She wondered, in spite of his composed, brooding expression, if he were the type to throw a tantrum. She
imagined his kicking her with his leather shoes, screaming for coffee, screaming and crying until his mother
and Laxmi came back to fetch him. She went to the kitchen and prepared a cup for him as he'd requested.
She selected a mug she didn't care for, in case he dropped it.
"Thank you," he said when she put it on the table. He took short sips, holding the mug securely with both
hands.
Miranda sat with him while he drew, but when she attempted to put a coat of clear polish on her nails he
protested. Instead he pulled out a paperback world almanac from his knapsack and asked her to quiz him.
The countries were arranged by continent, six to a page, with the capitals in boldface, followed by a short
entry on the population, government, and other statistics. Miranda turned to a page in the Africa section
and went down the list.
"Mali," she asked him. "
Bamako," he replied instantly.
"Malawi."
"Lilongwe."
She remembered looking at Africa in the Mapparium. She remembered the fat part of it was green.
"Go on," Rohin said.
"Mauritania."
"Nouakchott."
"Mauritius."
He paused, squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, defeated. "I can't remember."
"Port Louis," she told him.
"Port Louis." He began to say it again and again, like a chant under his breath.
When they reached the last of the countries in Africa, Rohin said he wanted to watch cartoons, telling
Miranda to watch them with him. When the cartoons ended, he followed her to the kitchen, and stood by
her side as she made more coffee. He didn't follow her when she went to the bathroom a few minutes later,
but when she opened the door she was startled to find him standing outside