Family Matters

It’s been three weeks since Nariman first came to Roxana’s family’s apartment. Nariman’s doctor, Dr. Tarapore, comes to the apartment to see if Nariman has recovered. After Dr. Tarapore’s visit, Coomy and Jal come to the apartment to see how Nariman is doing. When they arrive, Roxana explains that Dr. Tarapore said that Nariman hasn’t yet recovered and will need to go to the hospital for an X-ray in eight days.  Nariman says he wants to go home, but Coomy says that will require more risk and expense than if he stayed at the Chenoys’ apartment for the time being. Yezad speaks up and says that they would like to have him here. Roxana looks at Yezad lovingly because of his generosity.

Jal and Coomy then return home. Jal says that they’ve acted shamelessly by turning Nariman out of his own house. Coomy says they haven’t done anything wrong. She adds that she’s been thinking more about how Nariman mistreated their mother, Yasmin, through his affair with Lucy. Jal says they don’t know exactly what happened, and either way, it seems like enough time has passed—30 years—for them to forgive Nariman. Jal also wonders if Coomy is bringing up the past to give herself an excuse to distance herself from Nariman, when really, she just doesn’t like having to care for him.

Coomy then adds that Nariman may recover from the ankle injury, but he’ll never recover from Parkinson’s. It’s just a matter of time before he’ll be bedridden again. She then comes up with a plan to keep Nariman out of the house for longer. As part of that plan, a week or so later, Jal goes to the apartment of a neighbor, Edul. Edul is a self-styled handyman, though his skills are questionable. Jal asks Edul to borrow a hammer. Jal can’t believe what he’s about to do. He then returns to his apartment, where he begins to hammer holes in the ceiling of each of the rooms. Coomy drips water in the holes to make it look like there’s been a leak that’s left significant water damage.

The next day, Nariman has his X-ray at the hospital. Dr. Tarapore says that Nariman’s ankle has healed nicely, and Nariman gets his cast removed. Just after that, Coomy and Jal arrive at the hospital. They say that the water tank on the terrace at their apartment burst, and the ceiling collapsed. Roxana says it seems that Nariman will have to return home with her. Later that night, when Yezad returns from work and Roxana explains what happened, Yezad thinks the circumstances of the collapsed ceiling seem suspiciously convenient for Jal and Coomy.

That night, Nariman takes his first step on crutches, and Roxana says it’s a reason for celebration. Nariman encourages Roxana to bring out the good china to celebrate. Roxana initially resists but eventually brings out the dishware. Over the coming days, though, Nariman begins experiencing twinges of pain when he walks and then lets out a scream when he tries to get up one night. He returns to the hospital, where Dr. Tarapore says Nariman has reaggravated the fracture. Once more, Nariman is confined to bed rest. Meanwhile, there seems to be an issue with Nariman’s finances. The money that Coomy sends from his pension doesn’t even cover his medication. Nariman says that Yezad and Roxana should take money directly from his (Nariman’s) savings. Yezad resolves to go talk to Coomy about what is happening