From the Chinese restaurant where he sat with his wife he had a full view of the Indian restaurant. Its doors looked like they were built for an emperor. Their tall shutters were made of wood and glass, and the glass panes were single pieces from floor to ceiling. He wondered where they make glass so long. They had an outdoor service there under its portico. The pink columns of the portico had girth and height for Alexander. What size of ego should one own to feel so tall? In the hall behind the doors hung giant portraits of maharajas. High over the portico, large white bowls held plants that thrust half their thin long branches into balconies of guest-rooms, and half to the skies. A cool breeze nuzzled up now and then, but a sticky film of sweat held firm under his collar. The wine tasted good: not knowing wines, he had safely picked the expensive; the dim-sum skins were soft and their stuffing was spicy and crunchy. They’re well made, he thought absently, and ate without enjoyment. The fibers went between his teeth and his tongue couldn’t coax them out. He looked up. Where aloft are the suites of the billionaires? Do they hold out a different menu for them? What wines on their lists? What cuisine? At what price? His wife went to the rest-rooms and just then in the far corner of the Indian restaurant he saw her whom the papers call the richest Indian lady. She looked old and bright and rather made-up. Two young women going up the aisle saw her, went over, and stood talking to her for a long time. One of them had a wide-open chest and it bothered no one. He watched her from his distance until they turned and went, and then, dully, he gazed at their backs and thought their dress dowdy. The rich lady looked about and her eyes twinkled as she took everyone in. His wife came and they left. The doorman was happy with a twenty-rupee tip. He knew him from past visits, that he had no English and no Kannada; he had a big, doorman’s mustache. Out through the gate and after the first bend, in the thin traffic of ten at night, among people he felt he was level with, he relaxed and cheered up.
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