As Sweet as Honey

50




I assumed he was in the garden, reading. Aunt Meterling might have thought the same, but it was nearly tiffin, and Oscar was always hungry for Bournvita and Amal biscuits. Uncle Simon casually said he’d just go have a look, and Ajay accompanied him, “to buy a paper and betel leaf.” Aunt Meterling was inside; otherwise, she would have started to panic. The benefit of having a large family was that if anyone got lost, a search party could easily be assembled and dispatched. Rasi, Sanjay, and I set off as well.

“Should we call the police?”

“No, that will just cause more chaos.”

“It’s not chaos yet.”

We thought he might have headed to the beach, so we went there. This is where our fear kicked in, because the bay was large, deep, and the water choppy.

“He’s a sensible kid,” said Sanjay.

“But what about the undertow?” Ever since I read Garp, I worried about undertows.

Rasi began to ask people if they’d seen a little boy, but she had no luck.

“I wonder if Meterling has told him about Archer,” said Sanjay.

I wondered as well. It seemed we had all agreed, almost implicitly, that no one would say anything. In England, it would be easy to keep it a secret, but on Pi, anyone might talk, let loose a comment.

“She’ll tell him when the time’s right,” said Rasi.

“But when is the right time? If I were in his place, I’d want to know,” said Sanjay.

“But why does it matter?”

“Seriously? It’s not so much that Simon isn’t his biological father, but that he wasn’t told.”

I didn’t reply.

“It’s not like Archer was a criminal. Oscar has the right to know,” said Rasi.

“Even if he were a criminal, Oscar still has the right to know,” said Sanjay.

“But what about the psychological damage, then? Imagine how haunted you might be if you knew your father was violent.”

“That’s nonsense. It’s still part of where you come from. It doesn’t determine anything, but—”

“Why are you two arguing? Archer wasn’t a criminal, Oscar can be proud of him, and it’s up to Simon and Meterling to decide.”

It looked like it was going to rain, and I hoped the uncles had found him by now. There were only a few people about, because of the darkening skies. Some were already taking shelter under thatched baskets overturned on their heads. Others raised umbrellas as the first drops hit, the skies opening to let out a steady downpour. Thunder rumbled, and the sky lit with a sudden flash of lightning.