Swimming in the Monsoon Sea (21 page)

Amrith and Niresh darted back inside, giggling.

The students had finished the last decades of the rosary and they began to recite the creed together. The moment they were done, Mala stood up and hurried to the living room. Niresh and Amrith were waiting for her.

“Stop it, you boys, stop it.” She was laughing so hard, she had to hold her stomach.

Amrith tried to tickle her and she shrieked and ran into the pantry. When they found her, she was pouring out passion fruit cordial into glasses on a tray.

“Hey, let me bring that out,” Niresh said, when the drinks were ready. He tried to pick up the tray.

“Certainly not.” Mala placed her hand on it. “This is a serious meeting.”

“Come on. I promise to be nice.” He moved the tray away from her.

“No!” She made a grab for it, but Niresh held it out of reach.

Jane-Nona was watching all this with interest, from the kitchen.

Niresh took the tray to the pantry door and pushed it open for Mala. He bowed. “After you, madam.”

“Oh, what is this, men?” Mala cried with false exasperation as she went out.

Amrith followed, grinning. He was sure Niresh was going to do something funny.

As his cousin passed around the tray, he bowed before each person, calling them madam or sir. The girls were amused and charmed, but the boys were not. Particularly Suraj, who glared at Niresh. When he reached Suraj, he held out the tray. “A drink for you, madam. Oh, sorry, I mean sir.”

Mala giggled and, though Suraj tried to take the joke in good form, he was furious.

When Amrith stood before the school gates the next morning, he knew he was unprepared for this rehearsal. It
had been over three weeks since he had memorized his lines for the audition and he had forgotten most of them.

Last evening, he had intended to run through his part with Niresh but, instead, they had lain on the bed, chatting away about various things, the copy of
Othello
open between them. Time had passed rapidly, as it always did when they were talking, and, just as Amrith was finally insisting that they must pay attention and run through lines, Aunty Bundle had knocked on their bedroom door and asked them to turn the lights off.

With a sigh, Amrith pushed open the school gate and went up the front path. Not only was he worried about being unprepared, but he was also loath to spend the morning away from Niresh.

When Amrith came into the auditorium, he found the boys seated around Fernando, who was conducting a quick line rehearsal before Madam arrived.
“Ah
, De Alwis,” he said, beckoning him forward, “let’s start at the beginning and run through your part, too.”

Amrith swallowed hard as he went to sit beside Fernando. Now that he was actually here, his failure to learn his lines was more serious than it had seemed this morning at breakfast. None of the other boys had their copies of
Othello
open. Peries was present and, when Amrith happened to meet his eye, he looked away.

Suraj began Othello’s opening monologue, his eyes closed in concentration, Fernando prompting him every so often. Amrith surreptitiously opened his book and
glanced at his lines. He read the first one over and over again, hoping that by knowing it, the rest would return to him spontaneously.

He was paying so much attention to his task that he did not realize Suraj had come to the end of his monologue. He glanced up to find that the other boys were staring at him.

“De Alwis.” Fernando reached over and shut Amrith’s copy of
Othello
. “Give us your first line.”

The moment the book closed, Amrith could not even remember the line he had looked at just now. The others were waiting.
“Um … um
 … cue, please,” he said, softly.

“Who’s
 …” Fernando prompted.

“Who’s there?”

Fernando nodded, but then indicated with his hand that there was more.

“Um … who’s there? Othello?”

“Good-good.” Fernando gestured to Suraj, who said,
“Ay, Desdemona.”
Fernando indicated to Amrith, who looked at him blankly and finally said, “Cue?”

“Will
 …” Fernando prompted.

“Will … will … will
.” Amrith could not remember.

There was a rustle of feigned impatience from Peries. He called out, in a bored voice,
“Will you come to bed, my lord?”

“Will you come to bed, my lord?”
Amrith scowled at his rival, who smirked back at him.

“Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?”
Suraj continued.

Again, Amrith did not know what to say and Peries chimed in,
“Ay, my lord.”

“If you bethink yourself of any crime

Unreconciled as yet to heaven and grace
,

Solicit for it straight
.” Suraj was now addressing himself to Peries.

“Alack, my lord, what may you mean by that?”
Peries replied.

The two of them began to volley lines back and forth, Peries thoroughly enjoying showing Amrith up, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

When Peries and Suraj came to the end of their exchange, there was clapping from the back of the auditorium. The boys spun around. Madam was standing by the door. She had probably been there quite a while. Amrith felt a sinking within.

Madam came briskly down the aisle. “Okay, let’s set up the scene.”

The boys rose from their seats. Amrith got up to follow them, but Madam called his name. She beckoned for him to follow her out of the auditorium, indicating that Fernando should come along, too.

When they were outside, she turned to Amrith. “De Alwis, what is going on? Didn’t you learn your lines?”

“I … I did, Madam. I’ve just not practiced them in a while. I meant to run through lines last night, but I didn’t have a chance.”

“That’s not good enough, De Alwis,” Madam said, severely.

“I … I know, Madam.” But then wishing to justify his lapse, he said, “My cousin is visiting from Canada and so
I’ve had to show him around and there hasn’t been much time for anything else.”

“Make the time, De Alwis, make the time,” said Fernando, frowning at him. “This is important; you can’t let down the school colors.”

“I’ll accept your excuse this time.” Madam patted him on the arm. “You’ve always been very conscientious.”

He nodded gratefully.

“But I want you to stay out here and learn your lines.” She raised her eyebrows as he looked at her, dismayed. “I’ll send one of the boys who is playing a courtier or some other supernumerary to run through lines with you.”

