Chapter Four
Krish Bashir took the pathway towards his parents' home. It was Sunday, and they always had a roast.
Walking in, Krish closed the door behind him, calling for his parents as he made his way to the living room. The house was full of noise; his brothers and sisters were all home.
Krish had three younger brothers and two younger sisters, and even though he loved them all, he was more than happy that he didn't live at home anymore. He was studying his master's degree and lived with two other students who he'd met at university.
Walking into the living room, Krish saw all his siblings and parents sat together. The room was crowded, which it always was when the whole family was together.
The fire was on low, and Krish watched the flames dance for a few seconds. He quickly glanced around the familiar room, feeling the tension leave. There was no place like home. Pictures of the family were placed all around the room, on the mantelpiece and walls. Three walls were pale cream, and the wall with the fireplace was a light brown shade. Next to the fireplace stood shelves full of CDs and DVDs with the TV placed in the corner. Two large sofas and two chairs made up the rest of the room, and considering eight of them had lived here at one time, the furniture was needed.
His mother, Annie, stood and walked over to him, pulling him close and hugging him tightly. "We've missed you, Krish."
Krish hugged her back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. There was nothing better than coming home and seeing his mum.
His brothers and sisters either grunted or said hello, which was a typical response. His dad, Deepak, remained sitting in his chair, but he did look up and smile at him.
"How's the course going, son?"
"Yeah, it's going all right. I'm enjoying doing the TA stuff." Krish smiled.
Annie looked him up and down before asking, "So, is there anybody special in your life?"
Krish groaned, shaking his head. "No, Mum, there isn't."
"You need to find yourself a nice young man, Krish. I worry about you being all on your own."
Krish knew how lucky he was that his parents had accepted his sexuality. His dad had been a little upset but had eventually come around. As his mum had told him, he had five other sons and daughters who would provide plenty of grandchildren, and what was more important was Krish's happiness.
"Mum, I'm only twenty-six. I've years to find someone. Don't worry about me. I'm happy."
"It's a mother's job to worry about her sons and daughters, and it doesn't matter how old you are, I'll always worry about you. Now, we're having a beef roast today. How does that sound?"
"Great! You make the best roast, Mum."
Deepak stood from the chair and walked over to him, patting Krish on the back. "Come on, son, you can help me carve the meat."
"That's not fair, Dad. You'll get all the best bits," Elijah shouted from the floor.
"Just because he's the oldest doesn't mean he should get the best bits," Aaliyah said, agreeing with Elijah.
The others all joined in, and for a few seconds, chaos reigned. Eventually, Krish's dad lifted his hands, clapping them together. "That's it. That's enough, you lot. We don't get to see your brother that often, so be nice." He pointed a finger at them all before turning back to Krish. "Come on, let's go in the kitchen where it's quieter."
Krish walked in behind his dad and inhaled, savouring the scent of the roast beef. His mum was already in there, pulling the roast potatoes out of the oven and placing them on the side, where the veggies were already in their glass dishes, ready to go to the table.
"Haani! Kaia!" his mother shouted. "Get in here and take the veg and put it on the table."
Krish was pushed to one side as Haani and Kaia entered the kitchen, both pulling faces. "Aw, Mum. Krish is in here. Why can't you get him to do it?"
Annie turned, putting her hands on hips, fixing Haani with a stern stare. "Because I asked you, that's why. Your brother's only here for today, and then he's back at university tomorrow. Let him have a nice, relaxing day."
"He chose to do master's degree," Kaia pouted, sticking her bottom lip out and crossing her arms over the chest.
"Alright, you two. I'll take the roast potatoes out," Krish told them, picking up the Pyrex dishes that they were in and heading towards the door.
"No, you won't!" Sayyid shouted, standing by the kitchen door. "You'll take the best ones."
"Oh, for the love of..." Deepak muttered, leaning on the counter. "Just do as your mother asked and take all the veg out and put it on the table. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes."
As Krish walked past Sayyid, he stuck his tongue out, jumping to the side to avoid Sayyid's punch. Laughing, he walked into the dining room and put the roast potatoes down in the middle of the table. He found the table already set. Saliva flooded his mouth. He couldn't wait to eat. He was starving.
Eventually, all the food was on the table, and everyone sat around tucking in.
It was loud and chaotic as everyone tried to talk over everyone else, and there was lots of laughter. Krish loved his family; there was no doubt about that.
He knew his parents had faced difficulties when they'd originally begun their relationship. With his father being Muslim and his mother being white British, his father's family were against the relationship. Even when his mother converted, they had still faced difficulties from his dad's family. Eventually, his dad had cut off all ties to his family, but they were lucky his mum's family took him in.
Even though they were Muslim and observed the important days, they were generally non-practising, and Krish often wondered how much of that was to do with how his dad's family had reacted to his relationship with his mum. But, here they were thirty years later, and his parents still had a strong love between them. They still went on dates, and they still held hands when they walked together.
When he was younger, it used to embarrass Krish, but now he only hoped that in the future, he would have a relationship that was as strong and long-lasting as his parents. They had endured so much to be together, and it hadn't broken them, it had made them stronger.
