Rajan arranged the muslin canopy around Nala and the baby. She stirred and laughed in her sleep. He froze, not wanting to wake them. He still liked to watch her. He liked the way she reached for her wedding pendant when she was nervous, the way her wide lips parted when she smiled, and the way she would immediately close her lips again, remembering what her mother had said about not showing all of one’s teeth. She had freckles on her nose that dived into the creases of her face when she laughed. He observed her more than he talked to her. He straightened the canopy once more, checking for holes, before retreating to his study.

Rajan rarely missed eating lunch at home. It offered him a hot meal and, during school holidays, a chance to see the children before Ayah put them to bed for their naps. They would be waiting at the front window as his car pulled in: two little girls with palm trees of hair shooting from the sides of their heads, their skin shining from their daily massage of sesame oil, their eyes shining with joy. As he entered the house, they would come running out, the strong one dragging the shy one. Priya raised her arms first so he could lift her and throw her into the air. Dhara held back, raising her arms tentatively, after he had put Priya down. She had been living with them since Mohan’s death. Vani had moved into her mother’s home in Kotahena. They visited her often, but she still wasn’t ready to take Dhara back.

Rajan could see Nala tense as he swung the girls up and they left his hands for a brief moment. She would relax and smile as he caught them again. Back on the ground, the girls searched his pockets for the two Bultos he had hidden there. The dark caramel squares were impossible to break with your teeth, they had to be sucked. The girls could keep a piece of it in their mouths, tucked away in a cheek compartment, sucking hard for an hour. His sister used to make hers last for two hours; she said the key was to take the caramel out every twenty minutes and let it dry and re-harden, before returning it to her mouth. Lali had lots of tricks.

He made sure the girls ate the Bultos after their lunchtime nap. He didn’t want them falling asleep with caramel in their mouths and choking.