Malayali in London ~ Part-23

Chapter -6:

...Indrakshi's Birthday...

I read for about twenty minutes and then head for the café. When I get in, about ten minutes before eleven o’clock, I don’t see Sawyer behind the counter as I usually do. I raise an eyebrow and sit down on my usual seat by the window. I stare out the window for a while, watching people walk down the streets with their kids. It’s holiday time here in London, and everyone is looking forward to Christmas.

Five minutes passed since I showed up here and I heard someone enter, it’s Sawyer! He's wearing a hooded sweater under a denim jacket with jeans. He looks so good right now, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so amazing. He looks for me and smiles as he enters. He takes his order from the counter before coming and sitting in the seat across from me. His smile widens as he says, “Happy birthday, Indrakshi! Glad you made it.” I smile and reply, “Thanks, Sawyer. And are you not working today?” He shakes his head and says, “No, I took the day off. So, do you have any plans for today?” I shake my head, “well, I don’t, my brother does. He and a friend of mine have planned something at eight tonight, I don’t what it is but they said that it’s at eight in the evening.” Sawyer smiles and tells me that it must be a surprise party or something. We talk as we drink the coffee Sawyer had ordered and later walk out of the café. When I asked Sawyer about the bill he just smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s on the house.”

Sawyer pulls out an envelope from his pocket after we walk out and says, “I got you something for your birthday,” I make a face that clearly says you didn’t have to and Sawyer continues. “You told me that you were writing a novel, and you called it Return, you gave me a little insight into the story and I immediately wanted to read it so, I thought that the best gift I could offer you was a little help to get it published,” he hands the letter to me and I read it. It says that the publisher who owns the library and bookstore I visit most often has agreed to publish my novel at the request of Sawyer! Now, he seriously didn’t have to do that. I look up at him in utter disbelief, he shrugs, “I know that you’re going to say that I didn’t have to do this much but I wanted to. I know how badly you want to be an author, and I badly want to read your novels. It’s a win-win, so you don’t need to thank me for it. And trust me, I convince customers all the time, convincing him wasn’t all that difficult.” I give a slight laugh and throw my arms around his neck. I give him a hug in return for the best I’ve received.

Sawyer and I spend the rest of the day together. He took me to Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Southall. We took the bus there. The Gurudwara in Southall is the largest Sikh Gurudwara organisation outside India. I have been wanting to visit it for a while now. I’d been to many gurudwaras when I visited Punjab when I was in eleventh grade. I had also been to the golden temple in Amritsar and it was a beautiful place. Though the gurudwara here in London doesn’t have the same charm as the ones in India, it is still special in its own way. It is an ornament of Indian culture in London. It is a place where I can feel close to the country I grew up in. Sawyer showed me around, the place was amazing. It was peaceful. We had lunch at Gurudwara. The thing I love so much about gurudwaras is that anyone can come and eat here and anyone can come and cook here too. Anyone can offer service at the gurudwara and the people here will accept it with a smile.

As I’m exploring the place, Sawyer offers to take a photograph of me. “What? No. I never have my photos taken,” I say shaking my head. Sawyer smiles, “You look so happy right now, I want to have a memory of this day so that if we’re still friends years later, I can show how cheerful you were. And besides, I want to show you how stunningly beautiful you look when you’re happy.” I feel my cheeks and ears heat up as he says that and cover the embarrassment on my face with my hands. In the end, though, I let him take photographs.

When we took a seat on the bus back, Sawyer began to speak, “I come here a lot. Whenever I feel out of breath, stressed, grateful or just in the mood, the place is so peaceful that it can calm even the most chaotic hearts. That’s what I like so much about it.” I smile and say, “You were right about that. It was so amazing, I never felt so close to home as much as I did in that gurudwara. Thank you for bringing me there.” I rest my head on his shoulder for the rest of the trip as he shows me all the photos he took of us, mostly of me.