Books_Shauna Singh Baldwin_English Lessons and Other Stories

7/30/2019 Books_Shauna Singh Baldwin_English Lessons and Other Stories

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Shauna Singh BaldwinEs lessos Oter Stores

Reers ge Eto

wt fteror by Kuldip gill


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Copyrit 1996 by Sauna Sin Bawin.Copyrit 2007 by Vicar.

Vicar is a ivision o Sauna Bawin Associates, Inc.

www.SaunaSinBawin.com

A rits reserve. No part o tis work may be reprouce or use in any orm

or by any means, eectronic or mecanica, incuin potocopyin, recorin or

any retrieva system, witout te prior written permission o te pubiser or

a icence rom te Canaian Copyrit licensin Aency (Access Copyrit).

To contact Access Copyrit, visit www.accesscopyrit.ca or ca 1-800-893-5777.

Eite by laure Boone.

Cover an interior pae esin by Juie Scriver.

Cover imae: PotosInia Potorapy, copyrit Veer.

Printe in Canaa on 100% PCW paper.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

library an Arcives Canaa Cataouin in Pubication

Bawin, Sauna Sin, 1962-

Enis essons an oter stories / Sauna Sin Bawin.

Reaers uie e.

ISBN 978-0-86492-510-7

1. Women immirants Fiction. I. Tite.

PS8553.A4493E53 2008 C813.54 C2008-900169-9

goose lane Eitions acknowees te fnancia support o te Canaa Counci

or te Arts, te government o Canaa trou te Book Pubisin Inustry

deveopment Proram (BPIdP) an te New Brunswick department o Weness,

Cuture an Sport or its pubisin activities.

goose lane Eitions

Suite 330, 500 Beaverbrook CourtFreericton, New Brunswick

CANAdA E3B 5X4

www.ooseane.com


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11

Rawalpindi 1919

Woe weat our an water. Not just any our wi o eiter,

se tout. he is very particuar about tat. Couary Amir

Sin wou ine on simpe are, but te irst capatti must be

mae rom te weat o is own mis an it must come rom teans o te moter o is sons Sararni Saib erse.

It seems warmer tan usua, se tout, as er iners

moue an orme te ou, knuckin into it, brown sot

ans suppin it, reayin it as se a mae er sons reay.

An or wat, se tout. Te eer a poet. gente an kin

but no businessman. Wat wou e make o te our mi? Now

te youner one, es more wory. Twenty-one years o anCouary Saib a oun no brie worty o im yet.

Se mae a ba o te ou . . . pattin . . . pattin . . .

smootin te wet, istenin o-ecke ba. Now i a sma

ba out o te are one. Cut it apart rom te woe. Now sape

it, ro it between te pams. Se ooke at te sma ba crae

in er an. At tis stae, se cou sti return it to te are ba

an no amae wou be apparent. Se cou knea it back anit wou ben aain.

But tis iea, wo knows were it came rom. Tis iea tat

er boy cou o to Viayat, to te wite peopes country, to


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12 Shauna Singh Baldwin

earn rom teir urus in teir ark an couy cities er

younest an ten return to Rawapini, an is peope wou

know no ierence. Se sook er ea. hai toba!

It wi be ierent in tree years, se tout. Toay Couary

Amir Sin wases is ans ater sake-an wit an Anrez,

te coector wit te brown topi an te re ace. But Sarup is a

rieny boy an e wi ave Anrez boys as riens an e wi

earn te sake-an instea o our no-poutin pams-toeter

Sat Sri Aka.

A itte our on te ba now. Just a ustin. Enou to swir

te ba between er tumbs an te irst two iners o er ans.

Roun an roun, aster an aster, atter an atter, arer an

arer, tinner an tinner.

he wou ook tinner ater tree years. Se trie to imaine

im. Tey wou expect im to tie is bear, is on ark bear,

up uner is cin. Se wou be sure e a enou turbans toast two monts on te boat an tree years in Inaan. Some

sik ones o, te britest coours so te Anrez wou

know e came rom a bo Sik can. But e wou be tinner,

wit no woman to cook capattis. Sarar Baev Sin a been

to lonon, an e a to er e a eaten ony boie oo

wit not a sine cii a te time. Peraps e sai it as an excuse

or is appetite on is return, but se notice even quite i-up Anrez were tin. It must be teir oo. Sarup wou never

become use to tat.

