She was a rich woman. Forty thousand rupees more, and she’d be a lakhapati in money alone. If she counted all her assets—the jewels she had amassed along with hard cash—she was a lakhapati four times over. She peeked into the safe-deposit box where lay her jewels, many of which she had acquired by one genius act of thievery.
At Manasa’s wedding, after Aamaa presented her granddaughter with a boxful of jewelry, Prasanti had seen her mistress throw some bangles, a necklace, and earrings into a trinket box. Aamaa didn’t wear any jewelry, so Prasanti asked her whom the gold was for.
“Only after my death should that Damaai be given these,” Aamaa had said. “That destroyer of my family’s name doesn’t deserve even these.”
That is how Prasanti came into possession of many of those precious ornaments—she had stolen what was meant for Bhagwati. Prasanti, not that she needed to do it, had replaced the gold ornaments in Aamaa’s box with trinkets that hardly looked like the real things. She knew Aamaa wouldn’t revisit the box’s contents. Even if she did—and Prasanti was caught—her mistress would dismiss the theft as a casualty of servant keeping. The jewelry would be confiscated, and Prasanti would be forgiven.
Right now, though, the little bag that should have contained her wealth lay empty. Prasanti removed all her clothes from where they were stacked, dropped them on the floor, shook them out, and turned them inside out. She checked under the bed, under the mattress, and under the pillow. She hurled the blankets on the floor and then spread all her clothes about. She looked inside the sleeves of her kurtas, the pants of her pajamas, and the cups of her bras. Finally giving up, she went about the chores of the day, assuming some guest from the Chaurasi had stolen her prized possessions.
She couldn’t talk to Chitralekha about the missing pieces because she would then have to confess her crime. She couldn’t talk to anyone. Chitralekha could barely walk, and Prasanti was afraid of the shock her disclosure—of her original theft and of the theft of her theft—might cause her mistress. Prasanti understood, though, that it made no sense for the money to remain in her room. If her jewelry had been stolen, the money wasn’t safe here. She’d have to ask Aamaa about a bank account.
“Aamaa,” Prasanti said to Chitralekha, who was lying down. She was always sleeping since her hospitalization. “Guess how much money I have accumulated?”
Chitralekha’s eyes danced a little. With effort, she said, “Twenty thousand?”
“More.”
“Thirty?”
“More.”
“More than that? Have you been stealing?”
“No. Bhagwati and Manasa gave me four thousand each. Agastaya gave me ten thousand. Ruthwa gave me two thousand, but I didn’t take his money.”
“Liar,” Aamaa said. “Like you’d say no to money.”
“No, I didn’t take anything from him.”
“Stupid girl—nobody says no to money.”
“Okay, I took it.” Prasanti giggled.
“So, how much do you have in all?”
“Sixty thousand,” Prasanti said, hoping Chitralekha wouldn’t be suspicious about the origin of half the amount.
“That’s a lot of money,” Chitralekha said.
“Yes, I want to deposit it in the bank.”
“You should. The money in your account must have matured.”
“What account?”
“I started an account for you when you first came to live with us.”
“You mean I have more money?”
“Yes, you are a rich woman.” Aamaa coughed hard. She was still weak.
“More than sixty thousand?”
“Yes, a lot more than that.”
“How much?”
“You could build a cottage with it somewhere if you decide you’ve had enough of me,” Aamaa said.
“This is my house,” Prasanti replied. “Why do I need another house?”
“I know,” Aamaa said. And with that, she fell asleep.
Downstairs, the phone rang.
“Aamaa,” Prasanti said, flustered. “Manasa was just on the phone.”
“Has she reached Kathmandu?” Chitralekha slowly rose.
“She has, and she’s coming back. She’s in Rangpo. She wants me to cook some rice for her.”
“Why is she coming back?”
“She didn’t say.”
“I knew she’d be back. I am surprised she even left.”
“What do you mean?”
Chitralekha didn’t answer. “Help me to the terrace,” she said, taking baby steps. “Go, clean my office. Remove all my pictures from there.”
“Why?” Prasanti supported Chitralekha’s frail body.
“Just do what I ask.”
“Okay.”
“And hang Manasa’s diploma—the frame on the windowsill in the sitting room—on one of the office walls.”
“All right.”
“And on the table, lay the dirtiest sheet you’ll ever find—let it be filthy, full of holes, old. Hurry up. It will be fun to watch her ugly face react to the sheet.”
Outside, the sky was blue, and the sun flexed all its muscles. Soon, it would only reticently appear from behind the clouds. The Kanchendzonga was partly visible. In front of Prasanti and Chitralekha, masons were laying the foundations for the seventh floor of the new hotel. Hammers, sieves, mallets, sand, cement, bricks, bamboo poles, and mortar all came together in clanging harmony.
The doctor had forbidden her mistress from doing it, but Chitralekha puffed on a beedi.
