A Book In A Month - Chapter 18

Over the next few weeks Clara spent her free evenings researching and double checking her facts about the female members of her family. She wanted to see if she could find someone who had died in 1960. She thought that knowing her luck, there would be several deaths; none of them Vida, her grand mother. She really thought she would be spoilt for all the wrong choices, but that was not the case. No one died in 1960, male or female. Frustrated following her long evenings trawling through online records and picking through the notes and documents she already held on file. Clara makes an attempt to track down Vidas death certificate, but as it was an Indian death, it was not on line.

*

At work, drinking tea with Keith and Jane, Clara recounted her problem with sourcing the information she needed on Vida. She rolled over on the bean bag she was inelegantly lolling on, scrunching her way into a sitting position, and said to the others, “I reckon the only way that I'm ever going to get to the bottom of this is to go to India myself and do my research out there.”

Jane looked outside as a flurry of fine snow swirled through the leaden streets, “Yeh, that sounds good to me. I could do with being somewhere hot,”

“Oh blimey, it's only a thought. Don't take me seriously. It would be good, but, you know, I wouldn't know where to start.” Clara added dreamily, the idea seeding itself in her mind.

Keith said brightly,”It's a good idea. Her you are, with unanswered questions about your relative. The place where you need to be to get the answers you need is India. Why wouldn't you go there?

“Yeh, Keith's right,” Jane added, “If the answers were up in London, you wouldn't think twice about going there would you?”

“Of course I'm right. Helping people get it right is what I do best.” Keith said as he stood up and put his mug on a neat tray. “It's time to greet our next clients.” He said as he placed his hands in Namastae and bowed his head. He looked up and winked at the two women, “If we're thinking of heading off to India, we need to earn some money.”

They went their separate ways, each wondering if the others really wanted to travel to India; together.

*

That evening, in Johns flat, Clara sat quietly looking through the Indian bird book. She had not managed to find the time to read it until now. John was cooking tonight. She was dubious about the food, but it was rather pleasant to have someone cook for her, even if it was a ready meal. This meal was from one of he better food companies who were offering a dine in for a tenner a head deal, including wine. He was pushing the boat out and she was sitting, with the table ready laid, a coffee beside her and the book on her lap.

She flicked over the pages. One by one. Looking. She was not sure what she was hoping to find. Nor did she know where the answers she sought might lay, but she was willing t explore any avenue.

“Are you OK in there, darling,” John called from his perching stool in the kitchen.

“Lovely, thanks dad,” Clara called back.

“What you doing?” John asked.

“I'm looking at your Indian bird book dad,” Clara responded.

John shuffled in from the kitchen with a pair of oven gloves in his hand, “I've got something more interesting here for you to look at.” He rummage about at one end of the table, where he had several piles of papers and magazines. “Look. Tell me what you think.” He manoeuvred around to Clara and handed her a small pile of A4 papers. He took the bird book from her. “read it through for me. I haven't had to do work like this since I was at school. In those days, only girls did typing. Now, they tell me, that everyone has to be able to type. What a world we're living in.”

Once John has made his slow way back into his tiny and cluttered kitchen, Clara riffled through his college work. It was the same text, a whole sheet of it, reprinted on each sheet. Each edition had suffered an alteration. Centred, indented to the left, the right, emboldened, italicized, underlined, coloured, and so on, and on and on. Clara was fairly impressed. The work included tables and simple charts.

“I can move on to data bases now.” John threw this fact into the room as Clara read the content of the text, It was about India and was an attempt to explain why John wanted to learn to use a computer. He claimed, in his text, that he was not learning to use a computer in order to get to know Dylis better.

*

For the rest of the week, Clara, Jane and Keith continue to meet up during their break times and the idea of a trip to India takes shape. With the bitter winter weather, the thought of visiting a hot, spicy country is a real draw. By the end of the week, they have all come to the conclusion that going to India would be amazing. They imagine they could do a bit of sightseeing and also they could incorporate some family research too. Keith said that it should be possible for him to arrange for them to meet some of his relatives that he has managed to trace. He said they would get a privileged feel for how ordinary people in India live. His family, he explained, is an old Anglo Indian family. They had suffered terribly under partition because they didn't fit anywhere. The British left them behind when they left India, because Anglo Indians were not white. Pakistan treated the Anglo Indians badly because they were not Muslim. And the Indians did not like the Anglo Indians as they were seen as basically British. Wherever they found themselves living once the British had withdrawn, they were not wanted. They were victimized, persecuted, sometimes they were killed. It was a sudden change in circumstances, before partition, they had been the cream of society, one rung below the English, after partition they were treated like outcasts.

The plan is hatched. The The Alternative Health Centre would be short of 3 practitioners for one month. A lot of work would be needed in the meantime in order to be able to hit the ground running when they get to India. Clara and Keith would have to complete a lot of research before they leave so that they waste no time once they arrive on the dark continent. Clara will be tracing her grand mother and father and Keith wishes to make contact with more of his relatives. Jane took on the role of holiday organiser. Once the other two know what they want to do and where they need to go, she has taken on the job of planning their route. Jane simply wanted to see some of the major attractions that India had to offer.

They decided to follow Simons most regular route and to ask people they met along the way if they had known him and his household. Once in the Dakha area they would follow up Simons family. While they were in Delhi they would also look into Vidas date of death. It would be interesting and the tourist part, the Taj Mahal and The Red Fort would be fun.

*

By the end of the week, Clara knew that she would need the route map that her father had been piecing together. She would need it to help her choose Simons most travelled route, the route they would follow as part of their holiday.

John insisted that they couldn't take a photocopy of is map, instead, he would draw up a fresh one for her. She could then pick the routes that caught her interest. Whilst John can understand Claras interest in her family history, he doesn't understand why the other two are so gripped by the whole thing. “They're not, they just fancy a holiday with a twist,” She replies. She offers to do the map for him, but he says he'll enjoy it, it'll give him something to do.