An Arranged Affair

chapter 8 - first encounters

Making pakoras is not a particularly hard thing to do.

The trick is to balance the spices and deep fry them over medium heat until they were perfectly cooked on the inside and golden and crisp on the outside.

If the oil was too cold they would be soggy, too hot and they would be raw on the inside. They looked a bit ugly, like deformed doughnuts, but they tasted wonderful.

If it hadn't been for Martha would have never have pulled it off, she asked me what I needed and like a tornado plucked everything out the pantry and handed them to me.

As quickly as I could I sliced up some onions, grated some potatoes and carrots and tossed them into a bowl. I added some baby spinach leaves, chopped coriander, minced garlic and a good measure of chillie flakes, spices and salt, then measured out some pea flower and mixed it up with a little water to make a thick batter.

Martha had set up a deep fry pan for me and as I waited or the oil to heat up I blended some mint leaves with yogurt to make a quick chutney. I could smell that the oil was hot and I tested it by dropping a little of the mixture into it, it sunk to the bottom of the pan, sizzled and rose straight back up . The oil was hot enough and I quickly added the batter in even amounts into the oil and started to make some tea.

Within a half an hour the pakoras and tea were ready, I assembled everything onto tray along with the chutney that i had just made as well as some tamarind chutney that Mumma had sent and walked slowly to the patio.

' Well isn't this lovely!" Mr Malhotra exclaimed when he saw me arrive, tray in hand." See Leena, we should have gotten Phillip married a long time ago. If we got this treatment every time we came to visit, I wouldn't have such a problem coming to this country.'

' It took her long enough,' she huffed.

I smiled warmly to both of them, putting on the same face that I used on the clients at my parents hotel, as I set the tray down, sugaring the tea to their liking and setting their cups in front of them, and watched in silence as they ate their pakora's and drank the tea, thankful that they didn't actually try and start a conversation because I wouldn't have had a clue what to say.

But the silence that passed was deafening, and I felt extremely self conscious under Mrs Malhotra's scrutinizing gaze.

*****
Phillips pov

To say I wasn't suspicious when I walked in to see Victoria sitting in front of my parents, watching as they sipped tea was an understatement.

I had spent the whole morning feeling terrible about my behaviour. Lord and master? This wasn't the 16th centaury felt like an arrogant prick .Even worse, I broke her phone when she hadn't done anything ...yet.

I hadn't gotten much done at the office, my mind kept wandering back at her, the way her hair shone in the sunlight, the way she moved so gracefully, she was shy yet defiant, and very beautiful and I was pleased mother had chosen such a beautiful woman for me. I smiled remembered her shyness when she saw me straight out of the shower, and then kicked myself for the way I had treated her after destroying her phone.

But the thing that got me the most was they way she looked at me when she heard my approach, she gave me a weak smile but all I could see was the fear in her eyes.

Fear that I had put into her, no one else, and I cursed myself, if I had any chance with this girl I probably had already blown it.

I was using my past to punish this girl, her background check had told me a lot about her, but I still knew nothing about her.

My father was obviously enjoying himself as he greedily bit into something he plucked from the serving tray, my mother on the hand was observing Victoria like a cat at a small mouse , and Victoria looked extremely agitated and nervous.