Page 71 - You Only Live Once [BooksLD]
P. 71

Yesterday, I felt so tempted to enquire about mom but the moment Aarav
                told me about what Ricky feels about her, I held back from asking anything
                in particular. Last night was magical. I’ve got to write and perform a new

                song  this week. I  need to win over Ricky if I  want him to tell me more
                about my mom.
                   As I am lost in thought, the reception guy calls me. ‘Parvathi is here to
                see you. You can come down to the reception,’ he says.

                   ‘What’s up?’
                   ‘All good.’

                   ‘Ready to go for house hunting?’
                   ‘Yeah!’

                   ‘By the way, I think I know the best place for you. You will like it there.
                We’re  visiting  three  PGs  in  the  neighbourhood,  but  I’m  sure  you  will
                finalize the first one.’

                   ‘Let’s see!’
                   We walk by the Palolem Beach Road for about a kilometer to reach a 2
                storey  Portuguese  construction  on  top  of  a  rock  formation.  It  is  slightly

                secluded from the more commercial places around.
                   ‘I like it already,’ I assure Parvathi.

                   We reach the building that feels at least thirty years old. An old lady sits
                at the porch basking in the sun. A young lady, probably the old lady’s nurse,
                walks up to us. ‘Are you here to check out the room?’ A white Pomeranian
                dog accompanies her. ‘Lucky, keep sitting,’ she instructs. Lucky jumps and
                licks us in joy, ignoring her commands.

                   ‘Yes, I am Parvathi. And she is Alara. She is the tenant.’
                   ‘Namaste, I am Madhuri,’ she greets and leads us to the top floor. She

                introduces the old lady as Maria, the owner of the PG. I shake hands with
                her.  They  are  as  soft  as  freshly  churned  butter  from  the  centrifuge.  She
                seems  paralyzed  waist  down  as  Madhuri  helps  her  with  the  wheelchair.
                Maria seems to be of Portuguese descent for sure. I can tell from her face.

                   The  room  is  a  tiny  refuge  constructed  of  grey  stones.  It  has  a  small
                terrace attached to it. It overlooks the Arabian Sea. Although it is not very
                big,  it  is  just  perfect  to  accommodate  me.  And  Parvathi  was  quite  right
                when she presumed that I would take this place.

                   ‘How much will it be?’
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