Lonely Dove by Sonee Singh

Author:Sonee Singh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-29T09:15:49+00:00

NOVEMBER 3, 2006

Sophie found a mold-topped dish in the fridge. “Can I throw this casserole out?”

Anji nodded. “What on earth is a casserole?”

“A cheesy baked dish usually with veggies, meats, pasta, potatoes, and such.” Sophie still had a habit of checking on things in Anji’s apartment. She had been inspecting the fridge.

Anji sat on the sofa, sipping a glass of Tempranillo. “Like mac and cheese?”

“Yeah, I guess. Where did this one come from?” Sophie closed the fridge, apparently finding nothing else that needed to be thrown out.

“My neighbor Lulu brought it over to introduce herself. She moved in last week.” Anji had been in her apartment for five months to the date.

“Why didn’t you eat it?” Sophie held her nose as she threw out the casserole in the trash.

Anji shrugged. “I didn’t know what it was.”

Having her own space, one that she owned, made Anji feel independent. She felt she had finally fulfilled her mother’s wish. When Anji was seven years old, she sat under a mango tree reading a book. Her mother sat next to her and held on to her hand. “Anji, please promise me you will be independent.”

“Hmm . . . ” Anji didn’t look up from her book.

“I mean it, beti. Don’t depend on anyone. Have your own money. Don’t be like me and the women in our family. You are smart and capable.”

“Yes, mummy,” Anji had said, still peering into her book.

“Anji, look me in the eye and promise.” She squeezed Anji’s hand.

Anji had been surprised by the intensity and sadness in her mother’s eyes. She promised, unsure of what that meant. Yet, her mother’s words had stayed with her, and she recalled them from time to time. She thought of them that afternoon. Anji couldn’t think of a better way to be independent than to own the space in which she lived.

“I really like what you’ve done with the place. It feels very you,” Sophie complimented, joining Anji on the sofa.

Anji treasured her little piece of heaven, feeling she was enveloped in a warm blanket every time she stepped into her home. Anji had furnished her apartment diligently, discarding her college IKEA furniture over time and replacing it with select pieces she had saved up for. She had decorated it with hand-made crafts from her travels: an antique iron pipe from Yangon, a pair of ceramic jaguars made by a great grandmother in Oaxaca, and a hand-sculpted sandalwood Ganesh made by a woodworker in Varanasi, before it became illegal to work with sandalwood.

Anji was thrilled she’d had a chance to fill the space with so many things that were her own. “Had I stayed with Older Guy, I would be living in a white and gray space.”

“Sweet pea, you would have been forgotten.” Sophie was matter-of-fact.

“Like all women. Aren’t we all forgotten in some way?”

“Where is this coming from, sweets?”

“I just found out my mother loves peanuts. Everyone’s favorites in the family are well known. I love a carrot pudding called gajar halwa, Sid

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.