Rishi's summer Holidays with Diya Didi in Himalayas

[ashuezy2]

Scene 17

I sat on my bed for another minute. My heart was thumping. Thump, thump, thump. It was our secret.
Then, I heard a loud groan from the main room. The sofa springs creaked.
My mother was awake.

My whole body went cold. I felt a rush of fear.
"Rishi?" she called out. Her voice was sleepy and a little grumpy. "Rishi? Where are you? What time is it?"
I could not speak. I just froze.
"Rishi!" she called again, louder this time.
"Yes, Momma," I said. My voice was strange and high. "I am in my room."
"What are you doing in there?" she asked. "I was asleep for so long. Why didn't you wake me?"
Before I could answer, Diya Didi's door opened.

"Oh, Masi-ji! You are awake!" Diya's voice was loud and happy. It was so normal. It shocked me. "Wow, you had a long nap! You must feel so rested."
"Ah, Diya," my mother said. She sounded relieved. "Yes. This mountain air. Where is Rishi? What was he doing?"
"Oh, Rishi beta was sleeping, too!" Diya said. Her voice was so bright and clear. "Poor boy. He was so tired from the long trip. He was sleeping on his bed."

I just stared at the door. She was lying for me.
"I am making some hot tea for us," Diya Didi said. "Masi-ji, you will have tea, yes?"
"Yes, beta, lovely," my mom said.

I heard Diya walk past my room. She went to the kitchen. I heard the pots and pans.
A minute later, she came back. She stopped right at my open door. She knocked very softly on the wood.
"Rishi beta?" she called. Her voice was so sweet and gentle.

I looked up. She was standing in the doorway, smiling. She looked like my normal, happy cousin. Her sari was perfect. Her hair was neat. No one could ever guess.
But her eyes... her eyes were full of our secret. They were sparkling.
"Rishi beta, are you awake now?" she whispered. She was using that voice, but my mom could not hear. "Oh, poor boy. You were so sleepy. You had a big, big nap."

I just nodded. I could not speak.
"Come, beta," she said, her voice a little louder and very cheerful. "Come and have tea with Momma and me. You must be hungry."
She leaned in just a little. "You look so... relaxed, beta," she whispered, just for me. "All that sleep did you good."
She gave me a very, very slow wink.
"Come on," she said, turning away. "Be a good boy now."