Chapter 4 A TRAIL OF BREAD CRUMBS 1

There was a rustling sound behind her back, she turned around abruptly. No one was behind her. Only her room, drowned in the darkness of the night

" That's enough " she whimpered

She dashed to the door, flung it open and rushed into the hallway

The hall way was as dark as her room, with just the silver light of the moon filtering in through the open balcony doors

The hallway was quiet and cool. But her skin was covered in sweat

Once again, she heard a noise behind her. The sound of creaking floorboards and footsteps. She turned around nervously, scared

There... there stood Priyanka holding a lighted candle. Laks must have looked insane because Priyanka gave her a slightly bewildered look

" Ah, Mrs Chauhan... What's going on? " she asked

" Are you talking about the power outage? It happens frequently in Calcutta. We lose power often here, it will be back in a couple of hours " Priyanka explained

" I heard strange noises in my room " Laks complained

" Noise? "

" Yes... Creaking, rustling... That sort of thing "

Priyanka gave Laks a friendly smile and waved her hand

" Oh, that's normal too. Our home is old, it was built during the colonial period. What you're hearing is the house settling. It's just louder at night because it's quiet " she explained

" During the colonial period? Was it built back when India was still British colony? " Laks asked

" Yes, yes. It's over fifty years old and it's never been renovated " Priyanka smiled

They heard footsteps and a man's voice coming from the farthest room down the hallway

" Now, young lady, go back to your room " Priyanka gave Laks a stern look

" Aryan is about to get up, and you're underdressed. Don't do this again "

Only then did Lakshmi noticed that Priyanka was fully clothed

Priyanka wouldn't have dared to leave her bedroom in pajamas, that's why she was surprised when she saw Laks

" It was just difficult for me to navigate my room in the dark, I didn't mean to be disrespectful " Laks explained herself

" It's fine. As we say here, the shame is not in the eyes of the dancer but in those of the onlookers. Next time just put something on " Priyanka smiled

" Of course. I'm going to go back to my room. May I please ask for your candle? " Laks gave Priyanka a pleading look. The thought of going back to the dark room All alone was giving her the creeps

" Of course, you can take it. But do you really need it at night? " she asked

" You can't even imagine how much I need it "

Priyanka handed Laks the candle and they wished eachother good night. Laks went to her room to go back to sleep

≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈ ≈

It was morning when Laks opened her eyes again. In the daylight, all of her fears seemed silly and unreal, like a bad dream

There was a burned out candle on her nightstand by the bed, and the floor lamp was on

There was a knock on the door

" Come in " she shouted

" Good morning, my dear " Priyanka greeted entering the room with a smile on her face

" Sana is making breakfast. I came in to bring you something and help you " she said

" Help me with what " Lakshmi seemed confused

She noticed a pile of clothes in priyanka's hand and a small jewelry box on top of it

" Allow me to help you get dressed and do your hair, It will give me such great joy to do so. What a beauty you'd be in a sari! And if you're dressed in Indian clothes, passers by will be less interested in you. The British aren't particularly well liked here. I'm sure you understand, it will be more easier for you if you looked like a local " Priyanka explained

" You'd also gain more respect. Besides, offending a foreigner isn't as scary as offending an upper caste Indian girl " she continued

" Well... Sure, why not. Give me a couple of minutes to wash up " Laks replied and walked into the bathroom

After a short while, Priyanka began to show Laks the saris she had brought

Laks ended up putting on a bright yellow sari. She spun around to see herself from every angle in the mirror

" I can't believe that I'm in India and wearing a sari! I wonder if I'll ever fell like I belong here? " Laks beamed

" Please have a seat, let me fix your hair and pick out some jewelry for you " Priyanka said

After she was done, Priyanka looked Laks over with a smile " You're beautiful. I know you like it here in India, but in this new sari your journey will be even more fun " she said

Laks thanked her and look herself in the mirror once more

" Now let's have breakfast " Priyanka said

" I'll be out in a couple of minutes. I want to call my younger brother " Laks replied

" Younger brother? " Priyanka asked surprised

Her surprise struck Lakshmi as strange. She seemed embarrassed, even confused

" Yes, his name is Kiran . He remained in London " Laks said

" Kiran... It means ray of sunshine. Such a lovely name " Priyanka smiled

" Yes, that's true. Mom really wanted a son. He was a last child, so he was like the sun to her. She loved him very much. Laks explained

" Every child is like the sun to their mother. Lakshmi means good fortune and peace. Probably you were your mother's good fortune and peace, just as your brother was a ray of sunshine " Priyanka smiled

A sudden pang of sadness hit Laks chest as she looked away " The key word is probably " she whispered

' If Mrs Chauhan is right, why did mom leave us? If we meant so much to her why did she leave? ' she thought

Laks decided not to torture herself with those questions for the millionth time, especially in front of a stranger. Her mom had left them two years ago and she still wasn't sure why

She didn't have time to get over it because she needed to care for her brother and run the family store

They needed money to survive, and she took full responsibility. She didn't have time to cry. But the tangle of questions, thoughts and grief lingered deep in her chest

' I have far too many responsibilities and worries to allow myself miss someone who doesn't even care about us. I'm not going to waste my time on her ' she thought, trying to surpress her emotions

She noticed Priyanka starting at her, so she gave her a quick smile " My brother is with a nanny, but I still worry about him " she changed the topic

" Of course, families shouldn't be apart " Priyanka said

" I'll see him in a little while when schools break up for holidays " Laks smiled

" Here in Calcutta? " Priyanka asked

" Yes. I just need to find him a hotel or something like that " Laks replied

" How old is the boy? "

" Fourteen. He's just a kid "

" He should come stay with us. You won't have to worry, and the more the merrier " Priyanka smiled

" Really? He can stay here? " Laks asked surprised

" Of course my girl. We have plenty of space " Priyanka beamed clapping her hands

" Ah, Mrs Chauhan, I have no words to express my gratitude? " Laks said happily

Priyanka smiled kindly at Laks once more before leaving the room, allowing her to call her brother

Laks stepped out into the hallway in search of a landline phone

Once she found it, she dialled the London number and began listening to the dial tone

After a few seconds, she heard Kiran's voice

" Hello, Khan's home speaking "

The sleepy voice of her younger brother made her smile

" Kiran, it's me! I finally found a phone " Laks smiled

" Laks! I thought you didn't call because you actually ran away from me "

" Oh shush, don't be silly. How are you? "

" I'm doing alright. I failed my English test " Kiran said

" I asked you to be more responsible while I am away " she scolded

" But the coach said I was the best player on the court! I think he'll make me team captain this year! " Kiran explained

" I'm sure he will. How's grandma? Are you driving her crazy? "

" Grandma is lost in her own world, as usual. Alright, I'm gonna go back to bed. It's still early morning here " Kiran yawned

" I'm sorry I woke you up. I miss you so much " Laks replied

" Yeah Yeah. Me too, see you soon? "

" I'm really looking forward to it. Okey, go get some sleep. I'll call you later " Laks smiled

" Uh Uh "

She heard the beeps at the other end of the line and smiled

" He's growing up. He's got no time for me now " she hung up the phone and headed downstairs

She entered the spacious bright room and walked to the dining table