The Fire Bird
---- Ananya Das
It had been a mistake to buy the house. It was the house that was at the root of all the trouble.
That is what Satyaki thinks now but at that time the way Mrs. Patel had put it he had felt as
though he was getting an offer of a lifetime. Gujaratis he thought are true business people. They
know how to go about setting up a business deal. The Pennsylvania branch of the company
where Mr. Patel worked was closing down and they were sending him to San Diego. Call it fate
or kismet, Mrs. Patel happened to work in the shop where Satyaki got his hair cut. She pounced
on him as soon as she realized he was an Indian.
“We have no choice but to leave. So we are being compelled to sell a beautiful house for a
throwaway price. I can promise you that you will never get a house like that around here. It’s a
pity that the market is down at the moment. It really is a good deal.”
That had tickled Satyaki’s interest. He had a decent job that would enable him to pay the
monthly mortgage with relative ease. Thinking thus he had visited the Patels’ place to take a
look. It truly was a beautiful house, very airy and spacious. Even the basement had a kitchen and
bathroom so that it could be used as a separate unit. Mrs. Patel had indeed decorated it tastefully.
Satyaki could see why it was so difficult for her to leave. She had put in a lot of time and effort
into the decorations.
“Doesn’t your son want to live here?”
“No, he is settled in Boston. He says the peace and quiet of this place is enough to drive him
nuts!”
Even the price seemed quite reasonable. He verified it with real estate agents and found out that
it really was a good deal. With his mind almost made up he applied to the bank for a loan. His
parents were looking for a suitable girl for him back in Kolkata. A big house would come in
handy when he got married Satyaki had thought and made an offer for the house. Acting on an
impulse had long been a bad habit of his.
It would have been good if the bank had refused his loan but after one look at his salary and
credit history they had approved his loan right away.
Satyaki had moved into his new home. The ground floor had a kitchen, a drawing cum dining
room, a half bath and a small den/office space. The first floor had three bedrooms plus two full
bathrooms and the basement had two rather large rooms with a kitchen and a bathroom. It was
quite a task keeping the place clean but Satyaki was a neat freak and disliked untidiness
immensely. It was a weird feeling living in that huge house all by himself. His parents were still
searching for the perfect girl for him. No girl was apparently fit for their highly successful son
who by the way was aging steadily! Finally Satyaki decided to give the basement up for rent.
He advertised at several places, on the internet and at the Indian grocery stores. A couple of
people came to look but that was it. No one was willing to rent it. Satyaki was almost ready to
give up a couple of months later when one day the doorbell rang. He opene d the door and found
a beautiful girl standing at his door step.
She seemed like an American. Satyaki took one look at her fiery red hair, peaches and cream
complexion, huge green eyes, the peacock blue dress she was wearing and felt lost!
“Hello! Are you renting out an apartment?”
Satyaki took another look at her from head to toe and stuttered, “Yes, it is the basement unit. It is
separate from the two top floors and…”