Serpent in the Garden

Chapter 4

When they rang the bell, Sam's grandma, Saramma opened the door. Both their faces lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of each other. They hugged and Saramma led the guests to the living room overlooking the garden through French windows.

Conversation flowed between the older women like a burst dam. Parveen sat gazing at the carefully curated decor while they conversed, after exchanging pleasantries. Grandma Fatima said with a sigh.

"It took so long to get a good groom for my Suhayla because of her weight. When I think about my girls I am all worried. I hope I die after seeing Parveen's marriage as well" Latifa hummed in agreement.

Saramma scoffed in surprise.

"Let her study, Fatima! Don't put such thoughts into her head! All girls nowadays take their sweet time before they get married."

Saramma dismissed Grandma Fatima's worries with a wave of her hand. She then stared at Parveen and continued.

"Still, I can't believe Parveen is so big now. I remember her running behind Sam when she was a kid. She was just a bag of bones then, now look at you, you are all grown up!" everyone laughed. Parveen smiled and adjusted her shawl bashfully.

"Ah, where is your Sam? It has been a while since I saw him" Grandma Fatima enquired.

"He is studying in Plus 2 now, wait, I will call him. He just returned from playing football" Saramma called for Sam, turning her torso toward the staircase. But there was no reply. She continued to shout his name at the top of her lungs three times more, then gave out a defeated sigh.

"Wait here Fatima, I will call him. He must be sitting in front of the computer with that god-forsaken thing on his ears." She started to stand up from the sofa with a groan. But her guests stopped her.

"It is okay, we will meet him another time"

"Who knows if there will be another time" murmured Saramma with a frown.

"I will go ahead and call him, please sit, Velyammachi" Parveen volunteered, trying to appease the old woman. She briskly walked to the staircase before Aunt Latifa could glower at her. Her face hardened as Parveen went past.

Parveen was all too eager to be excused from their disconcerting conversation surrounding girls and marriage. The staircase was sandwiched between the dining and an open-air stone courtyard. She marvelled at the courtyard, there was a shallow pond on one side where koi fishes swam listlessly, with the other side lined with Bird of Paradise plants.

A memory resurfaced in her mind, where a younger Sam handed her a fistful of small food pellets for the koi. She happily dropped them one by one in the shallow waters, giggling as the fishes went into a frenzy. The orange flowers nodded in the cool evening breeze. She walked slowly upstairs gazing at the koi pond. The stairs led to the bridge connecting the upper living on the left and the bedrooms on the right side. One side of the upper living was occupied by the study where a computer was on. The other side had French windows that opened to a balcony with a bougainvillaea garden. There was no sign of Sam.

She hesitated, should she head to the bedrooms? Wouldn't that be rude?

She decided she would just knock on the door politely without stepping in. She crossed the bridge overlooking the koi pond and the dining area. She faintly remembered Sam's room, it was the right one. The door was ajar. There was a small corridor to Sam's bedroom with the door towards the bathroom on one side. The corridor limited her view, she couldn't see if there was anyone inside the room. All she could see was the study table which was situated straight ahead.

"Sam?" She called, no reply. It seems he isn't here either. It struck her that he might be in the bathroom, even though she heard no noise. She felt that she was pushing her limits and turned around, but a glimmer from something caught her eye. The table had a cupboard with a bookshelf under it. Something that looked similar to her brooch was sitting on the bookshelf partially covered in the shadows. A puzzled frown appeared on her face. It was far away to ascertain what she was seeing, so she took a step inside the corridor to have a better look.