Julie & Kishore by Carol Jackson Read Free Book Online Page B

and peered down at Julie’s
phone number written in her loopy handwriting, he knew a whole new chapter in
his life was about to start.

 
 
    CHAPTER ELEVEN

 
    The
Hindi word for laugh is hasi.

 
    It
was already dark outside that evening when my home phone rang just as I sat
down to relax after a long day.
    I
rushed to pick it up instinctively knowing it would be Kishore.
    “Hello,”
I answered apprehensively.
    “Hello
Julie,” he shyly replied.
    Surprisingly,
after our initial hesitation and nervous start the conversation flowed. We
agreed he would pick me up at one o’clock the coming Saturday afternoon.
Although to me, so far, Kishore’s accent was strong it wasn’t a barrier, just a
small obstacle. After all, he had been in New Zealand now for more than two years and had become accustomed to
the Kiwi accent. He was surrounded by it all day every day at work, in the
street, wherever he went in his daily life.
    I
supposed it was up to me to get used to his accent.

 
    Saturday
arrived with loaded anticipation. I tried on practically every piece of
clothing I owned. Mum popped her head around the doorway of my bedroom, seeing
the huge mound of clothes piled on the floor and my perplexity she said,
“Julie, don’t think of this as a date, imagine you’re just meeting up with a
friend.” This worked for me as the word ‘date’ was pretty daunting. Telling
myself I was merely meeting up with a friend calmed my nerves considerably.
    I
finally made my decision . I studied my
reflection in the mirror as I turned my head from side to side to see every
angle, ‘ N ot bad' I thought, ‘Stylish yet
casual.’ M y image stared right back at me. I was dressed in a
pair of black pants and a creamy white top. As an afterthought I tied a
khaki-green scarf loosely around my neck. I had read somewhere that red heads
look great in green.
    Kishore’s
blue Escort pulled up outside promptly on the dot of one o’clock.

 
    In
India people are more relaxed about time, it wasn’t a big deal to be half an
hour late for an appointment. Maybe it was because of the population and
traffic, it was unrealistic to have any expectation you would arrive on time.
It could also be that people were more laid back and not so hung up on punctuality.
Kishore quickly learnt in his new country if you made an appointment at a
certain time, you had to be there at that time, on the dot. He realised in New
Zealand, everyone is always looking at the clock and life is a continuous
hustle, bustle and battle against time. If you were going to be late it was
good manners to ring and apologise.
    In
India it was not uncommon to sit and chat late into the night but he had
noticed in New Zealand, everyone seemed to be asleep by ten o’clock.

 
    I
met Kishore outside in his car, I climbed in and as the car pulled away from
the curb, I peered back at my house. I could see the
outline of Mum’s shadow as she stood on the other side of the net curtain at
the lounge room window. I felt her maternal gaze as we drove away.

 
    The
chit chat soon flowed smoothly between us with no awkward silences.
    “So,
tell me, Julie, how did you know?” Kishore cheekily asked.
    “How
did I know what?”
    “How
did you know that the beautiful khaki-green scarf you are wearing is my
absolute favourite colour? ”
    This
brought a flush to my cheeks and I smiled. I turned my head and glanced out of
the window, I liked the way he said my name, with accentuation on the ‘le,’ - ‘Ju-LEE,' it was kinda cute.

 
    Kishore
drove us to One Tree Hill, a well-known park. As we entered the gates he found
a parking spot and we decided to stay
seated in the privacy of his car so we could talk and get to know each other.
It was a warm afternoon, the sun was shining and as I gazed through the
windscreen I noticed there were a lot of people about enjoying the park.
Kishore started by telling me if at any time I didn’t understand his accent, I
was to say repeat . So far