the cook who gave notice

Ramesh gave notice on a Tuesday with seventeen days left on the month, which he apologized for at length. The notice period, he explained, was not ideal, he understood, but his brother in Kanpur needed help and the situation was— he gestured in a way that communicated that the situation was complex and also that I would understand and I said I understood and I meant it. He'd been cooking for me for two years. Four days a week, an hour each time. He had strong views about my eating habits. He thought I ate too little of the things that were good for me and too much of the things that were convenient. He was not wrong. I paid him the full month plus a week extra. He said it was too much. I said it wasn't. We had a brief disagreement about this, which he lost. He left and now I cook for myself, which means I eat toast more often than is dignified for a person my age.