My hand froze by the fruit bowl. Making snarky remarks was our thing. It was what brothers and sisters did. It wasn’t just a global tradition, it was a rite of passage. Why was he crying about it now?
‘Because it’s pretty ridiculous that a grown-arse twenty-five-year-old who has lived in the same house his whole life is so pampered that he doesn’t know where the coffee’s kept!’ I replied, grabbing my banana and turning to leave the kitchen. Honestly, I didn’t know why I bothered with him half the time.
‘More ridiculous than a twenty-seven-year-old spinster who doesn’t pay for a single thing at home deciding on a whim to go back into education so she can carry on burdening everyone?’
The words came at me like bullets from a machine gun, lodging themselves into my flesh and I stopped mid-stride, too stricken to move. Was that what he really thought of me? Was that what everyone thought? I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn’t know what to say. So I closed it and without a word, I continued my way out of the house. It was only when I got to the station that I realised the banana in my hand had been squashed to a pulp.
‘Your brother said that?’ Lucy asked in disbelief when I relayed the morning’s encounter to her.
‘Welcome to my world,’ I responded flatly. ‘Where my brother reigns supreme and I am but a lowly, unworthy scullery maid.’
‘I’m sure he didn’t mean it, babe,’ Lucy looked at me sympathetically, the pity on her face making me feel worse. ‘Maybe he’s stressed about something else and took it out on you?’
‘Maybe,’ I shrugged. ‘But the truth usually comes out when people are stressed. He’s right. I am a burden.’
‘You’re not! Are you telling me that your parents would rather you moved out?’
I couldn’t help but snort at that. Moving out of my parents’ perfectly adequate London house, when I worked in London, would mean only one thing to my extended family and community: I was up to no good.
‘Fair point,’ I conceded. ‘Anyway, let me tell you about my date with Noah before Sheila gets back from her meeting.’
As Lucy, Arjun and I sipped on our masala tea, I gave them a rundown of the date.
‘It couldn’t have gone better,’ I concluded. ‘We were on the same page about everything. It was like we were made for each other and I could tell he was thinking the same thing.’
Arjun and Lucy exchanged glances.
‘What is it?’ I asked, looking at one and then the other as they sat there, both the epitome of a perfect poker face.
Lucy remained stoically silent, so Arjun piped up. ‘Well,’ he began in his Essex drawl, ‘maybe it felt like you were made for each other because you’re doing all the things on his list, so now he thinks that you’re kindred spirits . . . but you’re not.’
Ouch.
‘I see what you’re saying,’ I began slowly, heat flooding my cheeks. ‘But the fact is, I am doing those things. It’s me doing them, so what if his list inspired me? It’s not like I’m lying. This is the new me.’
‘Did you tell him that you hated Ulysses so much that you fantasised tearing out the pages one by one, but the only reason you didn’t is because you like the prestige of it sitting on your bookshelf for potential suitors to spot?’
‘I didn’t hate it!’ I protested weakly. ‘Look, guys, Noah and I are obviously hitting it off and yes, he met the new me, but if you remember, he met the old me on the Tube and he liked that version as well!’
‘Did you tell him about your Tube encounter and having his notebook?’ Lucy finally asked, when I was beginning to wonder if her larynx had had a seizure.
‘No,’ I admitted. ‘How can I? He’ll think I’m crazy!’
The two of them looked down at their desks in a way that made me feel like they definitely thought I was crazy. Well, the pair of them could get lost. They were supposed to be happy for me, but instead they were ruining it all. First my brother and now my friends.
Later that afternoon, Sheila finally responded to my email:
To: Maya Rahman
From: Sheila Steadman
Subject: Re: Hours
Dear Maya,
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to offer you part-time hours, as your role is one which requires full-time hours. Please find your contract attached.
Do let me know how you would like to proceed.
Regards,
Sheila
