by Esther David
Ezra and Raphael had gone to the same school and grown up playing cricket in the backyard of the synagogue. Ezra was very fond of Raphael and thought that Raphael was mischievous, but not malicious. Sometimes, his sudden arrival disturbed the still waters of Shalom India Housing Society.
The general gossip was that he came to Ahmedabad to meet Sippora. There seemed to be no other reason. It was an open secret that he had never gotten over his boyhood crush on her. Raphael seemed to be blind to the fact that he was the reason for the innumerable quarrels between Sippora and her husband Opher.
Only Ezra knew that Raphael kept returning to Ahmedabad for other reasons. He had to cope with his personal ghosts: the death of his parents and the disposal of his ancestral house on S.G. Road along with a dilapidated two-storeyed ancestral bungalow behind the synagogue. Both houses had numerous artifacts, books and furniture, which had to be sold or given away before he bid a final farewell to Ahmedabad. But even if he did so, there was one object that fettered him to the city of his birth—his mother’s piano. He was sentimental about it and could neither sell it nor donate it to a school. Unused, it was like a coffin of memories and cast a long shadow over his life. It had become a symbol of death. Sippora was a pleasant distraction.
Some elders still remembered how, when Sippora had come to Ahmedabad as a young bride, Raphael had not made any bones about his attraction for the leggy beauty from Bombay. Shamelessly he would stare at her as she stood in the women’s gallery upstairs in the synagogue. If his father Victor nudged him, whispering, ‘Don’t stare at her,’ he would hiss back, ‘At least I don’t look at her secretly like the others.’ His father would look around and see that the other men were sneaking glances at Sippora too. It was well known in Ahmedabad’s tiny Jewish community that Raphael was the main reason for the first big quarrel between Sippora and Opher.
That evening, they were bidding for the right to open and close the doors of the Ark, where the Torahs were kept, which would give the victorious bidder the right to carry them. Opher won and was carrying the biggest Torah, as he wanted to impress Sippora. Raphael was part of the group of men, dancing shoulder to shoulder with Opher. It was then that Raphael looked up at the women’s gallery and saw Sippora standing next to the marble plaque of the Ten Commandments, where it was clearly written in Hebrew and Marathi—‘Thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s wife’. Sippora was wearing a red sheath dress with a slit at the knee, which exposed a long, shapely leg. She was leaning over the railing and watching her husband, her body moving rhythmically to the chants of Simha-Torah, when she noticed Raphael dancing with abandon. She smiled at him appreciatively. Pleased, Raphael laughed and waved at her. That very moment, Opher looked up to see if Sippora was watching him and was happy that she was waving in his direction. But pleasure turned to anger when Opher realized that Sippora was waving at Raphael. With the Torah in his arms, Opher was helpless. All he could do was to look up at his wife with a severe expression, hoping she would understand that he did not approve of such brazen behaviour. He was sure that the other women in the congregation were laughing at her for waving at Raphael, even though he was just a teenager. Sippora saw his stern look, but ignored it.
Opher and Sippora returned home in stony silence. Later, they had their first fight. Opher alleged that Sippora had been flirting with Raphael. Sippora laughed at the idea, saying that Raphael was only a child. Opher exploded and Sippora walked out of the house. There were many rumours as to where she had spent the night. Had she gone to meet Raphael or had she checked into a hotel? All night long Opher kept calling up her friends till he fell asleep on the sofa. In his wildest dreams he had not imagined that Sippora was right there at Shalom India Housing Society, downstairs in Salome’s house. Next morning, Salome sent her back.
Sippora tiptoed into the kitchen, made a cup of tea for Opher and woke him up with a kiss. If anyone thought that the quarrels would end with the years, they did not. Sippora and Opher fought regularly over trivial issues but stuck together, as they loved each other. And, through the years, they continued to fight over Raphael even after they had had children.