When they'd all finished eating and it was time to clear up, the usual argument started as to who was doing the washing up. Being the eldest, Krish usually got away from it, and the job would fall to one of his younger brother or sisters. There was none of this, 'girls did the jobs' because they were females, they all had to muck in and do their fair share.
Luckily for Krish, it fell to Kaia and Elijah, who both grumbled as they walked into the kitchen. He didn't envy them. When his mum did a proper Sunday roast, lots of dishes got used.
Walking back into the living room, Krish sat on the sofa next to his dad. Deepak had the paper open and was busy reading the news. The rest of his family were either sat on chairs or lounging on the floor. They were used to being on top of each other.
They'd all grown up in the same semi-detached house, which had four bedrooms. His parents had one, his sisters the other, and he and his three brothers had the last two bedrooms between them. Now that he had technically moved out, Haani had one room to himself, which hadn't gone down well with his other two brothers, Sayyid and Elijah, who shared the other one.
They spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and catching up on what everyone had been doing. As the sky darkened, Krish looked at the time and realised it was getting late. He still had some work to mark and knew he would have to get going.
Sighing, Krish stood and stretched, standing on tip-toes, raising his arms high above his head, trying to work the kinks out of his back. He spent so much of his day bent over a desk that his back ached, and then he'd come here today and had just slouched on the sofa.
"Are you going now?" Annie asked.
Krish nodded. "Yeah, Mum. I've still got assignments to mark, and I want to get them done tonight. And then I've got to get started on my own assignments."
"You will call me when you get home, won't you? You know I worry," Annie reminded him.
Bending down, Krish kissed her on the cheek, hugging her. "'Course I will. I always do, don't I?"
"I know you do. I just miss you when you not here."
Leaning back, Krish looked at his mum. Short blonde hair and pale skin with navy blue eyes, she was the opposite of his dad look-wise. His dad had dark hair, eyes and skin. They all took after their dad with their eye and hair colouring, but they all had a lighter skin tone thanks to their mixed heritage.
"I promise I'll call, and I miss you too."
Krish gave his dad a quick hug and then waved and said goodbye to everyone else as he walked from the living room.
Closing the front door behind him, Krish put his hands in his coat pockets and walked down the path towards his car, a red Citroen C3 that was parked by the kerb.
Once in the car, Krish started the engine, turning on the heater. Winter was approaching, and there was a chill in the air. Not looking forward to the mountain of work ahead of him, Krish sighed and drove home.
❊❊❊
Krish walked into the house he shared with Danny and Simon, and entered the living room, finding both of them sat on the sofa with their girlfriends watching TV. He took his coat off and threw it on the floor next to the chair and, sitting down, he put his legs on the chair arm.
"How's the family?" Danny asked. Tall with bright red hair and sparkling green eyes, Danny was your typical Irish man. His home was Dublin, but he'd come to Manchester to do his degree and to experience the nightlife. He'd been with Katie for two years, and the relationship was going well. Danny had even talked about proposing, and Krish was happy for him. Katie was perfect for him.
At the moment, Katie's hair was a deep purple, and she'd recently had an eyebrow pierced. She glanced over in Krish's direction and smiled. "Bet you had a nice Sunday roast, didn't you?"
Krish smiled back at her, patting his stomach. "Roast beef. Mum makes the best Sunday roast."
"Damn, I think I'm jealous," Simon muttered. "I'd love to have a Sunday roast that I didn't have to make." As he spoke, he turned to Jess, his girlfriend, and raised his eyebrows at her.
"That's because you make the best Sunday roasts, babe. You know I would only burn things." She fluttered her eyelashes at him, causing Simon to laugh.
"Yeah, I know what your cooking is like."
Jess slapped him. "Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"Yes, you are. You gave me food poisoning the first time you cooked for me! But I'm still here, baby."
Krish laughed, raising an eyebrow at them. "Food poisoning? You never told us about that, Simon."
"Really? Who wants to tell his mates about his girlfriend trying to poison him?"
"I didn't try to poison you! I didn't cook the chicken all the way through. It was an honest mistake. Anyone could have made it," Jess pleaded.
"Even I know that chicken shouldn't still be pink when you serve it, Jess," Krish said, laughing at them.
"Oh, shut the fuck up." Jess pouted, sticking a bottom lip out and pulling a sad face at Simon.
"You know I love you, just not your cooking," Simon said, bending down to kiss her.
Krish sighed. What he wouldn't give to be able to find a man and have a relationship like Danny and Simon had. He could admit that he was envious even if he was happy that they were happy.
Standing up, he grabbed his coat, and as he walked out of the living room, he told them, "Got some assignments to finish marking, so I'll head up and get them done. I'll probably see you guys in the morning. I don't need to remind you to keep the noise down, do I?" He waggled his eyebrows at them causing them to laugh and Katie to blush.
Danny threw a cushion at him. "Fuck off."
Krish laughed and walked up the stairs and into his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk and groaned. He really should have come home from his parents' earlier.
Dropping his coat on his bed, Krish sat at the desk, staring at the stack of work on it. Dropping his head in his hands, he rubbed his face and then sat up. This work wasn't going to do itself.
Grabbing the first assignment, he started to work.