Chapter 11

Leather juttis clicked softly against the pristine marble foyer as the front door swung closed. The heavy canvas kit bag hung over one shoulder, while his calloused fingers held the cloth grocery handles containing the kitchen supplies from the bazaar.

Quietness enveloped the vast ground floor of the estate, the high vaulted arches carrying only the gentle hum of the central air conditioning.

Striding past the central courtyard, his long steps led straight into the wide kitchen wing. Stainless steel counters gleamed under the warm recessed ceiling lights. Setting the cloth grocery bag down near the main prep island, he unpacked the containers of clarified butter, yellow mustard seeds, and fresh green cardamom pods, placing them neatly beside the brass stove.

Reaching into the pocket of his navy kurta, his heavy smartphone slid out into his palm. Calloused thumbs tapped the glass screen to check incoming notifications.

A text message from Simran sat near the top of the display, reading: “Just got back to the hotel. Don’t forget you promised to text me before sleeping!”

Holding the device in his right hand, he typed out a quick update, his thumbs navigating the virtual keyboard with careful precision.

“Just returned back after wrestling at the Akhara, Simran. Very tired, now going to eat roti and sleep. We will talk tomorrow, miss you life.” (Akhare ton zor kar ke wapas aa gaya aa, Simran. Thakkiya hoya aa boht, hun roti kha ke sohn laga aa. Kal gal karde aa, miss you jaan.)

Scrolling further down his messaging feed, several unread updates flashed on the digital display. A text message from his Aero-Eng peer Vikram asking if he was staying on the estate for the rest of the summer break sat alongside an audio note from his childhood friend Tari regarding the upcoming weekend Kabaddi matches.

Pressing the microphone icon, a low, relaxed voice note was recorded for Vikram first.

“Yes Vik, I am strictly in the village for the summer break right now. I will talk to you after taking a round to Harleen’s place.” (Haan Vik, main te filhaal pind hi aa summer break vich. Harleen wal geda marn ton baad gal karda aa tere nal.)

Swiping across to Tari’s contact, another voice note went out straight into the chat network.

“Hey Tari, full wrestling effort happened at the Akhara today. Keep the ground soil ready for Saturday’s match, Pamma and Jassi have informed the whole team.” (Oye Tari, Akhare vich zor poora lagya ae aaj. Saturday waale match laye ground di mitti tayyar rakhi, saari team nu bol ditta ae Pamma te Jassi ne.)