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It is lunch time, but Sharada is not hungry. Her mind is set on finishing a sweater she is knitting for Dr. Soman’s granddaughter, Manisha, who will be two years old. She is frustrated that she will have to do it all over again because of a mistake. She eats an apple and a granola bar and drinks a cup of tea. She sits on her favorite leather recliner in the family room and resumes her knitting. It will be another four or five hours before Vijay is home. Since Arjun left for Germany, Krishna, being in Washington, D.C., sharing an apartment with a friend, and Lakshmi married and living in Ellicott City, it’s just her and Vijay. She doesn’t have to plan much for dinner.

The phone rings. By the time she puts down the needles, straightens herself, and walks over to pick up the phone, the caller has hung up. Next time, I should keep one of the phones near me, she says to herself. The missed calls list has Lakshmi’s name. What can this be? Perhaps Lakshmi is expecting company and wants a recipe for an Indian dish she wants to cook, she thinks.

It has been two years since her wedding to Akaash. He has secured a position as a resident doctor in Baltimore. Sharada is glad that her daughter has moved closer. Lakshmi is planning to accept a part-time job as a substitute teacher. It is not a job to keep her occupied all the time, but it will get her out of the house once in a while and also bring in additional cash. Sharada is waiting for the day when she will be a grandmother. She is excited by the prospect. Whenever she is alone, she thinks of the ways she can pamper the baby. She doesn’t care whether it is a boy or a girl. But a girl would be nice, she had said to Vijay.

“How so?” Vijay had asked. “What difference does it make?”

“Well, there is so much choice of clothes for girls.”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“How can you? You’re never with me when I go shopping.”

“That’s true. I get bored with you just looking and not buying anything.”

“That’s the fun of it, Vijay. I stop by many stores in the mall to browse through the children’s clothes, and see so many choices. It’s hard to decide. Besides, it’s good to be on the lookout for a sale and be aware of who offers the best bargain.”

The phone rings again. This time, Sharada has the phone by her side. It is Lakshmi calling.

“What’s going on, Beti?” Sharada asks calmly.

“Mom, can you pick me up at the Vienna Metro?” There is an urgency in Lakshmi’s voice.

“At the Vienna Metro? “

“Yes. Is Dad home?”

“No. He won’t be home until late afternoon.”

“Thank God.”

“Lakshmi, you’re making me nervous. Are you in trouble? Why are you at the Metro?”

“I will explain it, but not on the phone. Can you pick me up?”

“Okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes and wait in the Kiss and Ride area on the north side.”

Fortunately, the roads are not busy. It is after lunch hour. Sharada parks her car in the Kiss and Ride area facing the metro entrance so she can see Lakshmi when she comes out. On her way to the metro, her mind is full of thoughts of what could have happened to Lakshmi. Everything seemed to be going great. Her two years of marriage to Aakash had been uneventful. Sharada and Vijay wanted to leave them alone, give them time to adjust to the new life. Even though they were eager to see Lakshmi and Aakash start their family, they were not inclined to force them. As long as Akaash was still an intern, busy trying to acquire a position at a hospital and solve his American Visa situation, it made sense to wait to start a family.  

Vijay and Sharada were glad when Aakash secured a job at the Mercy Hospital in Baltimore. Soon, they had purchased a house in Ellicott City, only an hour’s drive from Fairfax.

“Now we can visit Lakshmi if and when she may need our help,” Sharada had told Vijay, and Vijay had agreed.

As she parks her car, Sharada notices that Lakshmi is already waiting at the curb next to a minivan. Sharada gets out of the car and waves at Lakshmi, who waves back. Sharada thinks of driving around to pick up Lakshmi at the curb, but Lakshmi has already started walking towards her.

When Lakshmi is close by, Sharada can see that Lakshmi has tears in her eyes. They hug.

“Lakshmi Beti,”Sharada says as she pulls away from the parking lot.“What happened? I am really worried now. You didn’t call to say you are coming.”

“I know, Mom,” Lakshmi starts to reply, her voice choking. “I wanted to call. But I didn’t want to worry you, and it is better to tell you in person about what happened.”

Sharada touches Lakshmi’s shoulder with her right hand while her left hand is on the steering wheel.

