Into the Suburbs by Christopher Raja

Author:Christopher Raja
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Published: 2020-06-08T05:42:29+00:00

Nothing mattered more to my parents than fellowship and living with humility. In the months that followed, Mum’s two sisters, Daphne and Millie, emigrated from India and moved to Keysborough. Aunty Daphne lived with us until she bought a house a few streets away. Aunty Millie, her husband, Victor, and their three children, Robin, Neil and Lynette, rented a place nearby and then ended up buying the house next door to ours. Dad’s niece, my cousin Joy, moved to Melbourne too, and she lived with us for a while. In what seemed like no time, we became a big family again.

My parents were always social. In Calcutta we’d lived in a communal way, with relatives constantly coming in and out of our home. Now we were starting to do the same in Melbourne, but gradually Dad began to withdraw. He was more irritable and quiet than he had been. When people visited he would retreat into his bedroom with a book. He also took on more studies: he was ambitious and wanted more from life. He hadn’t yet gained the standing he’d had in India. Dad’s social intercourse took place more at work, it seemed, and less among our family members.

Mum’s life began to differ from his. From our living room window we could see Aunty Millie’s house and front garden, and the alleyway that led to Aunty Daphne’s house. Mum visited her sisters often, and her work colleagues, and received frequent visits from them in return. Keeping our house spotless was important.

More than anything in the world, I aspired to do well and make my parents proud of me. But at some point I began to have doubts. Dad reminded me regularly that I was not to become arrogant and forget our family’s origins. If I ever challenged him, he smacked me. I was constantly under his direction – I had become a job for him. I was conscious that he was trying to give me everything he had missed out on. He did his best to ensure I was never hurt. Eventually, it seemed like I was his whole life. I had been comfortable living with his decisions, but now I was starting to assert myself more.

Occasionally, my cousin Judy would visit and we would listen to music late into the night. We could sit for hours listening to music, occasionally going outside to smoke the cigarettes she stole from her father. She had become friendlier towards me, and took me into her confidence. She would tell me about her lovers and I’d listen. The way she spoke about her desires brought me into a territory that was distinct from anywhere I’d been.

One evening, Judy arrived wearing blue mascara, brightly coloured leggings, an oversized yellow sweatshirt, a corduroy blue skirt and black Converse Chucks. We ate panini she’d bought at an Italian cafe. My parents had gone to bed. She sat on the couch across from me, a brimming wine glass in her hand. Her dark hair fell finely on her shoulders.

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