A few days after the meeting on the esplanade, I took my courage into my hands and went to see Father at his office.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Father?"

"Yes, Piscine."

"I would like to be baptized and I would like a prayer rug."

My words intruded slowly. He looked up from his papers after some seconds.

"A what? What?"

"I would like to pray outside without getting my pants dirty. And I'm attending a Christian school without having received the proper baptism of Christ."

"Why do you want to pray outside? In fact, why do you want to pray at all?"

"Because I love God."

"Aha." He seemed taken aback by my answer, nearly embarrassed by it. There was a pause. I thought he was going to offer me ice cream again. "Well, Petit Seminaire is Christian only in name. There are many Hindu boys there who aren't Christians. You'll get just as good an education without being baptized. Praying to Allah won't make any difference, either."

"But I want to pray to Allah. I want to be a Christian."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"You can't be both. You must be either one or the other."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Why can't I be both?"

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"They're separate religions! They have nothing in common."

"That's not what they say! They both claim Abraham as theirs. Muslims say the God of the Hebrews and Christians is the same as the God of the Muslims. They recognize David, Moses and Jesus as prophets."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"What does this have to do with us, Piscine? We're Indians!"

"There have been Christians and Muslims in India for centuries! Some people say Jesus is buried in Kashmir."

He said nothing, only looked at me, his brow furrowed. Suddenly business called.

"Talk to Mother about it."

She was reading.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Mother?"

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Yes, darling."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"I would like to be baptized and I would like a prayer rug."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Talk to Father about it."

"I did. He told me to talk to you about it."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Did he?" She laid her book down. She looked out in the direction of the zoo. At that moment I'm sure Father felt a blow of chill air against the back of his neck. She turned to the bookshelf. "I have a book here that you'll like." She already had her arm out, reaching for a volume. It was Robert Louis Stevenson. This was her usual tactic.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"I've already read that, Mother. Three times."

"Oh." Her arm hovered to the left.

"The same with Conan Doyle," I said.

Her arm swung to the right. "R. K. Narayan? You can't possibly have read all of Narayan?"

"These matters are important to me, Mother."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Robinson Crusoe!"

"Mother!"

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"But Piscine!" she said. She settled back into her chair, a path-of-least-resistance look on her face, which meant I had to put up a stiff fight in precisely the right spots. She adjusted a cushion. "Father and I find your religious zeal a bit of a mystery."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"It is a Mystery."

"Hmmm. I don't mean it that way. Listen, my darling, if you're going to be religious, you must be either a Hindu, a Christian or a Muslim. You heard what they said on the esplanade."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"I don't see why I can't be all three. Mamaji has two passports. He's Indian and French. Why can't I be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim?"

"That's different. France and India are nations on earth."

"How many nations are there in the sky?"

She thought for a second. "One. That's the point. One nation, one passport."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"One nation in the sky?"

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Yes. Or none. There's that option too, you know. These are terribly old-fashioned things you've taken to."

"If there's only one nation in the sky, shouldn't all passports be valid for it?"

上海龙凤shlf最新地址A cloud of uncertainty came over her face.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址"Bapu Gandhi said-"

"Yes, I know what Bapu Gandhi said."

上海龙凤shlf最新地址She brought a hand to her forehead. She had a weary look, Mother did. "Good grief," she said.