Raphael had grown up in Ahmedabad, but since the age of seventeen, he had been living in Singapore with his uncle. His father Victor was a well-known doctor in Ahmedabad and his mother Daisy was a music teacher. Raphael was born to Daisy late in life, when she was way into her forties. After a series of tests, the doctors had declared that Victor and Daisy could not have a child. But Daisy was undaunted and gave the example of the matriarch Sarah, who had conceived late in life. She took the blessings of both Hindu and Muslim saints. Victor, who did not believe in this sort of voodoo, prayed to Prophet Elijah to bless them with a child. Later that year, on a beautiful full-moon night, Victor was sitting in the balcony, reading a novel, and felt like having a drink. He went to the drawing-room cabinet, poured himself a peg of whisky, switched off the lights and returned to the balcony. It was then that he experienced a strange aura and felt the Prophet’s presence in their house. Except for the reading lamp next to his chair, the house was dark, but he noticed that the picture of Prophet Elijah was illuminated. Feeling blessed, he settled down in the balcony and continued reading. But he could not concentrate on the words. He was thinking of Daisy and wondering if she could get pregnant at forty-plus. If she did, that would be a miracle. Then, realizing the futility of his dreams, he sighed, switched off the lights, went into the bedroom, lay down next to Daisy and took her in his arms. Eyes closed, she smiled. A couple of months later, Daisy went for her regular check-up and could not believe her ears when the gynaecologist congratulated her, saying that she was pregnant.
That year Raphael was born. He often recounted this story to Sippora, adding that perhaps his father had read the Kamasutra that night. Raphael never told anyone, including Sippora, that she reminded him of his mother.
When Daisy was alive, she would play the piano for her son or they would play records on the old gramophone. One of Raphael’s most treasured memories was when she taught him to waltz. His idyllic childhood came to an end when Victor realized that his son was not interested in studies. There were regular arguments between father and son. Often Daisy intervened, but could not establish peace between them. Being musically inclined, she understood why Raphael was not interested in his studies, but for Victor, it was sacrilege that the young man was wasting his time listening to music and playing the piano. So, though Raphael had not finished his schooling, Victor sent him to Singapore. Daisy was heartbroken, but Victor insisted on this because he was sure that his brother Jonah, a schoolteacher, would instil some regard for education in the young man.
When Raphael left for Singapore, Daisy went into depression and Victor lost all interest in life. Within a year, Victor was unable to handle Daisy’s long silences. He realized he had made a mistake in separating mother and son. He was doubly upset when Jonah informed him that Raphael had become a school dropout, left home and only returned to Jonah when he needed money.
So Victor asked Raphael to return to India. Back home, he would be under his mother’s eye and she would be happy. Maybe she could even persuade him to go back to school. He had just one more year to finish school and Victor even suggested that he study music. Later, they could buy him a good music system and help him set up a business of renting out sound systems. It was big business in Ahmedabad and there was no denying that Raphael had an ear for music. But after Raphael joined a small rock band, he refused to return. His parents’ pleas and threats fell on deaf ears.
For months, there was no news of him. A year later, Jonah called Victor and told him that Raphael had been traced to the address of Nataly, a twenty-something curvaceous blonde, the lead singer of his band. Another year passed. When Jonah informed Raphael about his mother’s depression, he was concerned and immediately returned to India. Jonah warned Victor not to expect anything from the visit, as Raphael had changed. Victor did not know how to break the news to Daisy and decided to let things t
ake their course.
A new drama unfolded when Raphael returned to Ahmedabad. Early that morning, when the doorbell rang, Daisy opened the door, assuming it was the milkman. Victor would remember the scene till his dying day. Daisy did not recognize her son, as he was dressed in bizarre cowboy clothes; his hair was dyed red, he was wearing bracelets and had an untidy stubble on his chin. He was not alone. Behind him, she saw the spiked heads of two girls and another scruffy young man with a long beard and dreadlocks. When Raphael tried to hug her, Daisy banged the door shut on his face, called out to Victor and screamed, ‘Call the police.’
Victor opened the door, but did not hug his son. He shook hands formally and invited the group into the house. Daisy watched them from a distance as they heaved their backpacks on to her neat sofas covered with delicate lace. Suddenly, her mood changed from fear to anger. She rushed towards Raphael, held him by the elbow and shouted angrily, ‘Don’t you dare insult me by entering my house dressed like a loafer.’ She dragged him to the door and threw him out, followed by his friends, then shut the door on their faces.