Glossary of Foreign Words
Aamaa: Mother
Adivasis: indigenous people
aloo dum: potato curry
Angrez: literally means “English” but is also used to describe foreigners irrespective of where they are from
Baahun: Brahmin of the priest caste
babus: government officials
badhaai hijra: eunuchs who participate in celebrations
Bahuuns: Brahmins
beedi: a type of cigarette
bhaagney-keti: girl who ran away/eloped
bhaat khaanchu: “I’ll eat rice”
bhaatey: a heavy rice-eater
Bhai Tika: the Nepali Hindu festival dedicated to brothers
Bhailo: Diwali carol sung by females
bindis: red dots worn by women on their foreheads
bokas: male goats
bokshee: witch
Brahmacharya: celibate
Brahmin: the priest caste
Bratabandha: the sacred thread ceremony
Bua: father or father-in-law
buhaari: daughter-in-law
chakka: eunuch
chattisey/chattis: “chattis” is the number 36; “chattisey” means 36 strokes of the penis, as in masturbation
Chaurasi: the number eighty-four; also the term used for one’s eighty-fourth birthday
chela: disciple
Chettris: the warrior caste
Chewar: the tonsure ceremony
chori: daughter
chunni: scarf
condo: butt
daal: lentil soup
dalley: a type of round chili
Damaai: the tailor caste
dara: cuspid
Dashain: the Hindu festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil
daura-suruwal: Nepalese outfit for men
Deusi: Diwali/Tihaar carols sung by men
Deusurey: a chorus
Dhaka: a type of cloth
dhol: drum
dhoti: a traditional outfit; also a derogatory term for Indians
Diwali: the festival of lights; also known as Tihaar
Doars: a place on the India-Bhutan border
galala: an onomatopoeic Nepali word that could roughly be translated to “uproariously”
Ganesha: the elephant god
Ganesha Mantra: a hymn addressed to Ganesha
gas: one’s significant other
Gayatri Mantra: a chant
ghar-Aamaa: lady of the house<
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Gita: the holy book of the Hindus
Goddess Saraswati: the goddess of learning
Godrej: an Indian brand
gorey: white man
Gorkha Jana-shakti Morcha: a fictional political party
Goru Puja: the day for the worship of oxen
gotra: clan
gundruk: a mixture of fermented mustard, cauliflower, and radish
gunyu-cholo: Nepalese outfit for women
Haat Day: market day
Hanuman: the monkey god
Hanuman Chalisa: a hymn addressed to Hanuman, the monkey god
Hijra: eunuch
Illam: town in Nepal
jagya: holy fire
Jaisi: a Brahmin sub-caste
jaulo: porridge
-jee/Pundit-jee: an honorofic; the same as “jeeu”
-jeeu: an honorific similar to “jee”
jhilimili: full of light
joot-patti: a card game
Jwaii: son-in-law
Kaag Puja: the day for the worship of crows
Kaali: dark-skinned
kakhapati: worth a hundred thousand rupees
Kaundinya Rishi: a sage
Kaundinya gotra: a clan descended from a sage called Kaundinya
Key kuraa gardaichan?: “What are they talking about?”
khadas: silk scarves
kheer: rice pudding
koti: a house where eunuchs live in groups
Kukkur Puja: the day for the worship of dogs
kurta: a loose Indian shirt
lakh: a hundred thousand
Lakshman: a Hindu god, also Ram’s brother
Lakshmi Puja: the day of the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth
laro: penis
Lhotshampa: Nepali-speaking Bhutanese
Lord Rama: Ram, the Hindu God
Maggi: a brand of noodles
maharandi: whore
Maharani: queen
malas: garlands
Mama: maternal uncle
manpari: as you please
momos: Tibetan dumplings
murai: puffed rice
naatini: grand-daughter
Naga: from the Indian state of Nagaland
Namaste: greeting with hands pressed together and fingers pointing upward
nayak: leader
Newaar: the business caste
nirvanan: castration
paan: betel leaf
paisa: a monetary unit; a paisa equals 1/100th of a rupee
Paro Taktsang: a monastery in Bhutan, also known as the Tiger’s Nest
phusuk-phusuk: whisper
pundit: priest
pujas: prayers
Raksha Bandhan: the Hindu festival during which sisters tie the Rakhi—the sacred thread—around their brothers’ wrists
Ram: a Hindu god
randi: whore
rani: queen
raswa-dirgha: Nepali spellings
Rupiya: rupees, the Indian currency
saahab: sir
Sagotris: of the same clan
Sati Sabitri: chaste
sel-roti: doughnuts made of rice-flour batter
sherwanis: long coat-like outfit
Shiva: a Hindu god, the destroyer
Sita: a Hindu goddess, Ram’s wife
shlokas: hymns
soo-soo: penis
tan: a form of “you” often used for intimates and those younger than one
tapaai: a form of “you” used to connote respect
Tihaar: the festival of lights, also known as “Diwali”
tika: blend of uncooked rice, yogurt, and vermilion smeared on one’s forehead by elders on the day of the Tika
Tika: the most important day of the Dashain festival; on this day, elders offer “tika” to youngsters
timi: a form of “you” used for equals
Tok: a view point
topis: hats
tutey-futey: broken
Upadhyay Baahun: upper-echelon Brahmin
Venaju: brother-in-law
Wai-wai: a brand of noodles
Land Where I Flee Page 25
