Переводчик Бородина Наталья Витальевна

The next night Shoba came home earlier than usual.
There was lamb left over from the evening before, and
Shukumar heated it up so that they were able to eat by
seven. He'd gone out that day, through the melting
snow, and bought a packet of taper candles from the
corner store, and batteries to fit the flashlight. He had the
candles ready on the countertop, standing in brass
holders shaped like lotuses, but they ate under the glow of the copper-shaded ceiling lamp that hung over the
table.
When they had finished eating, Shukumar was
surprised to see that Shoba was stacking her plate on top
of his, and then carrying them over to the sink. He had
assumed she would retreat to the living room, behind
her barricade of files.
"Don't worry about the dishes," he said, taking them
from her hands.
"It seems silly not to," she replied, pouring a drop of
detergent onto a sponge. "It's nearly eight o'clock."
His heart quickened. All day Shukumar had looked
forward to the lights going out. He thought about what
Shoba had said the night before, about looking in his
address book. It felt good to remember her as she was
then, how bold yet nervous she'd been when they first
met, how hopeful. They stood side by side at the sink,
their reflections fitting together in the frame of the
window. It made him shy, the way he felt the first time
they stood together in a mirror. He couldn't recall the
last time they'd been photographed. They had stopped
attending parties, went now here together. Thefilm in his
camera still contained pictures of Shoba, in the yard,
when she was pregnant.

After finishing the dishes, they leaned against the
counter, drying their hands on either end of a towel. At
eight o'clock the house went black. Shukumar lit the
wicks of the candles, impressed by their long, steady
flames.
"Let's sit outside," Shoba said. "I think it's warm
still."
They each took a candle and sat down on the steps. It
seemed strange to be sitting outside with patches of snow still on the ground. But everyone was out of their
houses tonight, the air fresh enough to make people
restless. Screen doors opened and dosed. A small parade
of neighbors passed by with flashlights.