Summary

Subhash takes the new material he was given to the small shop in the city that he and Udayan had gone to yearly together. The tailor measures him, sketching designs and attaching a small swath of material to the receipt.

He rides the bus to Esplanade and gets out, feeling like as much of a foreigner as the tourists he sees. He lights a cigarette and a shop owner engages him, inviting him in to have a cup of tea. Subhash is comforted by the gesture, a courtesy of hospitality that didn't exist in the United States. He purchases two woolen shawls – one for his mother and one for Gauri. Although it is only appropriate for Udayan’s widow to wear ivory, brown or gray shades now, Subhash feels compelled to purchase a turquoise one instead. At home he gives his mother...