“I am.” His smile widens and my mouth falls open.
He sprints off before I get the chance to react.
A little dazed, I step into the hallway. Norbu’s coming. That’s a pleasant surprise.
Dendup’s sawing snore resounds from the formal room as I pass. Good. That will give me the chance to ask Sonam.
I hasten to the kitchen but halt at the threshold. It’s in this kitchen I took off my red robes and changed into lay clothes. It’s been only a year, but it feels like a lifetime ago. I didn’t want to change, for my robes made me a nun, but Sonam persisted. “Safe and convenient to travel,” he said. At the time I told myself it was only a temporary change. Was I that naïve, or was I just too ashamed to admit it to myself, thinking a nun was all I wanted to be?
“Hey.” A tired smirk draws on Son
