great news!" "Don't mention it to my father-in-law, he'll take the scooter back." " Ha, ha." " Sir, please." "I'll tell Meherunissa the good news." "Thank you very much, sir." "Uncle, would you like to sit?" "Who, me?" "Yes, Uncle, would you like to sit?" "No." "Please, I'm getting off at the next station." "Fernandes." " Yes, sir." " You wanted to talk to me?" "No, sir." "My secretary said you wanted to talk to me." "It was about pay orders." "What about the pay orders?" "I solved it." " You're sure?" " Yeah." "Okay." " I'll see you soon." " Yes, sir." "Would you like to order?" "Let's move to architecture now." "New services keep on coming out and keep on getting close." "Let's see if any one of them can perhaps be a little easier to use." "Dear Ila, I got the lunchbox today." "There was nothing in it." "And I deserve that." "Yesterday you waited in the restaurant for me for a long time." "But before that, that same morning I forgot something in the bathroom." "I went back in to get it." "And the bathroom smelled the same." "Exactly the same as it used to be after my grandfather had been in the shower." "It was like my grandfather had been there." "But he had not." "It was just me." "Just me and the smell of an old man." "I don't know when I became old." "Maybe it was that morning." "Maybe it was many, many mornings ago." "And maybe if I'd forgotten something in the bathroom before," "I would have found out sooner." "Uncle, would you like a seat?" "No, no." "Life kept on going and lulled me with its motions." "I kept rocking back and forth as it threw me left and threw me right." "And then before I knew it..." "No one buys yesterday's lottery ticket, Ila." "I came to the restaurant while you were waiting." "There you were." "Fidgeting with your purse." "Drinking all that water." "I wanted to come up to you and tell you all this in person, but I just watched you wait." "You looked beautiful." "You're young." "You can dream." "And for some time, you let me into your dreams." "And I want to thank you for that." "The two ladies at the back, please come in front." "I can't see you." "Smile, please." "One, two, three." "Now a photo with everyone!" "The girl's side to the right." "The boy's side to the left please." "The boy's side to the left please." "Smile, please." "You're leaving, sir?" "This is the new scooter?" "Want a lift?" "If you stay and don't retire," " I'll return it to Meherunissa's father." " Ha, ha." "Taxi!" "The weather is strange." "It's like there's a drought." "Okay." "Goodbye, Shaikh." "Do you know, sir, the first time I took the train with you, in first class," "I hadn't bought a ticket." "I spent the whole journey till Bombay Central praying I wouldn't be caught." "What would you have thought of me?" "Ha, ha." "But the very next day, I got a first class pass made." "You'll be a good husband, Shaikh." "Thank you very much, sir." "Wait." "Come to Nasik sometime." "Hello." "Ma..." "I'm coming." "Eighty rupees." "Rajeev is on his way." "He's in a meeting." "He'll go straight to the crematorium." "I'm very hungry." "I'm craving parathas." "I didn't eat breakfast this morning." "I was making breakfast for him." "Okay, Ma." "I was always worried... about what would happen to me when he passed away." " Never mind." " But now..." "I just feel hungry." "Ma." "In the beginning, there was a lot of love between us... when you were born." "But for several years," "I've been disgusted by him." "Ma." " Every morning, his breakfast," " Ma." "His medicine, his bath..." "Breakfast, medicine, bath..." "When your brother died... that old ambulance with a red light came." "Remember?" "Huh?" "Those old Matador models." "Which one has come now?" "Huh?" "What color?" "White." "With the blue light." "Okay." "Mister." "Yes." "This lunchbox is going to the wrong address." "How can it go to the wrong address?" "We don't deliver it wrong." "Yes, I understand." "But my lunchbox has not been going to the right address." " It goes to the right address." " It doesn't." "People from Harvard came..." "Forget about them." "Listen to me." "Try to understand what I'm saying." "This lunchbox that I give to you does not go to my husband." "Instead it goes to someone else, who has been eating it." "The Harvard people came here and studied our system." " They said we don't deliver wrong..." " It's been going to the wrong address." "Do you think I am a liar?" "The King of England came in person to see our system." "But this lunchbox is going somewhere." "It goes to the right building." "I want the address of that building!" "Saajan Fernandes' desk?" "He sits two desks down." "Is this Saajan Fernandes' desk?" "Let me call you back." "Saajan Fernandes?" "He left." "I mean he left the job." "Where can I find him?" "Nasik." "He left for Nasik." "So you are going to Nasik?" "Yes." "Are you moving there?" "Yes." "Permanently?" "Yes." "I retired three years ago." "I come back to see my son every now and then." "Sorry, Ila, ma'am." "Throw." "Come on, Calvin." "Good evening, Mr. Fernandes." "We thought that you're gone." "I was gone." " But I came back." " Why?" "Okay, you play here, but don't break anybody's glass." "Okay?" "Take it." "Thank you, Mr. Fernandes." " Come on, Calvin." " Come on, Calvin." "Ila?" "Ila?" "Auntie." "I've been calling out since this afternoon." "Where were you?" "I had something to take care of." "I got worried." "I ran out of diapers for your uncle." "But I asked the super to get them." "Do you know, Ila?" "I cleaned your uncle's fan today." "Without turning it off!" "You must have reached Nasik." "This morning you probably woke up and made some tea." "And after that maybe you went for a morning walk." "I woke up this morning and sold all my jewelry." "My bracelets, earrings and my wedding necklace." "It's not much." "But I've heard that one rupee here is worth five in Bhutan." "So maybe we'll be okay for some time." "And after that..." "After that, we'll see." "By the time Yashvi comes home from school, I'll have packed." "And we'll take the afternoon train." "Maybe I'll send you this letter and your new postman will deliver it." "Or maybe I should keep it for myself." "And read it again years from now." "I read somewhere that sometimes the wrong train will get you to the right station." "Let's see."