One Amazing Thing

It is finally Lily’s turn to tell her story. As a child, she says, she was a “pleaser.” She lived in the shadow of her brother Mark, who had an aptitude for science and wanted to be a cancer researcher. Because her parents didn’t seem to notice her when she was behaving like a good girl, Lily began dressing in black, disobeying her parents, ignoring her chores, and hanging around with bad influences. Although her parents were upset and grounded her, Lily didn’t want to go back to the boredom of being a good girl.

When Mark gave Lily his old flute, Lily started going to the park to practice using his old sheet music. She spent hours practicing and became very good, playing selections from Bach, Handel, and Mozart. Lily played for Mark, who told her she had a gift. She played for her parents, who were stunned. She began to give concerts, and her parents and audience members heaped praise on her. She put away her dark clothes.

However, one day before a major music competition, Lily woke up feeling a strange heaviness and didn’t want to practice her flute. She called Mark, who was just waking up although it was past noon. She became very worried about him. During the concert, Lily froze and could not finish her piece. She told her parents she was not going to do any more concerts and that she thought Mark was in trouble. Her parents were disappointed in her and in Mark, who they found out had been failing classes, drinking, and hanging around with bad influences.

Lily went to the park one more time and played until her lips hurt. She felt hands on her face and found that the hands belonged to a boy who had Down’s syndrome. She continued playing, and more kids with Down’s syndrome sat and listened to her.

Uma remembers that her father had played the guitar when he was in college and her mother had met him as an adoring fan. She recalls that her parents had even more surprises in store for her when she was in college.

The survivors eat the last of the food, including what people had previously been withholding—carrot sticks, a wheat roll, truffles. When Mr. Pritchett again heads for the bathroom, Cameron demands that he turn in his lighter and cigarettes and Mr. Pritchett complies, angrily. Mrs. Pritchett, lost in her own thoughts, remembers that her friend Debbie’s father had agreed to let them run his bakery for six months. At that point Mrs. Pritchett had begun dating the man who would soon be her husband, and she turned down the offer. Now she worries that her husband is still planning to smoke in the bathroom, where he has been trying to push shut the door, explaining that he is constipated. Mr. Mangalam interrupts him in the bathroom, catching him trying to light a smuggled cigarette. When the two men return to the group, they are soaked. They get out of their wet clothes and try to warm up. Cameron asks Lily to play her flute. She plays a short song as the last few rays of light die away.

Mr. Mangalam begins his story. When he was a child, an astrologist predicted that he would bring fortune to his family through his face. As a result, he was spoiled amongst his siblings. He attended university but suspected this would not be enough to lift his family’s circumstances, as they were expecting. While in college, he joined a club to meet influential people and impressed them with his intelligent comments—the result of calculated research. He was also athletic and good-looking, and soon met Naina, the daughter of a government official. He confessed his love for her, but in the next breath acknowledged that he was unworthy of her. This romantic outburst had its desired effect and Naina begged her father to allow the marriage. Her father eventually agreed, insisting only that Mr. Mangalam keep his daughter happy. After their wedding, Naina changed, ordering him around, buying expensive things for herself on her own allowance and reminding him of his low circumstances. She refused to attend his sister’s wedding and refused to allow his parents to stay with them during a visit. Mr. Mangalam’s parents, understanding the insult, changed their plans to visit.

Realizing his marriage was a mistake, Mr. Mangalam confided in Latika, an accountant in his office. Eventually their friendship became an affair. Mr. Mangalam told Naina he wanted a divorce and requested a transfer to a smaller office in the countryside where he could eventually start over with Latika. Naina responded by making a phone call, and the next day Latika was arrested on a charge of embezzlement and Mr. Mangalam discovered that his transfer was denied. Latika, frightened, moved away. Mr. Mangalam, still trapped in his marriage, got revenge on his wife by flirting and having affairs with her friends in order to shame her. As a result, he was given a government post in the United States and was able to live far away from his wife.

Cameron finds he cannot focus on the story; he’s having a vision of Seva at an orphanage. Every time he comes close to her, she runs away before he can reach her.

As Mr. Mangalam talks, a light fixture begins to slowly sway overhead. Mr. Mangalam apologizes for how he treated Malathi and she accepts his apology.

Cameron has a coughing fit and uses the last dose of his inhaler.