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Sharada waits till Vijay has his tea and snacks. They have been eating dinner late nowadays. Because it is just the two of them, they watch the network news, and then Sharada starts cooking. Vijay makes calls if he needs to talk to one of his students, or finishes reading the op-ed pages he missed that morning. Sharada knows the routine. Today, when he moves into the living room to scan the morning paper, she walks over and sits close to him. For a while, she doesn’t say anything, waiting for the right moment to break the news about Lakshmi. She is glad that he has not noticed that her car is missing from the garage.

“What’s the matter? Why are you just sitting there?” Vijay asks nonchalantly. “You have something to say?”

“Yes. But, but it’s serious. I want you not to get upset.”

“Oh. What is it? Did you charge the credit card for a large amount? Did something break in the house? Things happen, you know. I understand.”

“Well. It’s nothing like that. It’s about Lakshmi.”

On hearing Lakshmi’s name, Vijay puts the paper down on the coffee table. He straightens himself up on the sofa, not knowing what’s to come next.

“What about Lakshmi? I thought Akaash and she had just moved into a new house in Ellicott City. Do they need some help in fixing it up?”

“No, no. No. It’s what’s happening between them.”

“What has to happen between them? They are both young. Akaash has started his internship, hasn’t he? I have high hopes for him. Before you know it, he will be a famous doctor. I guarantee.”

“True. But right now, things are not moving the way we wished. Something has happened between them.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Which married couple hasn’t quarreled? It’s all a matter of settling down. You know that. Didn’t we have disagreements sometimes? They will kiss and make up, as they say.”

“Vijay,” Sharada stares at Vijay with a stern look.

“Yes.”

“It’s more serious than that.”

Vijay is still not worried.

“Oh. I can’t think of anything. Tell me.” He says. Wanting to hear more.

“Well, um…Lakshmi thinks Akaash is having an affair.”

Vijay laughs loudly. He coughs and then steadies himself.

“An affair? Maybe he’s flirting with a nurse. All doctors are known to do that. Lakshmi is just overreacting, I think.”

“Akaash is flirting around all right. But not with a nurse.”

“Then, who? An orderly in the hospital? Another lady doctor?”

Vijay is clueless. Now he is concerned and wants to know more.

“No. Another male doctor.”

Vijay’s face suddenly turns pink. He bends and hides his face in both palms. Sharada keeps quiet, letting him calm down. A while later, Vijay looks up at Sharada. She thinks he’s going to cry, something she doesn’t want to witness.

“I can’t believe it. A male doctor? There has to be a mistake.” His voice is choking.

“No mistake. Lakshmi caught them, all cuddled up in their basement.”

“All cuddled up? As I said to you a long time ago, it is very common for boys in India to walk on the street with their arms around each other’s shoulders.”

“Vijay,” Sharada is now talking firmly. “Akaash is not a boy anymore, and he is married to our daughter. Lakshmi saw Aakash and his lover kissing.”

Vijay gets up and starts pacing the floor with hands folded. After minutes of silence, he walks over and stands in front of Sharada.

“Wait a minute. How do you know all of this about Lakshmi and Aakash? Did Lakshmi call you today?”

“No, Vijay. Lakshmi came here in person, unannounced, to talk with me.”

“Unannounced?”

“Yes. She called me from the Vienna metro. I picked her up. We talked for a couple of hours. She told me everything. She is furious.”

“I wouldn’t blame her. This is serious enough. Didn’t you ask her to stay?”

“I did, but she didn’t want to face you at this time.”

“Why not? I am not a monster, you know.”

“It may be more complicated, Vijay,” Sharada tries to calm him down. “We don’t know what’s going on in her mind. She could be blaming herself for what happened. She may not want to talk with a lot of people right now.”

Vijay takes a deep breath. After a pause, he asks if Lakshmi and Aakash are staying together after all this. He wants to know all the details. Sharada explains that Lakshmi has moved in with her friend Kavya and that she had asked Lakshmi to take her car for a while until things settle down.”

“Now it makes sense,” Vijay says. “When I was turning around the corner from our house, I thought I noticed your car and a driver who resembled Lakshmi. Then I said to myself, it can’t be. Why in the world would Lakshmi be here?”

Sharada does not reply. Vijay continues pacing the floor. He stops near Sharada again and ruminates.

“Why didn’t Mayur know about this? He should have warned us.”

“People are very secretive about this sort of thing, Vijay. Maybe his parents also are not aware of this about him. And I have read that sometimes they come out years after marriage.”

“I still cannot believe this. Maybe the Joshis cheated us.”

Vijay sits down on the sofa. He takes a deep breath and continues. “Remember the trip to India for the wedding. Buying clothes in Mumbai. The party at the Taj Mahal hotel. Trip to Udaipur. Three days of grand celebration. All gone to dust? Gone, just like that, because my son-in-law has chosen to love a man over my beautiful daughter. What are we going to do, Sharada?”

Sharada is calm.

“Nothing much right now, in my opinion,” she says, getting up from the sofa. “Let it settle down a bit. We don’t have to take any rash actions.”

Sharada gets up and walks toward the kitchen.

“I want to call the Joshis and let them have a piece of my mind. I feel cheated.” Vijay says loudly.

“No. Let’s act like adults. Let’s think about it. Let’s see what Lakshmi is going to do.”

“Yes. I guess you are right. These things have a way of spreading like wildfire.”

“Now, you are talking.”

Sharada starts cutting vegetables in preparation for dinner. Vijay settles down on the sofa with a glass of scotch to calm his nerves. He is not interested in reading the newspaper and turns on the TV to watch the news.