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Vijay and Sharada decide to visit Lakshmi in Baltimore on the weekend. Vijay has not spoken with Lakshmi since Sharada told him about the incident with Aakash. He didn’t think of calling her and discussing the delicate topic on the phone. He preferred talking in person.

Lakshmi has moved to an apartment in the Hamden area. She is sharing it with Kavya’s niece, who has found a job with Verizon in Baltimore and was looking for someone to share an apartment with. 

“You have been spending a lot of time on the computer these days,” Sharada says to Vijay when they are on Route 66.

It will be more than an hour before they reach Baltimore. Vijay has been quiet lately. He hasn’t visited Raj or any of his friends to watch cricket matches. He has not spoken with Sharada about his work in college. His routine of having a scotch on the rocks in the evening has stopped. Sharada has never seen her husband in such a somber mood. She can guess the reason, but wants to ask anyway.

“Well,” he says, glancing at her as he drives. “I want to understand why people behave as Akaash did. What makes them change when enjoying a supposedly happy marriage?”

“You can spend all your life doing the research, Vijay. I bet you wouldn’t find an answer. Sometimes you have to accept life as it is.”

Sharada is troubled by the events but wants to reassure Vijay in the best way she can.

“It’s easy for you to say. When it happens to someone else, it does not matter. It is difficult when it happens to you. What are we going to say to our friends? Will they abandon us? Then we are doomed.”

Vijay continues driving.

“Don’t be so negative and harsh on yourself.” Sharada continues the conversation.

“What makes you say that?”

“Society is changing, Vijay. Some will never change, but many people have started to accept these things. I was talking with Megan. She reads People and other magazines like that. She spoke of actor Joel Grey, who came out after he was married to actress Jo Wilder and they had two kids. She says we should be glad Lakshmi discovered the truth when she did—before they had kids.”

Vijay is upset that Sharada has talked to their neighbor about Lakshmi. He thinks it is okay as long as she does not spread the word among their Indian friends.

“It’s all fine with celebrities, but not for common folks like us.”

Somehow, Vijay is not convinced. Sharada keeps quiet for a while, then turns on the radio and searches for a station that plays classical music. They’ve reached I-495, the inner loop of the beltway around Washington, D.C. They have another twenty minutes to reach Highway I-95 north, which will take them into Baltimore. Vijay is angry at a driver who is switching lanes frequently in front of him. Sharada looks at him and taps his shoulder to warn him to calm down.

****

Lakshmi’s apartment is on the second floor. Sharada and Vijay take the stairs instead of the elevator. They ring the bell and wait for Lakshmi to open the door. They have no idea what to expect, how the meeting will go, or what shape Laksmi will be in. 

It takes a few minutes before Lakshmi opens the door. She is wearing a loose, oversized sweatshirt and yoga pants. Her hair is not brushed. There is no TV on. There is an open book lying on the sofa turned upside down.

Sharada goes in first, followed by Vijay. Sharada likes that Lakshmi has maintained a calm demeanor, despite what has happened to her, but she cannot help but notice the dark shadows under Lakshmi’s eyes. It has been over a month since Lakshmi visited Fairfax. My poor baby, she thinks. I know it’s hard for you to go through this.

“How are you, Beti?” Sharada asks.

Sharada is suddenly overcome with emotion. Before Lakshmi could answer, she pulls Lakshmi towards her to hug her. She holds on to Lakshmi tightly for a few minutes. Lakshmi lets her mom hold her. Sharada’s eyes are moist as she releases Lakshmi. She wipes her eyes with a handkerchief. There is a moment of awkward silence.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Lakshmi responds calmly.

Vijay too hugs Lakshmi and enquires if everything is okay. Lakshmi replies that she is okay and asks her dad if he was able to find parking.

“Yes,” Vijay replies. “We drove around the block and found a place when someone was pulling out.”

Lakshmi informs that her roommate is visiting her friend and will be gone for the rest of the day.

“Can I offer you something to drink?” Lakshmi asks as Sharada and Vijay take a seat on the sofa by the window. “No. I’m good.” Vijay responds. After the long drive from Fairfax, he is a bit thirsty and hungry, but doesn’t want to bother Lakshmi. 

“Water would be fine.” He adds.

Sharada also didn’t want anything. They didn’t want to bring up the subject of Aakash. They talk about how Lakshmi is spending her days and whether her roommate is easy to get along with. It is past lunchtime, and Vijay thinks everyone must be hungry.

  “How about if we all go to the Akbar restaurant. I hear they have a great weekend buffet.” He asks Lakshmi.

Lakshmi looks at Sharada to get her reaction.

“That’s a good idea. By the way, I brought some chapatis, choles, and Rasa Malayi that you like so much. That way you don’t have to worry about cooking for a few days,” Sharada responds and hands her the bag with the food she had brought with her.

“Thank you, Mom,” Lakshmi says. She reaches over and hugs Sharada. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll change into different clothes.” Lakshmi says as she puts the food in the refrigerator and disappears into the bedroom.

