Hindi

New Delhi station on a Saturday evening, the night express to Varanasi: Priya introduces Neha and Arjun, and everyone says what they took and what they forgot, in the past with the little word ne.

Seven in the morning, the night express slowing into Varanasi: Noah and Priya tell each other how the night was, with the past of to be, and there was, there were and there was no.

The house of Neha's grandmother near Assi Ghat: the welcome, and the summers Neha used to spend here, with used to, the everyday present followed by was.

A boat on the river at dawn with a boatman who has rowed forty years: Varanasi against Delhi and Rishikesh, with the little word from that compares, older than, wider than, calmer than, less than an hour.

A Banarasi silk shop in the weavers' lane, a sari for Mummy ji: the best, the most expensive, the cheapest and the most beautiful, with the one little word that makes every most.

Breakfast at a stall in a lane of Varanasi with Arjun, kachori with jalebi and a first sweet paan: have you ever eaten, never in my life, not once, a hundred times, the first time.

The lanes of Varanasi on the way to the university where Arjun studied, a passer-by giving the way: we came, they went, two stayed, and how long it took, with the plural of the past.

Evening on the roof of Neha's grandmother, chai with more ginger: as warm as Delhi, like a garden, the same as Dadi ji's chai, different from hers, much more colourful than ours.

The river steps at dusk, lamps floating on the water: Priya tells how she became a doctor, with the words that hold a story together, one day, first, then, after that, in the end.

The last morning in Varanasi, the auto to the station at ten, Noah and Priya still on the roof: have you packed, not yet, already, still here, and a photo of the three of us.

On the phone the morning after a missed meeting at the hospital gate, Noah explains and Priya is cold: where were you, I was about to leave, you came at half past ten, my phone was in the locker, I was going to call, forgive me, not today.

At the hospital gate Priya says what she waited and what Noah never did, and he admits she is right: I waited two hours, I was working the whole time, after thirty-six hours of work you didn't even send a message, not once, last month too you were late, you didn't come at all, you're right.

Rohan walks Noah to the flower seller at Lajpat Nagar market and tells him what he should have done: you should have called her, asked for the kitchen's phone, left at seven; flowers for someone angry, roses and lots of them, all the red ones.

At India Gate at night, with ice cream from a cart, Noah and Priya make up: I was wrong, you were wrong, you were very angry, I was angry because I was worried, I was tired, hungry and stupid, you were right, now give me the ice cream before it melts.

The week before Diwali at the Sharmas', every house in the lane being cleaned and Noah on the roof with a broom: when you came, did you see the lane; when I came Gupta ji was on a ladder; when did you start; when the sun came up; when the roof is done, come and eat; when I cleaned my flat I found a hundred rupees.

The evening before Diwali when every house buys something new of metal, at Lajpat Nagar market with Mummy ji and Priya: before Diwali, before going home, after buying the lamps, first the pot, I've never seen so many lamps, after tonight you'll see a thousand, after eight the crowd is big.

The shop in Chandni Chowk in the busiest week of the year, Papa ji counting up the day: did you manage to finish the cashew sweets, four hundred boxes I managed, could you lift the big pan, with Raju bhaiya I managed, alone I couldn't, today we sold more than last month, I couldn't sit down for even a minute, me neither forty years ago, tomorrow we'll make the fifth hundred together.

Diwali dinner at the Sharmas' table in Lajpat Nagar, Priya bringing her friend Neha: this is Neha, happy Diwali, since when have you been in Delhi, two years now, since when have you two been friends, since the first day of school, Rohan has been standing with the box for ten minutes, since Neha came in, sit down, the lamps are waiting.

Diwali night on the Sharmas' roof, a hundred lamps lit and sparklers going, when the lane's power goes out: suddenly the power went, don't worry, something fell downstairs, two glasses broke, look at the lane, who needs electricity, my roof is brighter, the lamp went out by itself, light it again, the power came back by itself, now the sweets.

The day after Diwali at the family table, Papa ji tells how he met Mummy ji at the shop's counter forty years ago: I was working at the counter, it was hot, a teacher came in and asked for a kilo of jalebi, he weighed everything except the jalebi, the next day she came again, on the third day I asked her name, and my mother said marry her.

The shop the morning after the holiday: Papa ji sends Rohan to Agra for the winter's petha, Noah has three days off, Dadi ji wants Mathura's milk sweets: we decided, what did you decide, we made a decision, is it settled, we agreed, I chose Thursday, bring Mathura's milk sweets, the train leaves at eight.

Nizamuddin station at seven and the fast train to Agra with Rohan: we left at six, I left, we arrived at seven, last year I went by car and it took five hours, we came back at night, today we'll arrive in an hour and forty minutes, Delhi stayed behind, did Papa ji go often, every winter for forty years, we've arrived.

The Taj Mahal at sunrise with a guide: the one who had this built was an emperor, who had this built, the people who worked here, twenty thousand workers who came from everywhere, the stone that shines white came from Makrana, I want the photo that everyone takes, from the bench that's in front, the river that's behind, the same river that's in Delhi.

A petha shop in Agra's old market, the sugar boiling in the back: sit, while the sugar boils I'll tell you, while walking the smell came from far off, is it made from pumpkin, while this soaks we cut the next, eat it while it's warm, taste this while it's warm, warm is best, how many kilos, fifty and the saffron one while it's in season.

Evening on the guest house roof in Agra, the Taj far off, Rohan's phone finally down: who was on the phone for an hour, it was Neha, Priya's friend, it turned out she works in Connaught Place, how did you find out, I didn't know, I found out when I saw her three mornings, she turned out to be on my metro too, it turns out Delhi is small.

Mehtab Bagh at sunset, the Taj across the river: when did you see it for the first time, the first time at eight with Papa ji, and the last time, before leaving for Portland, then you came again, I saw it again with Dadi ji and she cried, I'll come again, will you come again, every year once more, it's my first time and when's the second.

The booking window at Agra Cantt at nine at night, the express gone: the express left two hours ago, I came two hours ago, is there anything tonight, the night train at ten past eleven, last year I took it, long ago my father went by this one, two tickets, sleeper or air-conditioned, a month ago we slept on a train, it's already forty minutes late.

Platform one at Agra Cantt at eleven at night and coach B two: the train to New Delhi is arriving, ticket please, we've just got on, the train has just started, which are our berths, the upper ones and lights off at twelve, what time do we arrive, at five and by then you'll be asleep, I'm wide awake, the man below is asleep.

The compartment of the night train, a fellow passenger of sixty-five from Agra: where are you from son, from Portland in America, born there, I was born there and grew up there, what did you study, I learned cooking and became a cook, and I was born in Delhi, married, not yet Aunty ji, why did you come to India, a friend, a grandmother's recipes and jalebi.

New Delhi station at five in the morning, fog on the platform, Raju bhaiya at the exit, then breakfast at the family table: welcome back and how was Agra, beautiful and fifty kilos of petha, sit and tell us everything, Dadi ji's milk sweets from Mathura, what did you learn in two years, I've learned to speak Hindi, in two years I learned to speak, to argue and to make up, did you learn to come on time, the train came at five and I woke at four, from Monday Noah writes the menu.