Victor tried to intervene, but Daisy would have none of it and stood with her back to the door, not allowing her husband to open it. A broken-hearted Raphael took the next flight to Mumbai and returned to Singapore within a week. Before leaving he spoke to his father, asking him to tell his mother that he was sorry. All Victor could manage was, ‘God bless you.’
Raphael never saw his mother again, but started doing well as a pianist. To keep in touch with his parents, he regularly sent them cassettes of his music and greeting cards for the Jewish New Year. He pleased Uncle Jonah by landing up at his house on the first day of Passover dressed in a suit. He also accompanied Jonah to the synagogue for Yom Kippur prayers, fasting for a day and repenting for having caused so much pain to his mother. Raphael was sure that Uncle Jonah would inform his parents that he cared for them.
Gradually, Raphael heard of signs of thawing in his mother. Jonah told him that Daisy had displayed Raphael’s photographs on the mantelpiece. Whenever friends, relatives or neighbours would drop in, she would speak about her son with pride, telling them that he had made a name for himself as a pianist. And, when she was in a good mood, she would play Raphael’s cassettes, beating the tune on her knee and telling her guests that the music was a trifle loud, but her son had a good ear for music.
Encouraged, Raphael decided to make another trip to India. It was two years since he had seen his mother. But before he could fix a date, his father called him early one morning, saying that his mother had had a cardiac arrest and died in her sleep.
Raphael took the next flight home to bury Daisy. He was inconsolable when he returned from the graveyard. He realized that he would never see his mother again. He wanted to tell her that although she thought he was morally wrong in terms of his dress and conduct, he was happy in the life he had chosen. He had wanted her to accept him the way he was. He owed everything to her. It was she who had exposed him to the beautiful world of music and encouraged him to be creative. But when he tried to lead his own life, she could not accept it. So, after her death, year after year, he would fast on the Day of Atonement, hoping that she would forgive him.
On the night of Daisy’s funeral, when the last mourner had left, Victor had broken down. They had been life partners and not been separated even for a day. When Victor switched off the light, he did not have the heart to enter their bedroom, so instead he slept on the sofa in the drawing room. Raphael sat at the piano, playing his mother’s favourite tunes. It was then that he heard his father crying. He turned around. Victor was sprawled out on the sofa, weeping like a child. Raphael cradled his father in his arms as tears flowed down his cheeks. Victor held on to him and made him promise that he would return to bury his father. Raphael promised, saying that he would always be there for him. He gave Victor a stiff brandy, led him to his own bedroom, tucked him into a quilt and lay next to him till he fell asleep. Later, he went to his mother’s bed and slipped under the cover, feeling the warmth of her body, which had lain there only a few hours earlier. Clutching the bedclothes, he cried like a baby, hoping she would suddenly appear and hold him in her arms.
To make up for lost time, Raphael now often returned to India with Nataly, as Victor had taken a liking to her. His formerly disapproving father had accepted him the way he was. But whenever Nataly was in Ahmedabad, Victor made sure that nobody in the Jewish community knew about her. He maintained the pretence that his son was still the most eligible bachelor in town. Raphael and Nataly followed the rules and did not give Victor any reason to worry. In fact, they were happy to be together, listening to music, travelling around Gujarat or even helping Nataly wear a sari with the help of their driver Rodriques’ wife, Maria.
Their utopia ended five years later when Victor got prostate cancer. Raphael locked up the house and took his father to Singapore. Within a year, Victor knew the disease had spread and wanted to return home to Ahmedabad. Raphael returned with him and made arrangements for him with Rodriques and Maria, who stayed in the outhouse of their bungalow.
When Victor’s condition worsened, Raphael could not fly back to India. His father died in hospital. Ezra called Raphael and gave him the news. At the time Raphael was in the midst of a concert in Rome, so all he could do was to request Ezra to bury his father.
