No Time for Goodbyes Read Free Page B

quaint.
    Suma is on the phone and she’s telling Manoj to come right over. ‘Yes! She’s here! What do you mean “how”? Come and see for yourself!’ She hangs up the phone and turns to all of us grinning.
    â€˜He is going to be so surprised when he sees you, Tamanna!’ she says and I resist the urge to tell her that she has no idea how surprised he will be.
    â€˜His house is in this neighbourhood?’ I ask and they all nod.
    â€˜We could have gone there instead of asking him to come here right?’ I shrug. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can meet Manoj’s grandfather and ask him how I can get back.
    â€˜No! Amma won’t let us go out after 7 in the evening!’ Reena says wistfully. I think back to how much I’ve fought with mom about how she insists I get back home before 8 every single day.
    â€˜I know! She can be so mean sometimes! Like, what will happen if we go out after 7?’ Suma says fiercely and then dropping her voice, she looks around a little scared. I want to burst out laughing but I don’t and actually find myself telling her, ‘Maybe she has her reasons Suma. She’s just being protective.’
    Suma makes what I thought was my patented face and it no longer surprises me. I decide to try calling my mother through this phone.
    â€˜Can I make a call?’ I ask them and they look at each other warily before Suma nods.
    â€˜To Australia?’ she asks, looking worried and I shake my head. She looks relieved and smiles at me.
    â€˜But if it is to Delhi, you’d better wait till 10 pm. Then the rates are half!’ Vidya says and Suma shushes her. I smile back at them and say that it’s a local number.
    I lift the clunky and shiny black receiver and dial my mother’s cell phone number. The moment I dial the first digit, I get a tone indicating that the number is not in use. I place the receiver back on its cradle in dismay. Obviously this isn’t going to work. Before the girls can ask me who I was calling, the doorbell rings. All eyes turn towards the door and Ajji calls out in our general direction to open the door.
    I hang back while the girls run to open the door, their reaction to this Manoj guy making me feel a little bemused. I wonder what mom will say when I get back to the present and ask her about him. Obviously he was a good friend, so how come she’s never mentioned him? Then with a sick feeling I realise that I will be able to ask her anything, if I get back.
    I can hear the sound of excited voices coming towards me and I feel nervous suddenly. What am I supposed to do?
    â€˜Look! There she is!’ Suma says, pointing towards me. I step forward and stare back at Manoj’s astonished face.

Five
    I DON’T KNOW WHO is more surprised when Manoj doesn’t say ‘Who are you?’ to my face.
    In fact after the initial shock, he gives me a smile and shakes his head. ‘What are you doing here? I thought your trip was cancelled?’
    Hello? Has he really mistaken me for his pen-pal? Hasn’t he seen her picture? I look around quickly and see that everyone else is looking at us with a great deal of interest. So, just for the heck of it, I decide to play along.
    I shrug and say, ‘Wanted to surprise you. I knew you’d be blown off your socks when you found me here.’
    â€˜Oh well, that’s there,’ he admits and I’m stuck for words. I look down at the floor and notice absently that it’s nothing like the mosaic flooring in my house. This one is made of red oxide and looks like the floor in Ajji’s house. Wait a minute. This is Ajji’s house? Not mine?
    I whip my head to look around, the changed dimensions of the house suddenly making sense to me. Everyone notices my actions and I cringe. I just wish someone would explain what is happening to me. From what I understand, I’ve got sucked into a photo and I’ve travelled through