The Private Life of Mrs Sharma (18 page)

What will my husband and son do when the police take me away? My husband doesn't know how to press his clothes properly. Who will cook? I know that Bobby can cook and I know how much he likes cooking, but he can only make all that fancy chef type of food. He can't make food for his family like a woman. And who will give Bobby his thyroid medicine?
Even my mother-in-law is not here, and anyway she is old. My husband will have to do everything then. He will not be able to go back to Dubai until I come back. He will not be able to go anywhere at all, actually. Rosie's husband will have to find him a new job. But that is after some time, after I come back. Just now my husband has to hold up the ceiling.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For her extraordinary constancy and unfailing support, I'd like to thank my agent, Bridget Wagner Matzie. For all the insight and energy they poured into this work, I want to thank Faiza S. Khan and all citizens of the Bloomsbury world. And finally, but foremostly, I'd like to thank Amitabha Bagchi: as ever, my wingman; as ever, near at hand.

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

Ratika Kapur's first novel,
Overwinter
, was longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize.
Elle
magazine's Indian edition included her in a
Granta
-inspired list of twenty writers under forty to look out for from South Asia. She lives in New Delhi with her husband and son.

First published in Great Britain 2015

This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

© Ratika Kapur, 2015

Ratika Kapur has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace copyright holders of material reproduced in this book, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers would be glad to hear from them.

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ISBN 978 1 4088 7364 9

eISBN 978 1 4088 7366 3

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