‘Then when we begged her to stop, she told us we were being ungrateful. Some children don’t have clothes at all!’ The idea of naked children had sent Nikki and Mindi into hysterics.
The tarp above the stall began to sag from the weight of rainfall. Nikki rubbed her hands together. At the hot chai stall next door, a queue was forming. ‘What else have they got in this bazaar? Anything good?’ Mindi asked.
‘Some produce, a couple of masala stalls, Indian sweets,’ Nikki said, looking around. ‘There’s a woman who can dye your costume jewellery stones to match the exact shade of your outfit. There’s an entire row for those jingly-dangly wedding decorations and I also spotted a guy with a parrot who picks your fortune out from a hat.’ Women roamed from stall to stall, their handbags clutched tightly under their arms. Earlier, Nikki had sidled up to a group of older ladies comparing aubergines. To her disappointment, they were only sharing a recipe.
There was a lot of clattering in the background. ‘Are you at work?’ Nikki asked.
‘I’m just leaving. I’m sorting through these make-up samples that Kirti gave me for tonight. Can’t decide between two eyeliners.’
‘It’s more for you than the guy, isn’t it? He probably won’t notice the difference.’
‘I’m actually only meeting women this week,’ Mindi said.
‘In that case you’ll need to check if the gurdwara does lesbian weddings.’
The clattering stopped. ‘I thought I told you about this.’
‘I think I’d remember.’
‘So, I wasn’t having much luck with the temple profile. I decided to get a trial membership with SikhMate.com. It’s more discreet than I expected and you can set up these really specific filters.’
‘And you’ve determined that your husband must have a vagina?’ Nikki asked, forgetting for a moment where she was. The turbaned vendor staggered as if he’d been shot. ‘Sorry,’ Nikki mouthed. Out of guilt, she pointed at all three blouses and gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded and put them into a thin crinkly blue plastic bag.
‘On SikhMate, there’s an option to meet the women of the families first before meeting the guys. You get a coffee with them, and if you hit it off, they introduce you to their brothers, nephews or sons.’
That sounded like a total nightmare. ‘That’s so much more pressure though,’ Nikki said. ‘They’d be screening you.’ Not to mention the creepiness of marrying into a family where the sisters and mothers selected mates for their men.
‘It’s meant to be less pressure,’ Mindi said. ‘If I got married, I’d be spending a lot of time with the women of the family anyway, so I guess they want to see if we’re compatible.’
‘Do I get to screen guys for you then?’ Nikki asked. ‘Do I get to veto the ones I don’t like? Or does it only work one way? Honestly, Mindi, this sounds like a terrible plan. I’d almost welcome the idea of you meeting some of the less desirable temple profile guys over meeting these Sikhmate aunties first.’
There was renewed clattering in the background. ‘I think I’ll go with the plum eyeliner,’ Mindi said. ‘It’s more subtle. Leaves a better impression.’ It was a clear signal that Nikki’s advice was not needed. ‘I’ll let you know how it goes.’
‘Good luck,’ Nikki muttered. They said their goodbyes and hung up. Nikki paid the vendor. She joined the chai queue, watching people scatter under cover as the downpour got heavier. She held the bag of blouses close to her chest. Mindi probably didn’t know this, but Nikki had enjoyed dressing alike. She had been secretly sad when they won the war against Mum to let them be individuals.
Arvinder and Preetam were not speaking. They arrived at the class ten minutes apart and sat at opposite ends of the room. Between them, Sheena’s bag, mobile phone and notebook sat on a desk but Sheena was nowhere to be seen. Manjeet was also missing.
‘We’ll just wait for the others,’ Nikki said. She gave Arvinder a smile. Arvinder’s gaze darted away. Preetam fiddled with the lace edge of her dupatta, folding it into tight corners. The silence reminded Nikki of her first moments with these widows. She glanced at the seat where Tarampal had sat, dutifully tracing dotted letters in her workbook.
‘I’m here, I’m here,’ Sheena said breathlessly, entering the room with three women. ‘This is Tanveer Kaur, Gaganjeet Kaur and the late Jasjeet Singh’s wife. We just call her Bibi. They’d like to join our class.’
Nikki surveyed the women. Tanveer and Gaganjeet appeared to be in their late sixties but Bibi was closer to Arvinder’s age. They were all dressed in white. ‘You are all friends of Sheena’s?’ Nikki asked. The women nodded. ‘Oh good,’ she said. ‘So you know what we discuss in these classes.’ The last thing she needed was another earnest English-learner like Tarampal.
‘I still tell most people I come to these classes to improve my English,’ Sheena said. ‘Unless I really trust them.’ She smiled at the new widows.
From her corner, Arvinder spoke up. ‘You can’t rely on everyone’s friends to be trustworthy though. The people you tell might spread the word to others who can’t keep a secret.’
Bibi was indignant. ‘I can keep a secret.’
‘She’s just saying we should be cautious,’ Sheena assured Bibi.
‘You all are very welcome here. We just have to make sure we’re not found out by the wrong people,’ Nikki said. While crossing the Southall Broadway after her market trip, she had caught sight of three young Punjabi men patrolling the bus stop and bullishly reminding schoolgirls to go straight home.
Preetam scanned the bead-lined hem of Nikki’s new blouse, prepared to engage now that it wasn’t just her and Arvinder. ‘I like what you’re wearing,’ she said.
‘Thanks,’ Nikki replied. ‘No bra straps visible.’
‘Yes. Very nice,’ Gaganjeet said. Suddenly her face distorted – eyes bulging, lips drawn back to reveal her dentures. She let out a deafening shriek. In its aftermath, Nikki looked around to see that only she was rattled.
‘Waheguru,’ Arvinder said to bless her.
‘That was a sneeze?’ Nikki asked.
‘Hanh, I’m recovering from a cold. All weekend I’ve been sneezing and coughing,’ Gaganjeet said.
‘It’s going around,’ Preetam said. ‘I saw Manjeet at the temple early this morning and she said she wouldn’t be attending class tonight. I suppose she’s unwell too. She looked a bit pale. You should take something for that cold, Gaganjeet.’
‘I had some chai,’ Gaganjeet said. ‘I put extra fennel in it.’
‘I mean take some medicine. Isn’t Boobie Singh’s pharmacy near your place?’
‘It’s Bobby,’ Sheena corrected.
‘He charges too much, that Boobie,’ Gaganjeet complained.