Page 36 of Tiger's Curse
A sheer blue scarf came with the dress, and I draped it around my shoulders, not really knowing how to arrange it. I hadn’t planned to wear the dress during the day, but once I had it on I couldn’t bring myself to take it off.
Barefoot, I sashayed down the staircase and headed to breakfast. Mr. Kadam was already in the kitchen, humming and reading an Indian newspaper. He didn’t even bother to look up.
“Good morning, Miss Kelsey. There’s breakfast for you on the kitchen island.”
I flounced over, trying to get his attention, picked up my plate and a glass of papaya juice, and then conspicuously arranged my dress and sighed dramatically as I sat down across from him. “Good morning, Mr. Kadam.”
He peeked at me from around the side of the newspaper, smiled, and then set the paper down. “Miss Kelsey! You look charming!”
“Thank you.” I blushed. “Did you pick it out? It’s lovely!”
He smiled at me with twinkling eyes. “Yes. It’s called asharara. Ren wanted you to have some more clothing, and I purchased it while in Mumbai. He asked me to acquire something special as well. His only instructions were ‘beautiful’ and ‘blue.’ I wish I could take all the credit for the selection, but I had a bit of help from Nilima.”
“Nilima? The flight attendant? Is she your? I mean, are you—?” I stuttered, embarrassed.
He laughed at me. “Nilima and I do have a close relationship as you have guessed, but not the kind you’re thinking of. Nilima is my great-great-great-great-granddaughter.”
My jaw hit the floor in shock. “Your what?”
“She’s my granddaughter with several greats added.”
“Ren told me that you were a bit older than he was, but he didn’t mention that you had a family.”
Mr. Kadam folded his newspaper and sipped some juice. “I was married once, a long time ago, and we had a few children. Then they had children and so on. Of all my descendants, only Nilima knows the secret. For most of them, I am a distant, wealthy uncle who is always away on business.”
“What about your wife?”
Mr. Kadam lost his smile and became thoughtful. “Life was very difficult for us. I loved her with all my heart. As time passed, she began to get older, and I did not. The amulet affected me profoundly in ways I didn’t expect. She knew about my situation and claimed it didn’t bother her.”
He rubbed the amulet under his shirt. Seeing my interest, he pulled out a thin silver chain and showed me the wedge-shaped, green stone. At the top, there was a faint outline of a tiger’s head. Glyphs ran down the outside circle, but Mr. Kadam said that he could only read part of one word.
With melancholy, he rubbed the amulet between his fingers. “My dear wife became old and very sick. She was dying. I took this amulet from around my neck and begged her to wear it. She refused, wrapped my fingers around it, and made me swear to never remove it again until my duty was fulfilled.”
A small tear slipped out of the corner of my eye. “Couldn’t you have forced her to wear it and maybe take turns?”
He shook his head sadly. “No. She wanted to follow the natural course of life. Our children were married and happy, and she felt it was time for her to move on to the next life. She was comforted knowing I would be around to care for our family.”
Mr. Kadam smiled sorrowfully. “I stayed with her until she died and with many of my children and grandchildren after that. But, as the years passed, it became harder for me to bear seeing them suffer and die. Also, the more people who knew Ren’s secret, the more danger he would be in, so I left them. I return to visit from time to time to check up on my descendants, but it’s . . . difficult for me.”
“Did you ever marry again?”
“No. I seek out one of my great-grandchildren to work for me every once in a while, and they’re wonderful to me. Also, Ren was a good companion for me until his capture. I have not sought out someone to love since then. I don’t think my heart could take saying goodbye again.”
“Oh, Mr. Kadam, I’m so sorry. Ren was right; you have sacrificed many things for him.”
He smiled at me. “Don’t feel sad for me, Miss Kelsey. It is a time for celebration.Youhave come into our lives. And you being here makes me very happy.” He took one of my hands in his, patted it, and winked at me.
I didn’t really know what to say in response, so I just smiled back at him. Mr. Kadam let go of my hand, stood up, and began to wash the plates. I got up to help as Ren padded lazily into the room yawning widely as only a tiger could. I turned around and patted his furry head, only a little awkwardly.
“Good morning, Ren!” I said brightly, and then spun around to show off my outfit. “Thank you so much for the dress! It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it? Nilima did a great job picking it out.”
Ren abruptly sat down on the floor, watched me twirl in my dress for a moment, and then got up and left.
“What’s up with Ren today?” I asked.
Mr. Kadam turned while drying his hands on a towel. “Hmm?”
“Ren just took off.”