“Well, now that you are here, tell me everything.”

“I never in my life expected something like this would happen to me. What have I done to deserve this?”

“Lakshmi, listen to me. All marriages have some difficult times. You need to be patient.”

“It’s not like that, Mom. This is more serious. I’ll tell you when we are home.”

Sharda is curious to know what it could be, but she is willing to wait.

“Okay. Just know that your dad and I are always here to help you in any way we can.”

They keep quiet the rest of the way.

When they reach home, Sharada makes two cups of tea. She places the tea, a plateful of Orio cookies, and a small bowl of Chivada on the breakfast table. The sun is shining bright outside. Sharada lowers the shades from the French door leading to the deck to avoid the sharp sunlight blinding them. Mother and daughter sit facing each other.

“What’s going on, Lakshmi? Did you fight with Aakash?”

“Well, yes. In a big way.”

“In a big way? Lakshmi, what is that supposed to mean?”

Sharada has raised her voice.

“Oh, Mom,” Lakshmi has composed herself. “You know we were just starting to set up our house. There is so much to do. We were planning to buy new furniture. My part-time job would be of help. Aakash had agreed that I could use his car when I needed it and that he would get a ride from a colleague of his.”

“That’s so nice of him. Like a good husband should be.”

Lakshmi continues her story. She tells how Aakash had made friends with another doctor called Mukesh. Mukesh started visiting their house and many times stayed over for dinner.

“All that sounds great, Beti.” 

The phone rings. Sharada gets up to answer it. Lakshmi can only hear Sharada saying, “That’s Okay.” “I’m fine, really.” “See you later.”

Sharada returns and sits next to Lakshmi instead of across from her.

“That was Dad. He said he has a meeting with a graduate student, and he will be late coming home. He wanted to know if I was all right because my voice did not sound normal. Did I sound different to you?”

Lakshmi does not answer.

“So, where were we? You were saying you and Aakash had a new friend, Mukesh. That’s the name of a famous Indian movie playback singer.” 

“So, I was told.” Lakshmi has become serious again. “Mom, I found out something about Aakash and Mukesh.”

“Lakshmi. I’m all confused. Slow down and tell me what happened?”

“I accidentally found out that Aakash and Mukesh were having an affair.”

Sharada places her hand to her head and utters, “Oh, my God.” She moves closer to Lakshmi and puts her hand on her back. Sharada thinks she is going to cry herself.

“Beti, I can’t believe it. Are you sure?”

“Yes, Mom. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Tell me about it.”

Lakshmi tells Sharada about how she got used to Akaash and Mukesh getting together and spending time in the basement watching TV. She was glad that Aakash had found a friend to hang out with.

“One day, when Mukesh was visiting, I decided to make chicken curry. As usual, they went to the basement to watch TV. I called them to come upstairs when the food was ready. There was no answer. When I went downstairs, the room was dark. They were sitting close to each other. They had their backs towards me, kissing each other.”

“My poor baby.” Sharada hugs Lakshmi. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I don’t know how I am going to tell your Dad? He is not going to like it a bit.”

“I know, I know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you when he’s not home. I can’t live with Akaash anymore, Mom. ”

“I understand. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I have moved in with Kavya for a while, and then I’ll see.”

Sharada remembers Kavya, Lakshmi’s friend from High School. Sharada looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. It is almost 4:30 pm. Vijay will be home in a little while.

“Do you want to stay for dinner? You can tell Dad everything you told me. We can drop you off at Kavya’s.”

“No. I should leave now before the rush hour starts. It may have started already.”

“Are you sure? Daddy will be here shortly.”

“I don’t want to face him right now.”

“How are you going to go back?”

“You can drop me off at the Metro.”

“I tell you what. Take my Acura. You’re going to need it more than me.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Sharada holds Lakshmi in a tight embrace on the driveway. She wipes her eyes as Lakshmi pulls off. As Lakshmi is turning a corner around the block, she sees a car very similar to her Dad’s.

Oh, my God. I hope he didn’t see me, she thinks, but she’s not going to turn back. She keeps driving and merges into the traffic.

To read chapter 32 click here. https://wp.me/p2b25R-lk