Malayali in London ~ Part-39

Chapter -10:

...Times Change, Times Grow...

My phone rings. “Aksh, could you answer it? I’m doing the dishes here!” I yell from the kitchen. He yells a yes back in return, comes into the kitchen and grabs my phone from the counter. He answers and swarms off to the living room, talking to whoever is on the other side. Five minutes later he comes into the kitchen and tells me that Sawyer is coming. I nod and wash my hands. Aksh and I just had dinner. I made some rassam and rice. Aksh is watching TV in the living room so I sit down at the dining table, it is actually a small table you'd find in a coffee shop, fit for two. I was checking the sales from today when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Aksh says as he jumps off of the couch. I laugh as makes the run for it. He greets Sawyer as he lets him in. Sawyer asks him where I am and Aksh points at me sitting at the table. I smile and motion for Sawyer to come and sit. Aksh runs off to the couch once again. I’ll never know from where he gets all that energy. Sawyer sits down at the table in front of me. I don’t have a dining room in this apartment, so I make use of the side of the empty side of the kitchen as one. It’s a small place so I don’t have enough space to lay out a paaya either. “So? What were you doing?” he asks as he sets his elbows on the table. I shrug my shoulders, “Nothing much, just checking in on sales.” he nods, “Looks like the bookstore is doing well.” I smile. I had taken ownership of the bookstore that used to sell my books after the owner decided to retire. He was a kind man and owned many such stores across all of the UK. He saw that I was new to the business and he sold the bookstore to me at a low price two years ago. It’s been doing a lot better since I made some improvements a few months ago. I don’t have any employees though. I sit at the counter myself. I tilt my head to the left and ask Sawyer why he decided to stop by. He smiles at my comment and looks away at Aksh to see that he’s busy watching Pokemon and then says, “I thought that you’d be free, you usually send him back home by now.”

“Oh, I see. I’m actually keeping him for the night.”

He nods and looks down at my hands. I get his attention back and say, “Don’t tell me that the next season is out,” I ask him. Sawyer nods. Sawyer and I started watching a web series online together a few months ago and were waiting for the next season to come. I groan from frustration. I can't believe I forgot the date! I'm looking at Aksh when Sawyer says, “It’s alright. It’s his first time staying the night, and I don’t want to ruin it. We can watch the next season tomorrow.” I smile. Sawyer kisses my forehead before leaving and I close the door. I hear a loud 'thud' from the living room. I rush in to see that Aksh dropped his toys from the coffee. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see that he isn't hurt. That boy knows how to give a scare.

Aksh is brushing his teeth in the bathroom as I unfold the covers. He took a fifteen-minute nap while watching TV on the couch so called him in. He yawns as he slips into bed. I tuck him in and turn the lights off. I close the door and walk into the mess that’s all over the living room floor. I spend about half an hour cleaning and then go to bed myself.

.       .       .

        (A few months later.)

        My phone rings as I hand the change back to a customer. It’s Jennie. I answer it and prop it between my ear and shoulder as I bill the next customer. “Hey, you free?” I hear Jennie say from the other end.  “Well, not yet. The store doesn’t close until six thirty, why’re you asking?” I answer. I thank the customer as they leave and then hold my phone to my ear by my hand. “I know this is so last minute and I’m sort of just being selfish but Theo’s visiting tonight and we had decided to have dinner but the restaurant we usually go to is closed so could you come? I am not in the mood to cook tonight.” I smile and tell her that I’ll come. You see, it’s not that Jennie can’t cook, but she isn’t the best cook around either. “Oh, and tell Sawyer to come with you too,” she says before hanging up. I sigh and set my phone aside as another customer comes who looks like is going to argue. I take a deep breath and face them.