It was an old house—the one I used to live inbuilt by my grandparents when they moved here to start a leather business. I never considered it home until I lost it. Its absence made it more present to me than its presence ever had. Now I was returning, not to reclaim it, but to see it one last time before it would be razed down and replaced with an apartment complex. Twelve years ago, I lost my family to Covid-19. Right before the pandemic began, I remember a conversation I had with my father.
“Sixty years is the life span of a concrete house. This one is around 48 years old. So in 12 years, we’ll be moving out,” he said.
“To where?” I asked.
“Well, let’s see,” he said lightly.
“Maybe to a beach house in an exotic location. Or maybe a summer cottage with lace curtains, and a library with a fireplace.”
Then he winked.
“Or maybe we’ll just move in with you.”
“Why me?” I asked. “Why not with
Shreya? After all, she’s older.”
“She’s too messy,” said my father. “We don’t want to keep tripping over a pile of dirty laundry in our old age. We’d rather stay with you.”
“Shreya,” I hollered out to my sister, listening to Pink Floyd on the verandah. “Appa says you’re too messy.”
“Ya,” came her dry response. “Tell me something new.”
This story is from the September 19, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the September 19, 2021 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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