Page 191 of 12 Years
‘You sure? I’m happy to eat at the gurdwara again, or somewhere else by myself.’
‘No, let’s have dinner together. Tomorrow is your last night in Dubai, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Cool. I’ll figure out a nice place,’ I said. ‘See you.’
‘Looking forward to it,’ she said with a happy smile.
I tapped one of the brown boxes on my way out. ‘Same here. Happy packing.’
‘I look like Mahira Khan in this, don’t I?’ Payal said to me, pointing at the sky-blue salwar kameez she’d worn for the temple visit. It had delicate white embroidery all over it.
‘Who?’ I said.
‘I bought this suit from a Pakistani boutique. Don’t I look like one of those actresses from Pakistani serials?’
‘I haven’t seen any,’ I said. ‘But you look nice.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling and blushing a little. ‘Where are we going for dinner?’ she said a second later.
‘Tagine,’ I said. We were in the backseat of my car. ‘It’s a Moroccan place at the One&Only Royal Mirage.’
‘Fancy,’ she said.
‘It’s your last evening in Dubai, after all.’
She smiled, but her expression wasn’t enthusiastic.
‘We don’t have to go there,’ I said. ‘Would you rather we go somewhere else?’
‘No, I’m sure this will be nice,’ she said.
Why do girls say one thing when their face clearly says something else?
The car zipped along on Sheikh Zayed Road.
‘Okay, Payal? Look at me,’ I said.
She turned towards me. ‘Yes?’
‘Do you want to go somewhere else? Eat something unhealthy, unpretentious, fried and greasy from some hole-in-the-wall place? We can do that.’
‘No, not today. That was a rare and crazy 3 a.m. craving.’
‘It’s your last night, Payal. I want you to be happy. I know all kinds of places, so tell me.’
‘May I say what I really feel like eating?’ she said, excited.
‘Yes.’
‘I want hot dal chawal. Like simple ghar ka khana. It’s not fancy or exotic, but it’ll hit the spot.’
‘There are some Indian restaurants that can do that,’ I said. ‘But they are all still restaurants at the end of the day. Proper home-style food you’ll only get in one place.’
‘Where?’
‘My house. I have a cook, Shanti didi. She’ll make the kind of dal chawal you want.’
