Salman Rushdie Midnight's children Salman Rushdie Midnight's ...

s and the professionally suspicious gazes of bony female chaperones, all t
he best girls were already box stepping and Mexican Hatting with absurdly
smug partners. Naturally, the prefects had the pick of the ladies; I watch
ed them with passionate envy, Guzder and Joshi and Stevenson and Rushdie a
nd Talyarkhan and Tayabali and Jussawalla and Wagle and King; I tried butt
ing in on them during excuse mes but when they saw my bandage and my cucum
ber of a nose and the stains on my face they just laughed and turned their
backs… hatred burgeoning in my bosom, I ate potato chips and drank Bubble
Up and Vimto and told myself, 'Those jerks; if they knew who I was they'd
get out of my way pretty damn quick!' But still the fear of revealing my
true nature was stronger than my somewhat abstract desire for the whirling
European girls.
'Hey, Saleem, isn't it? Hey, man, what happened to you?' I was dragged out
of my bitter, solitary reverie (even Sonny had someone to dance with; but t
hen, he had his forcep hollows, and he didn't wear underpants there were re
asons for his attractiveness) by a voice behind my left shoulder, a low, th
roaty voice, full of promises but also of menace. A girl's voice. I turned
with a sort of jump and found myself staring at a vision with golden hair a
nd a prominent and famous chest… my God, she was fourteen years old, why wa
s she talking to me?… 'My name is Masha Miovic,' the vision said, 'I've met
your sister.'
Of course! The Monkey's heroines, the swimmers from Walsingham School,
would certainly know the Schools champion breast stroker!… 'I know…' I
stuttered, 'I know your name.'
'And I know yours,' she straightened my tie, 'so that's fair.' Over her sho
ulder, I saw Glandy Keith and Fat Perce watching us in drooling paroxysms o
f envy. I straightened my back and pushed out my shoulders. Masha Miovic as
ked again about my bandage. 'It's nothing,' I said in what I hoped was a de
ep voice, 'A sporting accident.' And then, working feverishly to hold my vo
ice steady, 'Would you like to… to dance?'
'Okay,' said Masha Miovic, 'But don't try any smooching.'
Saleem takes the floor with Masha Miovic, swearing not to smooch. Saleem an
d Masha, doing the Mexican Hat; Masha and Saleem, box stepping with the bes
t of them! I allow my face to adopt a superior expression; you see, you don
't have to be a prefect to get a girl!… The dance ended; and, still on top
of my wave of elation, I said, 'Would you care for a stroll, you know, in t
he quad?'
Masha Miovic smiling privately. 'Well, yah, just for a sec; but hands off, ok
ay?'
Hands off, Saleem swears. Saleem and Masha, taking the air… man, this is fi
ne. This is the life. Goodbye Evie, hello breast stroke… Glandy Keith Colac
o and Fat Perce Fishwala step out of the shadows of the quadrangle. They ar