The problem was Sunita’s words had not been the only ones to permeate his sleeping mind. His father’s voice had also made a showing.
‘Every woman has a price. Find her weakness, exploit it and then you win, Freddy, m’boy.’
He switched off the shower in a savage movement. Time to man up. Yes, he’d won—and that was OK. It was a cause to celebrate—not the equivalent of what his father had done. He was striving to keep Amil with Sunita full-time. He hadn’t destroyed a family—he’d created one. Ergo, he was not his father. It wasn’t as if he had threatened her with joint custody. It had been the only other option—an option he’d known she would knock back.
Rationally, the facts were undeniable. Sometimes in life you had to choose between the rock and the hard place, and he’d done his best to make the rock a comfortable choice for her. He’d offered her the chance to be a princess—most women would have grabbed the baton and run with it.
End of.
Now it was time to figure out the next step.
He pulled on chinos and a navy T-shirt and headed into the courtyard and the early-morning sunshine.
‘Over here.’
He heard Sunita’s voice and spotted her sitting under the shade of a tree, simply dressed in a rainbow-striped sundress, sunglasses perched atop her raven hair. Sunlight filtered through the green leaves of the banyan tree, dappling her arms and the wood of the table, lighting up the tentative smile she offered as he approached.
It was a smile that seemed to bathe his skin in the warmth of relief, pushing away any lingering doubts about his actions.
‘Hey.’
‘Hey...’ He sat down opposite and surveyed the array of fruit. ‘Wow.’
‘I know, right? It’s hard to know where to begin!’
‘I’m not even sure I can name them all.’
‘Chiku, papaya, guava, pineapple, rambutan. They all taste different and they are all delicious.’
He reached for a chiku—a fruit he’d never heard of. ‘It looks like a potato.’
‘Wait until you taste it.’
He halved the fruit to reveal pinkish flesh seeded with a mere three black seeds. He scooped out a spoonful and blinked at the intense sweetness.
‘Better than cotton candy.’
She smiled, and once again relief touched him.
‘About last night...’ he said. ‘I know marriage isn’t your ideal option, but I am very glad you said yes.’
‘It isn’t, but it is the best option on the table and I’ve decided to make the best of it.
Perhaps if I’d been more upfront two years ago we wouldn’t be in this mess. But we are, and I’ll do my best to be positive about the marriage idea.’
‘Our marriage doesn’t have to be a mess. I think we can make this work. For Amil and for us.’
A pause, and then she nodded. ‘I’ll try. So, what’s the next step in Project Marriage?’
There was no room for further doubts or any more discussion with his conscience. Project Marriage was what he wanted and what he believed to be right for them all. Yet for some reason he felt restless, as if the beauty of the surroundings was somehow tainted. This was the sort of place where real couples should sit and plan their future—couples foolish enough to believe in the concept of love.
‘We need a plan, but I suggest we move this discussion to somewhere else. Is there anything you want to see in Goa? We could hit the beach...visit the old quarter...’
In truth he didn’t care—he needed to move, to get on with the business of the day away from this tranquil fairy tale setting that seemed to accuse him of having behaved like his father, however much logic told him he hadn’t.
Sunita thought for a moment, her tawny eyes dreamy, as if the question needed deeper consideration than it appeared to warrant.
‘I’d like to go to the Dudhsagar Falls.’