Se roe te capatti wit a roin pin, picke it up an

ety sappe it rom one pam to te oter. Ten woos

onto te tava over te coa ire. Se steaie te tava wit one

an, an, wit a sma ra in te oter an, rotate te ca-

patti ti it was amost cooke.But peraps tere were oter customs e wou et use to.

he a areay, se knew, bout an Enis book to rea, now

it was aree e wou be stuyin in Viayat. Se a seen it


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Rawalpindi 1919 13

an it a an Eniswoman an a man in a back Enis suit on

te outsie. Tey were kissin, but Sarup to er it was a cassic,

ike te story o Roop-Basant. he sai a te Enis stories ike

Roop-Basant are written own, an in Imperia Coee, tere

were even peope wose ony stuy was to earn tose stories.

Tis one was cae Thelma, e sai. It was written by a woman

cae Marri Corrii. Now ow cou tis be, tat a woman wou

write suc a at book. But maybe se was a poor woman wo

cou not aor to et a munsi to write own er touts.

Se took te capatti o te tava. Quick, snatc te tava o te

ire an repace it wit te capatti. Se watce as te capatti

rose into a ot-air-ie ou baoon. Just at its peak se ite

it rom te ire an set it on te roun on a stee tai to coo.

It was te tai tat brout it to min. Anrez ont use stee

tais. Tey use wite pates. Tey ont use te capatti, break-

in o a sma piece to scoop up teir oo. Tey use sarp orksan on knives strait ones, not curve ike our kirpans

to keep temseves istant rom teir oo. he wi ave to earn

tat.

An as se rose rom er aunces to pick up te tai an

covere er ea wit er cunni in preparation or enterin er

usbans presence, se ecie to tak wit im about it. Se

move to te oorway an steppe over te wooen treso.Ay, Ji, she said. She would not bring him misfortune by using

his name.

Couary Amir Sin ooke up rom te ivan an cus-

ions on te oor.

You wi nee to buy cairs or tis ouse wen e returns,

se sai. An we wi nee pates.


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15

Montreal 1962

In te ark at nit you came cose an your voice was a wisper

tou tere is no one ere to wake. Tey sai I cou ave te

job i I take o my turban an cut my air sort. You i not

ave to say it. I saw it in your ace as you took o your new coatan aoses. I ear teir voices in my ea as I ooke at te

sma wite enveopes I ave et in te rawer, eac u o one

more ays precious oars te ast o your savins an my

owry. Mentay, I converte oars to rupees an tout ow

many peope in Inia eac enveope cou ee or a mont.

Tis was not ow tey escribe emiratin to Canaa. I sti

remember tem sayin to you, Youre a we-quaiie man. Wenee proessiona peope. An tey take about reeom an

opportunity or tose ucky enou to areay speak Enis.

No one sai ten, You must be reborn wite-skinne an

cean-saven to sow it to survive. Just a ew monts ao,

tey cae us exotic new Canaians, new boo to bui a new

country.

Toay I took one o my wein saris to te neibouroory-ceaner an a woman wit no eyebrows e it ike a isra

as se aske me, Is it a be seet?


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16 Shauna Singh Baldwin

No, I sai.

Curtains?

No.

I took te sik back to our basement apartment, tie my air

in a tit bun, wase te eavy os in te meta battub, an

un it, o treas intin, on a rip-ry aner.

Wen I a inise, I sprea a be seet on te oor o te

batroom, ie my arms wit te turbans you worn ast week

an knet tere surroune by te empty sot oows o scar-

et, navy, eart brown, copper, saron, mauve an brit parrot

reen. As I waite or te battub to i wit warm soapy water, I

unravee eac turban, eac precise spira you a woun roun

your ea, an soon te room was u o sot streams o musin

tat a protecte your on back air.

I pace eac turban in turn on te bubby surace an watce

tem row ark an eavy, sinkin sowy, soty into te warmt.Wen tere were no more e t besie me, I eane cose an

reace in, workin eac one in a rytm bone-eep, as my moter

an ers must ave one beore me, tat teir men mit ace te

wor prou. I raine te tub an new coours swee eep

re, ark back mu, rust, orane, sot purpe an jae reen.

I ie te ename sink wit cean water an starc an ite

tem as someay I wi it ciren. Wen te miky bow ae tem, my ans massae tem ree o aien re-bue water. I

pace tem careuy in a basin an took tem out into our rey

two rooms to ry.

I pace a cair by te winow an cimbe on it to tie te

our corners o eac turban ent to te eavy curtain ro. Eac

one in turn, I rew out tree yars ti it was oe competey in

two. I raspe it irmy at its sies an swun my ans inwar.Te turban urrowe beore me. I arce my ans outwar an

it became a canopy. Aain inwar, aain outwar, ans cose,

ans apart, as tou I was back in dei on a at roo uner

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Books_Shauna Singh Baldwin_English Lessons and Other Stories