Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo

Author:Shani Mootoo [Mootoo, Shani]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Published: 2021-06-22T00:00:00+00:00

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In spite of what Otoh thought of his father, I myself was partial to him. The old man was delightfully indiscreet.

“Mr. Tyler appears to be painting his face more diligently as time goes by,” I heard him whisper—albeit loudly—to Otoh. “My boy, I think Mr. Tyler fancies you, wouldn’t you agree?”

Then he whispered much more softly, “He is a Mr., isn’t he?”

Mala Ramchandin, as usual, did not talk in public. She made gurgling sounds. It was unclear to the Mohanty gentlemen whether she really knew or cared that they visited. When I assured them that on days they did not visit Miss Mala was noticeably irritable, the lovely old gentleman winked slyly at his son. “I would wager that it is not Mala who gets irritable when we don’t visit!” he declared. I blushed even as I pretended not to hear. I could sense that Otoh was delighted, even though he feigned irritation and said, “Shhh, Pappy! Shhh!”

“Why should I shhh? I am an expert in the field of passivity,” chuckled Mr. Mohanty.

Another time while sitting on the bench next to Miss Ramchandin, he squinted at Otoh and me and said amicably, as though talking about nothing more than fishing, “I know what I am saying: don’t let a good one get away, is what I say.”

How can I possibly condemn him for the sluggishness of character that has so saddened his son?

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