Page 17 of Mine before Dawn
Instead, she heard herself say, “Yes, please stay.”
The words surprised her as much as they surprised him.
James paused and seemed to consider her.
“Alright.”
***
The meal was simple—rice with vegetable curry. A pot of homemade yoghurt sat in the middle.
She reheated it quickly, her movements clumsy with awareness that there was a man in her house talking to her son about rugby. Had it been back in her village with the rice fieldsand coconut groves, she would have been called a fallen woman and driven from her home.
They sat on the small spindly table with the boy between them.
James watched as they washed their hands and sat down to eat.
His eyes flicked once to their hands and then back to his plate.
Asha felt heat suffuse her cheeks. She stood abruptly.
“Here,” she said, pulling out spoons, placing one near him.
He took it without comment.
They ate in near silence but he watched them eat with their bare hands as if fascinated.
While she watched his pale skin turn slightly pink as he ate the curry.
***
When it was done, she cleared the table quickly. The boy was in the small closet room, playing with his new toy..
Then she wiped her hands and turned to him.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked carefully, hoping it was something she could afford.
He leaned back slightly, making no move to leave.
Then he stood up and started walking towards her. She ended up crowded between the makeshift kitchen counter and him. He smelt of tobacco and sweat and Asha found she didn't hate it. He bent down so his face was just inches from hers. The light was behind him but his pewter eyes seemed to gleam like a predator in the night.
“Let’s say you owe me a favour,” he whispered, his burning gaze on her lips.
The words hung between them like a ticking bomb. In this new life, Asha did not want to owe anyone anything.
He didn't give Asha a chance to reply as he abruptly backed off, shrugged his coat on and disappeared through the door.
In his little closet room, Tanay played with the little red car Patrick had given him to take home and called out, "Can I have a hat like James, mummy?"
***
As the weeks passed, Asha's days had settled from busy to brutal.
She would start at the pub in the morning—cleaning, setting up, doing whatever needed doing before the doors opened. It was either a fifteen-minute brisk walk to the pub or a short bus ride if there were pennies to spare.
Then she would briskly walk with the boy's warm hand in hers, drop him off at the school gate and then walk down to the seamstress’s shop.
This was her favourite part of the day. Her grandmother used to be an embroidery teacher at the local school and she had spent her childhood learning how to crochet and do fine needle work.
