‘Will you help, or should I ask Ghadiali?’

‘Ghadiali, Ghadiali, Ghadiali, Krrrk, krrrk, krrrk,’ Kitkit, their parrot, repeated.

‘Why does Kitkit say Ghadiali all the time?’

‘It’s Ghadiali’s fault. He teases the parrot from his window.’

‘The next time I’ll ask Ghadiali to come over. Let me see how the parrot behaves.’

‘They haven’t met in person. I have told you that before, more than once.’

When Ghadiali arrived, the parrot was silent.

‘See, he doesn’t know Mr Ghadiali,’ said Persis. Pestonjee rolled his eyes at her.

‘Ghadiali  . Ghadiali  . Ghadiali, Ghadiali, Ghadiali. Krrk, krrk, krrk. Ghadiali. Burjor Burjor  . kem cho majama  . kem cho majama.’

‘How does he know your first name?’

‘Burjor is not my first name. Who is Burjor?’ asked Ghadiali.

‘Who is Burjor?’ asked Pestonjee.

‘Kitkit hangs in the gallery. How do I know who he listens to?’ Persis responded.

‘Put him in the bedroom then.’

‘He was in the bedroom. Last month you hung his cage in the gallery because he was noisy, remember? Did you call Mr Ghadiali to talk to him about Kitkit or Roshan?’

22

Lallan paanwala made and unmade empires with his nutcracker. When Lallan cracked a betel nut and said, ‘the betel leaf is green’, it meant that the coast was clear for the strikers to return to the street. When Lallan cracked a betel nut and said, ‘the betel leaf is young’, it meant that the university students would join the workers in the strike. When Lallan cracked a betel nut and said, ‘the betel leaf is red’, it meant that the police had been alerted. The strike would be called off. Lallan sat across from the police headquarters. He could smell the heat. Many policemen were his customers.

‘What are you eating?’ Lallan asked Banerjee.

‘My company has warned me about chewing paan. This helps hide.’

‘How?’

‘It’s called chewing gum, mint-flavoured. No more smell, no more stains.’

‘No smell of cigarettes even?’

‘No.’

‘What about tobacco?’

‘Not even tobacco.’

‘Can you get some for me? My customers have a lot to hide. Not just in the office, at home too. They will thank you for it.’

‘In a month,’ Banerjee responded. ‘For now, it is only available at some shops outside the schools.’

‘Can I try one?’

‘Here. Chew it. Don’t swallow. Spit it out when the flavour runs out.’

‘How much does it cost.’

‘Half an anna.’

‘Half an anna? Really? Can you order some for me?’

‘How many?’

‘One hundred a day to start with. Is that enough? I can tell my friends. Some of them sell much more than I do.’

‘Soon.’

The paanwala chewed the gum for about half an hour. He retained the piece in his mouth, then returned to it. He felt energized. Today, the dullness of the afternoon hour had escaped him.

23

‘If you don’t give me fifty per cent, I will take my business elsewhere.’