Ro lazily stretched in bed as he woke up, loose- limbed and relaxed. His eyes were still closed. He had no idea where he was, but he remained unruffled. This had happened to him before.

Half- opening his eyes, he registered he was in a bed made up with cool, soft sky- blue linens. Thick white piping edged the pillowcases and duvet. Then he turned onto his back and was amazed. The room’s paneled ceiling was painted the exact same sky- blue as the sheets upon which he was lying, and the ceiling’s moldings and detailing were also picked out in white. The thought came to him unprompted.

Am I dead?
He turned his head. Mullioned windows, behind which the tops of trees waved at him. Ever so gently.
He had not died and he was not in Heaven.
At least, probably not.
He turned his head the other way. White walls, also paneled.
Yet . . .
Where was he?
He had to sit up, he decided. As he did so, his eyes fell upon a painting on the wall facing the bed.
Was that a Matisse?

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Ro said automatically.

The door opened, and Sundar appeared, in uniform, carrying a silver tray. “Good morning, Sir.” He walked across the room and placed the tray on an ormolu table that Ro hadn’t yet noticed. Sundar turned to the windows to open the curtains and paused. They were already open. He clearly hadn’t expected that. He contented himself by moving toward them and tying them neatly with the sash that Ro had left hanging the previous night.

Standing back up, Sundar turned toward Ro.

“If it’s convenient, Mrs. Banerjee would like to see you in twenty minutes. She apologizes for having asked you to sleep here.”

And then Ro remembered. Amrita was dead.

“You will find any toiletries you need in the bathroom. There are fresh kurta pajamas in the closet.” Sundar cleared his throat, a little embarrassed.

“Other things you might need are in the drawer here,” he added, indicating a small white wooden dresser painted with flowers. “But please let us know if you require anything else, at all.”

“I’m sure it’s all fine,” Ro said, slowly getting out of bed. “And twenty minutes should be ample.”

“I’ll let her know.” Sundar smiled and left the room.

What were the other things Sundar thought he might need? Ro ambled over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. It was filled with Calvin Klein boxer briefs in every color imaginable.

He unfolded a few. They were all size medium…

Continue reading the extract here…

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