“Dad, are you mad at me?”

Lakshmi asks Vijay as they settle down at a corner table at Akbar. The restaurant is situated along a busy downtown Baltimore Street. It has the usual weekend crowd, but they have a good corner table. No one can hear them unless they are snooping.

“It’s been hard on him,” Sharada responds before Vijay has a chance to say anything. “He had high hopes for both of you and especially Akaash.”

Vijay looks relieved. Lakshmi is silent.

“You can always move back home, you know,” Sharada continues.

“Mom. Seriously!”

“Just a suggestion. What are you going to do then?”

“I’m not planning to stay here too long. And, I am working with a divorce attorney.”

Vijay raises his eyebrows but doesn’t utter a word. The waiter approaches their table and fills their glasses with water. He asks whether they want anything to drink. A buttermilk lassi, perhaps, or a beer, a glass of wine? When they decline, he walks away, but not before telling them to feel free to go to the buffet when they are ready.

“Be careful, beti. Where did you find the lawyer? Is he reliable?” Vijay asks when they are back from the buffet with their plates full.

“Don’t worry. He has been highly recommended.”

“Highly recommended? Who can that be from?”

“Doug. He recommends Mr. Wasserman. Doug’s cousin used him.”

“Doug? The same Doug who was in your high school and moved away?” Mom asks.

“Doug? Doug, the electrician?” Vijay interjects, his eyes squinted. He looks around to see if anyone is watching them since he has raised his voice.

“Yes. The same one. He has been a friend of mine on Facebook all along. When I talked about what happened to me, he said he was sorry and wanted to do whatever he could to help me out.”

“Oh, my. Is he married?” Vijay wants to know.

“He said he was almost engaged to a girl, but she dumped him for someone else.”

“Oh,” Vijay says and doesn’t know what else to ask. A minute later, he continues, “I wanted to ask you if you and Akaash have talked this thing over or have decided to visit a counselor or something?”

“It’s no use, Dad. Akaash suggested we continue living together and keep it as an open marriage.”

“An open marriage? Never heard of it.” Vijay squints his eyes, surprised.

“Yes. It means he can continue seeing Mukesh, and I can do whatever I want. A ménage à trois, kind of. I told him it is disgusting.”

“I wouldn’t blame you. That is a terrible idea. Well, I trust your judgment and hope you are doing the right thing.”

They spend more than an hour at the restaurant. Lakshmi goes to the buffet three times as if she had not eaten for days. Sharada asks if she needs any help, financially, and offers their help.

Lakshmi says she would not hesitate to ask for help if she needs it, but they need not worry about her.

“We are only an hour away, you know,” Sharada says as they leave Lakshmi at her apartment. Lakshmi gives them both a hug and disappears into the building without saying anything more.

****

The drive back to Fairfax is not bad. Traffic is light, it being a Sunday afternoon. Soon it will be a different story as people start to return to D.C from wherever they had spent the weekend.

“What do you think?” Sharada asks Vijay. She wants to know if Vijay has noticed any changes in Lakshmi.

“Think about what?” Vijay asks.

“Lakshmi. Did you notice anything different? I thought she had lost some weight and the dark shadows under her eyes. Poor girls must be suffering a lot, although she doesn’t show it.”

“Yes,” Vijay responds. “Now that you point out. I also think she has lost some weight. I can imagine what she must be going through. What can we do?”

Sharada doesn’t reply. She keeps quiet. Vijay turns the radio to play soft music. They drive in silence. Until they reach home.

Upon entering the house, Vijay collapses on the living room sofa. The house suddenly feels like a ghost town. He is still unsure what is going to happen to Lakshmi and their future life. How will their Indian friends react to all this?

“Oh, God!” He wails, dropping his head into his hands. “The world is collapsing around us, Sharada. I don’t understand anything anymore.”

Sharada has never seen him so upset. She sits beside him and reaches out to him. How can she comfort him?

“Vijay. Everything is not lost. We have to look at what will make our daughter happy. It’s her life, not ours.” She sounds calm, to her ears, but inside, she’s in turmoil. Somehow, she has the presence of mind to pat his arm reassuringly. But it seems to do no good.

Vijay sobs. “God. I’m afraid, really afraid. We have one son who wants to be an actor. Another is out fighting an enemy we don’t know. We’ll be lucky if we see him alive again. And now our daughter wants to get a divorce. Who will marry a divorced Indian woman? Tell me, Sharada. Are we cursed or what? All I wanted was the best things for them.”

Her heart is breaking. “Calm down. Someone will always look after us. Someone always has. I’ll visit the Rajdhani temple next weekend and perform a special pooja. I’ll call our Shastri to see if he is available. I trust him.”

“And what will that achieve?” Vijay has recovered now and speaks softly.

“I don’t know,” Sharada replies.

She’s desperate now, reaching for anything to comfort both of them.

 “I’ll pray to Lord Ganesh and ask him to give us the strength to tide us over these difficult times.”

“I’ll come with you.”

To read chapter 36 click here. https://wp.me/p2b25R-lQ