It was a difficult year for Raphael. He was booked for shows all over Europe and could not travel to India. To add to his problems, Nataly became pregnant that year and although they continued with their concerts, she was always sick and in bad humour. It was the beginning of innumerable arguments between them. They were not married and Raphael suddenly had doubts about bringing a child born out of wedlock into the world. He believed that the child needed a name and family. But Nataly refused to get married. During this confusing time, Raphael needed his mother more than ever, as she would have found a solution to his problems. Moreover, he was weighed down with the rituals after his father’s death. Ezra called him twice a month, insisting that he return to perform the one-year ceremony for his father. Raphael was distressed and Nataly could not sympathize with his problems. Finally, he found a pianist to replace him and flew to India. Torn between his father’s grave and his unborn child, Raphael chose to bury the dead.
Back in Ahmedabad, much against Ezra’s advice, Raphael stayed in his father’s house on S.G. Road. Rodriques and Maria looked after all of his needs. This arrangement worked for him. He needed to unwind in his own home, although he found it hard to sleep in an empty house. Nataly often called at midnight, but they always ended up arguing over small things. Then, soon afterwards, Nataly lost their baby and broke up with Raphael at a time when he needed her the most.
The night after the one-year ceremony, when the last mourner had left, Raphael closed the door, gave Rodriques the day off and was sitting at the piano when the doorbell rang. It was Sippora. They shook hands. She offered her condolences and noticed that his face was wet with tears. Instinctively, she took him in her arms. They stood there holding each other as Raphael told her about his father and the baby he had lost.
Sippora wiped his tears and caressed his head. But she was suddenly uncomfortable when she felt his hands move over her breasts. His eyes were closed, the tears were still flowing and Sippora knew that at that moment, he just needed to be with another human being. She held him as though he was her child, although she knew that later she would regret her actions. But she was frightened when she heard Raphael call out to Daisy, saying, ‘Mama, take me with you, don’t leave me alone…’ She gently pushed him away, took his hands in hers, helped him sit down and left.
Thereafter, whenever Raphael returned to India and met Sippora, he did not flirt with her, nor did he mention the incident. So much so that Sippora was not even sure whether Raphael remembered what had happened that night. But she made sure that they never met alone.
Raphael mourned his father’s death for many years. He did not settle down with any of his innu
merable girlfriends. He liked to joke with Sippora about his single status, saying that he had not yet found the woman who possessed his rib. God must have created a woman for him from his rib, but she was lost somewhere in the universe.
After a few years, he sold his house to Rodriques for a pittance and donated his mother’s piano to the community hall of Shalom India Housing Society. This inspired Ruby to start a music class. He stopped coming to Ahmedabad after that.
When Raphael eventually disappeared, everybody felt it was for the common good, as Sippora and Opher could now live happily ever after. There were rumours that he had become a well-known pianist. He was a colourful character and the residents of Shalom India Housing Society would often remember him for his sense of humour and ready repartee. He was also remembered for almost wrecking Sippora’s marriage. But they forgave him when he donated a large sum of money to build a funeral room at the new graveyard of the Jewish community. Even though Raphael had disappeared from their lives, he had a knack of returning to Shalom India Housing Society in other ways. Years later, his photograph appeared in the sports section of various newspapers, as he had been appointed as a choreographer at an international games event. That day, Ezra went from apartment to apartment with the newspaper, telling everybody, ‘Look, this is my friend Raphael. You know our Raphael, always dancing and prancing around. Everyone felt he would come to nothing but I always knew he was made for great things. Imagine, if he had stayed on here, he would really have come to nothing. God bless him.’
7
Salome
The Genesis
IT WAS A Wednesday, the first day of Passover. Ezra woke up at 4 a.m. to pray to the sun for Birkat Hachama, when the sun is in the same position that it had been on the day of the Genesis. Saul Ezekiel, the cantor of the synagogue, was to reach the society at 5 a.m.
That morning, Sigaut had already made tea. She was happy that they were living in Shalom India Housing Society, as they could watch the rising sun from their terrace. Ezra had invited the entire Bene Israel community to participate in the prayers and Sigaut had invited them for breakfast in the garden. She had given Salome instructions the night before to make the preparations with Daniyal’s help. They had arranged chairs in the garden and bought paper cups for the tea party.