Colour of Gold by Gita Aravamudan

Author:Gita Aravamudan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

The hoot of the siren made Ponni spring out of bed, startled. Where was she? Through the window she could see a hazy light. Was it dawn already? She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

The sun had just risen and the garden was bathed in a golden pink glow. She could hear birds. The shaft across the road was in action again. She opened the curtain wider to see who was talking. Through the bars of the white wooden gate near the aakash malli sapling, she could see groups of miners walking along the road towards the shaft. How could they talk so cheerfully when they knew they were headed towards hell?

She wrapped the blanket off the bed around herself and the baby and quietly left the room. The dawn held so much promise. The dorai had been drunk last night. Surely he would change his mind when he saw the angelic face of his son.

But Robert was in a foul mood. He had woken up with a terrible hangover. The sight of the elaborate breakfast made him feel sick. He went out to look for Sami, who was feeding the dogs with leftover bones. Rani and Mary were sitting on the floor in the back veranda, eating leftover Irish stew for breakfast. As soon as the dorai left, Sami Thatha would take them in and they would get to eat fresh bacon and eggs and scones.

Robert ignored the children and addressed Sami. ‘Have you started the Christmas pudding? And the goose? Have you found a nice, plump one? Get some good ox tongue from that chap in Robertsonpet.’

The children sat still. There were times when he picked them up and cuddled them and tossed them into the air, but he could also be violent. They had learnt the hard way that they should go to him only if he called.

‘Ponni,’ he called out. ‘Where are you?’

Ponni emerged, carrying their baby and stood at the door, out of his reach, eyeing him cautiously.

Suddenly, his expression changed. ‘Come here,’ he said, beckoning to her. He tickled the baby under the chin. ‘Handsome lad.’ He sounded almost loving. ‘Pity he has a touch of the tar brush. He could have done me proud.’

Rani and Mary ran to their mother, sensing a softening in their father’s stance. He patted them on their heads absent-mindedly and left.

Ponni stood still, watching him go. She held her children close to her. The sweet December air had a soothing touch this morning. Her fears were beginning to melt away. She didn’t understand exactly what the dorai had said, but she was beginning to feel it would be different this time. It had to be different. Her son, her little dorai, would make it different.

‘Dorai. My little Robert Dorai,’ she crooned to him as she carried him inside. The girls were already seated at the dining table, tucking into bowls of porridge. She sat down beside them and put some bacon and eggs on her plate.

Watching them from the doorway, Muthamma sighed.

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