Stair House
He couldn’t sleep that afternoon. While his mother napped, he went back upstairs. He took a couple of oranges with him. Sheel had to focus harder to follow her accent as she spoke about her childhood days in the village. She seemed to have been a brat. Her father had married her off very early to a handsome gentleman, which made some of her friends jealous of her. She was just nine. She paused in her reminiscing to remark, “These oranges are very sweet.”
At night, Sheel thought about his odd new friend.
Will she sleep on the landing? Did she have dinner? She probably goes back home at night. How did she know about my stair house? Can I ask her again?
The next day, Sheel carried two of his photo albums. He pointed out his parents to her. “This was Matheran, two years ago. I remember it was very misty; funny-looking monkeys everywhere. Do you like monkeys? I cried when my mother refused to let me bring a baby monkey back to Mumbai. I want to go back to Matheran but Mom says Dad is busy now.”
As he extended his hand for his albums, the woman smiled. “You have a good heart line,” she said, and grinned at a puzzled Sheel. “I used to read people’s palms,” declared the woman. There was excitement in her voice.
“You read people’s palms?” Suddenly there was a buzz in the air. Sheel’s eyes widened. “Just like Ganesh uncle? My Ganesh uncle reads everybody’s palms except mine. He says he doesn’t look at kids’ hands. Will you read mine?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
Sheel found it strange to be sitting on the same step, next to the woman. She smelt fusty; the air around her was stale. Sheel chose to ignore it as she scanned his right palm, her eyes squinted, her back thrust out in a hump.
“As I said before, you have a strong heart line.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your heart line, this topmost one here, starts at the index finger. And it is deep. It means you are an emotional person. Contented and not selfish.”
Sheel was beginning to like this: he had found a desirable friend. She was better than Rhea who called him selfish whenever he refused to give her his stuffed monkey.
“These lines here? What are they?”
“Ah, a double life line.”
“Double?
“It means you will live a nice long life, surrounded by positive influences.” “See mine? I have a good life line, but not double.” She spread her palm.
“I see it.”
“I have lived long, you can see.” She smiled. “My line says that I’ll live for many more years… till I’m hundred.” Sheel giggled in response.
“Do you have lines for….”
“When I was like you I always wanted to live a hundred years.” She paused. “Not sure now.” Her hand fell to her side. “My son’s wife doesn’t like me. Do I look like a crazy woman to you?”
The expression on her face had changed; she seemed to have lost interest in his hand. “She locks me up in a room and keeps me away from the rest of the family. My grandchildren think I am crazy.”
Sheel was embarrassed; he didn’t have a response for her.