Read Online Tales From Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry - Free Book Online

came. For almost a whole year the ghost slept with me, every Friday night, and Christmas was not far away.
    And still no one knew about it, how he came to my bed, lay down with me, tried to touch me. There was one thing I was feeling so terrible about – even to Father D’Silva at Byculla Church I had not told anything for the whole year. Every time in confession I would keep completely quiet about it. But now Christmas was coming and I was feeling very bad, so first Sunday in December I told Father D’Silva everything and then I was feeling much better. Father D’Silva said I was blameless because it was not my wish to have the
bhoot
sleeping with me. But he gave three Hail Marys, and said eating fish again was okay if I wanted.
    So on Friday of that week I had fish curry-rice and went to bed. And believe or don’t believe, the
bhoot
did not come. After midnight, first I thought maybe he is late, maybe he has somewhere else to go. Then the clock in
bats
room went three times and I was really worried. Was he going to come in early morning while I was making tea? That would be terrible.
    But he did not come. Why, I wondered. If he came to the bedding of a fat and ugly ayah all this time, now what was the matter? I could not understand. But then I said to myself, what are you thinking Jaakaylee, where is your head, do you really want the ghost to come sleep with you and touch you so shamefully?
    After drinking my tea that morning I knew what had happened. The ghost did not come because of my confession. He was ashamed now. Because Father D’Silva knew about what he had been doing to me in the darkness every Friday night.
    Next Friday night also there was no ghost. Now I was completely sure my confession had got rid of him and his shameless habits. But in a few days it would be Christmas Eve and time for midnight mass. I thought, maybe if he is ashamed to come into my bed, he could wait for me on the stairs like last year.
    Time to cook rice now, time for
seth
to come home. Best quality Basmati rice we use, always, makes such a lovely fragrance while cooking, so tasty
.
    For midnight mass I left my bedding outside, and when I returnedit was two A.M . But for worrying there was no reason. No ghost on any floor this time. I opened the bedding by the stairs, thinking about Cajetan, how scared he was when I said I would tell my father about his touching me. Did not ask me to go anywhere after that, no beaches, no cinema. Now same thing with the ghost. How scared men are of fathers.
    And next morning
bat
opened the door, saying, good thing ghost took a holiday this year, if you had woken us again I would have killed you. I laughed a little and said Merry Christmas,
bat
, and she said same to me.
    When
seth
woke up he also made a little joke. If they only knew that in one week they would say I had been right. Yes, on New Year’s Day they would start believing, when there was really no ghost. Never has been since the day I told Father D’Silva in confession. But I was not going to tell them they were mistaken, after such fun they made of me. Let them feel sorry now for saying Jaakaylee was crazy.
    Bat
and
seth
were going to New Year’s Eve dance, somewhere in Bandra, for first time since children were born. She used to say they were too small to leave alone with ayah, but that year he kept saying please, now children were bigger. So she agreed. She kept telling me what to do and gave telephone number to call in case of emergency. Such fuss she made, I’m telling you, when they left for Bandra I was so nervous.
    I said special prayer that nothing goes wrong, that children would eat dinner properly, not spill anything, go to bed without crying or trouble. If
bat
found out she would say, what did I tell you, children cannot be left with ayah. And then she would give poor
seth
hell for it. He gets a lot anyway.
    Everything went right and children went to sleep. I opened my bedding, but I was going to wait till they came home.