The rumble of thunder wakes Binod out of a sound sleep. He burrows his face into his pillow, opens his eyes, and looks toward the alarm clock on his bedside table. 6:43 a.m. He turns away and stretches his arm out toward Sila, but she’s not there. He thinks she’s probably feeding the baby and getting the kids up. They have a long drive ahead of them today to Ichok. And what is this thunder? It never rains in April; well, hardly ever.
At length, he rolls over and lies back, looking at the ceiling. They’re going to see his parents today for the baby’s naming ceremony, then they’ll stay a few days before coming back for work. Arjun and Sunita won’t come back right away, though. The children don’t see their grandparents often, and there won’t be many more times they will, so he’s taken them o
