Karthik Delivers: Chapters 19–29

by Sheela Chari
Fourteen-year-old Karthik Raghavan delivers groceries within a two-mile radius from his parents' store in Boston, but he'd rather be rehearsing his delivery of lines on a stage.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–29, Chapters 30–40
35 words 14 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. awning
    a canvas canopy to shelter people or things from rain or sun
    Big drops splash on my head and shoulders, and when they drum against the awnings over shop windows on Comm Ave, they sound like music.
  2. furtive
    secret and sly
    She sees me but pretends she doesn’t by Not-Saying-Hi. Instead, her attention is on Binh, and she’s giving him quick, furtive looks.
  3. gist
    the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
    It’s the usual mom thing, and even if it’s in another language, I get the gist.
  4. loafer
    a low leather shoe with no laces
    What did Lenny even wear? Coat? Tie? Penny loafers?
  5. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
    Satish Shah lets out a boisterous laugh.
  6. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    I apply the gel through my hair, smoothing it back and then tousling the top, like Lenny's hair.
  7. faze
    disturb the composure of
    Shanthi isn’t fazed. “You don’t need to know how to play the piano. You just fake play.”
  8. dismayed
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    Shanthi starts the recording while I bring my hands down in a fake pound: CHORD! CHORD-CHORD CHORD! I burst out laughing.
    Shanthi is dismayed.
  9. baffled
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
    Meanwhile, I’m totally baffled. Who are these people?
  10. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
    Now I look at Shanthi, who shrugs demurely. “Who knew?” she murmurs.
  11. feign
    give a false appearance of
    Shanthi pushes me forward and Amanda feigns surprise.
  12. splay
    widen or spread apart
    I’m lying on the ground and my eyes should be closed but they’re not. Instead I feel the warm cement under my splayed arms and legs, and I’m looking up at the sky, my eyes first on the metal birds, then traveling upwards.
  13. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    On the way home from the store, Dad is scratching his lottery ticket, and I say, “Carpe diem. Can’t I do that?” just like Lenny does at the beginning of the play when he sees his piano for the first time. Wistful. Hoping.
  14. patronage
    the business given to an establishment by its customers
    HOUSE OF CHAAT SO VERY THRILLED WITH YOUR PATRONAGE!
    NOW ENJOY ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SPECIAL JUST $5.99.
  15. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    How can you make anything in five minutes? It’s a lie. It must be a sales ploy.
  16. mortal
    unrelenting and deadly
    “Come, Dad, it’s time for mortal combat. Then you impale each other with a sword. It’s not there in the original musical, but Eunice says she saw the ending of Excalibur, and Mordred and Arthur off each other there.”
  17. halting
    proceeding in a fragmentary, hesitant, or ineffective way
    Her English is very careful, but she seems to be having a good time.
    “How do the regular people hang out?” she asks haltingly.
  18. clamor
    make loud demands
    And people are clamoring to buy the stuff.
  19. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Then at 11:45, moments before I go on break, a tiny, elderly lady in a sari enters the store. She walks gingerly, her small feet moving feebly across the tiles until she reaches the counter.
  20. feeble
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    Then at 11:45, moments before I go on break, a tiny, elderly lady in a sari enters the store. She walks gingerly, her small feet moving feebly across the tiles until she reaches the counter.
  21. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    When I enter their kitchen with the dry ginger they ordered, everyone is in a frenzy.
  22. savor
    derive or receive pleasure from
    “The last scene is the most important one in the play,” Shanthi says at our next rehearsal. “It’s what you leave your audience with. What they savor last.”
  23. analogy
    drawing a comparison in order to show a similarity
    “Dessert is sweet. Theater is reflective. It stays in our minds. Like dreams.”
    “Right,” I say. So much for my food analogy.
  24. sidebar
    a short, boxed section of text accompanying the main text
    “Okaaay. I guess I don’t remember everything I read, like some people.”
    “It was in a sidebar,” I say, which makes her roll her eyes.
  25. fancy
    not plain; decorative or ornamented
    When I read about the cuff links, I had to look them up online, because I didn’t know what they were. I was even wondering if I could get a pair. Then I saw they’re like little buttons to keep your fancy shirtsleeves all nice and pinned together.
  26. churn
    be agitated
    I think of Miles and Juhi watching me and my stomach churns all over again.
  27. subdued
    restrained in style or quality
    At the store, Miles is more subdued. “Cool. Binh, too, right?”
  28. vexed
    troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
    Mr. Jain is on the couch and his foot is in a cast. He looks at me, vexed, his face gray and unshaven.
  29. aghast
    struck with fear, dread, or consternation
    The drapes are drawn and there is day-old bread left on a cutting board with crumbs everywhere. My mom would be aghast. I have never seen our kitchen this way.
  30. spoof
    make a parody of
    “It’s not Dead Again,” I say. “It’s The Sixth Sense. They spoof The Sixth Sense.”
  31. buoy
    an anchored float that marks locations in a body of water
    I look down at my bowl of Cheerios, at the circles floating in milk like little buoys.
  32. bewildered
    extremely confused and uncertain what to do
    Miles looks bewildered to see my mother at the counter.
  33. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    “Lots of blood dripping everywhere, even on the ground,” Miles says, relishing the details.
  34. significant
    rich in implication
    “Three bottles of Fanta and five bags of chips. How does anyone eat so much junk?”
    “Bet it’s ten dollars’ worth,” Miles says, and gives me a significant look.
  35. flourish
    a showy gesture
    One hand is on the keyboard and the other is straight up above his head. It’s a grand flourish, his signature move.
Created on Sat Nov 11 12:40:30 EST 2023 (updated Sun Nov 12 14:34:44 EST 2023)

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