Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Rod Man
The silent treatment never works for men, they just embrace it.
The next day I was standing in an empty Taj Mahal. It was a Monday night with only the Roadworks Man parked at his usual table, along with Tenzam.
Tenzam was telling a story about his sister’s wedding in Bangladesh, which neither the Roadworks Man or I was listening to, when Lumpy walked in with a weak smile.
I handed Lumpy a Coke and for the first time since the split, Lumpy didn’t mention Mavis. Instead, he took a seat beside the Roadworks Man and glumly stared at a menu.
Tenzam pulled out his mobile and began to flick through pictures of a Bangladesh wedding feast. Biryanis, roasted goat’s meat, and, according to Tenzam, the “largest, tastiest prawns” in the world.
Lumpy, still starin
