The Lu family was a big part of the thriving business community in our very small town. Everyone went to AVVA. The food was comforting, and...
The Lu family was a big part of the thriving business community in our very small town. Everyone went to AVVA. The food was comforting, and the place was always packed on cold winter days. College students would stand outside the restaurant and take out all the little change they had in their pockets to see if they had enough to share a plate of noodles.
Families came in order to get away from home, and couples came so they could be away from prying eyes, sitting in their quiet booths, the light shining through the folding screens colouring their faces a jade green as they shared a bowl of soup.
Tommy was always there to greet them all. He and his family stayed in Mawkhar, which was then mostly populated by Khasis. Chinese migrants in Shillong, unlike some of the other communities, were spread across the city.
Some stayed in Mawkhar, some in Dhanketi and others in Laitumkhrah, Khasi/Jaiñtia neighbourhoods that would have rarely allowed outsiders like Bengalis, Biharis, Nepalis and other migrants. Families like the Lus had integrated well with the Khasi/Jaiñtias in the past, many marrying and starting families with Khasis.