Amrith hung his head. Peries would be taking his place today.

He spent the next hour practicing and, when he was confident he had his lines down, he went back into the auditorium. He made sure to sit where Madam could see him. She noted his presence, but did not invite him to replace Peries onstage. Amrith watched his rival with hatred. Peries was really showing off, taking advantage of Amrith’s lapse.

Amrith’s only consolation was that Madam did not make him play the part of Cassio. Instead, when they got to that point in the scene, she called on Peries to get off the bed — where he lay pretending to be the murdered Desdemona — and assume his role.

Amrith, with nothing to do, kept glancing at a clock on the stage wall, dismayed at how slowly time was passing. He
found himself wondering what Niresh was doing and he felt a longing, like homesickness, rise in him. He ached to be with his cousin again, to see his face, to sit in his company. How interminably far away twelve o’clock seemed.

Niresh had planned to come and pick him up after the rehearsal. As Amrith walked down to the gates with Madam and the other students, he saw the car waiting outside and quickened his pace.

When he came out of the gates, the door opened and Niresh stepped out. “Hey, buddy!”

Amrith felt a rush of joy. “Hi!” he cried back.

Niresh put his arm around his shoulder and gave him a hug. Amrith blushed with pleasure.

“De Alwis.”

He turned. Madam and Fernando had been watching. The other boys had scattered to the cars that were waiting for them and to the bicycle shed. Suraj, however, lingered, glowering at Niresh.

“Ah
, De Alwis, is this the relative from abroad who’s keeping you from learning your lines?” There was a touch of amusement in Madam’s voice.

Amrith hastily made the introduction.

As she shook Niresh’s hand, she looked him over, then glanced at Fernando. “Well, yes, De Alwis, I can see why you have been distracted and haven’t had time for our little play.” She patted him on the arm. “I’m
sure
you’ll enjoy the rest of your afternoon, De Alwis.” She gestured to Fernando and they wandered off together, smiling.

Amrith saw that Suraj had seen their amusement. He got into the car feeling strangely uncomfortable.

Amrith’s bad day got worse when he reached home. In his absence, he found out that Niresh and the girls had made arrangements for all of them to see a film that afternoon, at the Majestic. His cousins treat. When Niresh told him about the plan at lunch, Amrith was careful not to let his anger show. He felt the girls glancing anxiously at him and he refused to meet their eyes.

Because he was not used to the heat, Niresh was always exhausted by midday and often fell into a deep slumber when the family lay down after lunch. That afternoon, Amrith waited to make sure his cousin was properly asleep, then he quietly put on his rubber slippers and tiptoed out of the French windows. He made his way across the side garden to the girls’ room.

He entered to find them lying on their beds, reading some out-of-date teen magazines.

They glanced at him, then gave each other a quick look.

“Amrith, we wanted to explain —” Mala began apologetically, but Selvi cut her short.

“There’s nothing to explain, Mala. We didn’t do anything wrong.” Selvi flipped the pages of her magazine.

“I told you both not to make any plans with my cousin. I thought we agreed on that.” Amrith, because of his
humiliation this morning, was angrier than he would have normally been.

“We didn’t make the plans.” Selvi threw down her magazine and picked up another one.

“Then who did?” he demanded.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Who do you think? Niresh.”

He glanced at Mala and she nodded to confirm this was so.

“I … I don’t believe you,” he said, lamely.

“Ask him yourself, then.” Selvi smiled at him. “Niresh invited me.”

“You’re lying. You probably hinted so much that he had no choice but to stand you a film. Haven’t you any shame — are you a beggar?”

Selvi lifted her chin. “Maybe Niresh is sick of constantly being with you. He is, after all, two years older, my age, and probably wants some sophisticated company rather than the companionship of a child.”

Amrith was furious. He strode to her bed, but then stood by it helplessly.

“Akka,” Mala said, trying to smooth things over. “Don’t lie. Niresh did not even ask you first. I was the one he asked.” She held her arms out to Amrith. “But, of course, he asked if I would like to come with you both. He honestly did. He mentioned you in the same breath as himself.”

She was offering him her support, but Amrith rejected it with a toss of his head.
“Ah!
So now you’re also throwing yourself at him.”

Mala flushed with hurt.

He glared at both of them. “I don’t want either of you to come.”

“Oh? And what excuse should we give Niresh?” Selvi demanded. “Perhaps we should tell him the truth. That his cousin is a jealous baby.”

“I don’t care. Just don’t come. The both of you.” He glanced at Mala, who looked away. She was angry with him now.

“If you don’t want us to come, you can make up the excuse,” Selvi said, starting to read her magazine again. “I’m going to be ready at three thirty, unless I hear otherwise. Now get out of our room.”

Amrith stormed out and went up to the terrace. Yet it was too hot at this time of the afternoon for him to be there long. He soon returned to his bedroom and lay on his bed, fuming.

Part of the reason the sisters refused to bow out of the plan was because they were going to see
Grease
, which had finally reached Sri Lanka two years after it had opened in the West. Selvi and Mala had been looking forward to the film, as they were fans of Olivia Newton-John. Uncle Lucky had bought them the soundtrack to
Grease
on one of his trips abroad, and they knew all the songs by heart. Yet they could not go to the film unchaperoned. Sri Lankan cinemas were notorious for perverted men, who, in the dark, attempted all manner of indecencies on unescorted girls. Many women carried a pin or a needle to repel offenders.