Camera

Part III: Two Months Later - 46 - Boston

Part III: Two Months Later

46 - Boston

Maya Sumedh

 

“You got everything?”

“Yeah.”

“Haven’t left anything behind?”

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

Ma rocked back on her heels in the doorway, looking around at the living room. I put a hand on my suitcase handle and looked at her expectantly.

“Ma? Sam’s waiting.”

 There had been a change in plans – Sam and Layla were going to fly to London together from Delhi and only the three of us were going to Boston.

“Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled. “Don’t you – uh – want to take a last look at things?” She touched our shoe rack and the painting hanging near the door.

“Nope,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ve taken my last looks and now I wanna go to college.”

 “Mm. Okay.”

 “Okay,” I said, moving forward. “Now can you move so I can take my suitcase out?”

 “You have one more?” Sam demanded from where he was standing near his car, waiting. “I literally have only one bag.”

 I ignored him as Ma gave me way to leave the house. The boot was open, already packed with two of my suitcases and two of Ma’s and Dad’s. I shoved this one in and closed the door.

 “Alright, let’s get going.”

“Alright!” Sam said, jumping up and jangling his keys. “Time to drop my family to the airport so I never have to see any of them again!”

 “Sameer,” Ma whined. “Please don’t make us feel any more guilty about not dropping you off as well.”

“Ma, I’m going to England with my girlfriend for the next three years, you should be glad you’re not seeing us off. I’ll be fine. You should worry about Maya.”

 There was an undercurrent in the sentence which I’m sure he didn’t mean to have. He caught my eye over the top of the car and muttered quickly, “Not because she isn’t going with a boyfriend, of course, but just…well, yeah. Um, let’s get in.”

 Dad was a silent spectator to all this, sitting in the backseat already. Ma got in with him and I sat next to Sam.