by P. G. Van
“If this is a royal family, there is really nothing to be worried about, right?” I asked without looking at Nick.
“I don’t know what to expect,” Nick said sounding clueless and added, “especially after finding out that your dad was the surgeon who operated on my mom, anything is possible now.”
“I wonder what we would have done if we had met earlier,” I pondered out loud.
“You mean right after the reunion in November last year?” Nick asked curiously.
“No, I mean in college or at work or some other place,” I said smiling.
“I don’t know but the waiting made it that much sweeter for me,” Nick said nuzzling my ear.
“How often did you come to see me after the reunion?” I asked curiously.
Nick laughed and said, “You might have second thoughts if I gave you too many details.”
“Nick, please,” I begged.
“I will respond to your questions about what I did from the time I saw you to the time I met you officially. I will only give you a discrete yes or no answer,” Nick declared.
I thought for a moment and said, “Okay. I will take that for now.”
“Fire away,” Nick encouraged as he lay back on the bed with his head propped on his elbow.
“Did you come to see me every day?” I asked with a wicked smile.
“No. I wish I did,” Nick said running his index finger along my shin.
“Nick, focus on the questions,” I said pulling my leg away smiling.
“Okay, what is the question that you really want to ask me?” Nick said sensing there was more to my questioning. He was right on. I had always wondered how I would have Nick in my life if I had fallen for Mr. Wrong before I met Nick.
“What if…” I paused to look at him to read his expression and proceeded in a cautious voice, “What if I had a boyfriend or worse a husband?”
Nick closed his eyes as if in pain for a few seconds opening his eyes to look straight at me and said smiling, “Not possible.”
I leaned forward to lie down next to him on my stomach propping myself on my elbows and said planting a kiss on his cheek and said, “That’s not what I asked.”
“I know what you asked my love and trust me that was my number one concern,” Nick said taking my lower lip between his index finger and his thumb and added, “If you had found the man of your dreams, I would have still wanted to be in your life as a friend.”
“Thank you Nick,” I said hugging him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The four of us headed out for the wedding shopping after brunch on Saturday afternoon. I wondered if it was a good idea to invite Nick and Srini for Nate’s wedding shopping. We went from store to store all afternoon and finally came to a boutique as the very last stop for the day. The boutique had a better collection for the bridal wear than the others, and I lost Nate in the store the second we stepped in.
“Do you want me to go get Srini?” I asked Nate teasing her when she put on one of the outfits in the fitting room.
She shook her head at the mockery and said, “The guys went to get us coffee.” I helped Nate put on one of the many blouses she would be trying on until the day of the wedding.
The guys returned as Nate was paying for the sari Nick had picked for me and an outfit that she picked for one of the pre-wedding events.
“Nethra, I don’t like other people paying for my girlfriend’s stuff,” Nick teased.
“Get used to it Nick. My wedding, my rules,” Nate said smiling at Nick as she handed him the bag with my sari.
“Bridezilla in the making, watch out Srini,” Nick laughed looking at Srini.
Nate found a beautiful outfit for her mehendi event. Among the many traditions infused into Indian weddings, one of the most prominent pre-wedding ceremonies was the mehendi ceremony. This is the day when mehendi is applied on the hands and feet of the bride and marks one of the important beautification steps. Nate picked a sleeveless long flowing multicolor dress with dominant shades of yellow and green. The sleeveless outfit would allow her to have the mehendi pattern applied all the way up to her elbows and will allow easy access to her feet up to her knees for the mehendi application on her feet and legs.
Nate and I decided to buy the wedding saris in India and all other outfits either online or from the local boutiques so we would not be scrambling the last minute.
“Someone’s phone is ringing,” Nate said as we got into Nick’s Range Rover right after we left the boutique. I got into the back seat with Nate and realized it was my phone ringing.
“Oh, Dad is calling,” I said looking at my phone.
“Hi Daddy,” I said cheerfully.
“Hi, sweetie. Can you talk?” my dad asked his voice soft.
“Yes, daddy. Is everything okay?” I asked suspecting that something was wrong.
“Meera, Nani had a small accident yesterday. She fractured her ankle and is in the hospital for the initial care,” he said his voice calm.
I felt my heart in my mouth and felt the blood drain from my face. Nick’s and my eyes met in the rear view mirror and he smiled at me. When he did not get the smile back, he immediately turned to look at me with concern in his eyes.
“Sameera, is everything okay?” Nick asked looking at me.
I shook my head to respond to Nick’s question and continued to listen to what my stepdad was telling me on the phone. I interrupted my stepdad when he was telling me about their trip to India and asked, “How is she now?”
“She is doing fine now and should be home in a few days. The challenging part is the recovery time at her age,” my stepdad said very objectively.
“Daddy, have a safe trip and please take care of mom,” I said trying to maintain a calm voice in spite of the shivers than ran down my spine. .
“Take care of Nethra and yourself, Meera,” my stepdad said and hung up.
I turned to look at Nate and said in a trembling voice, “Nani slipped and fell in the bathroom. Her ankle is fractured.”
Nate looked at me in shock hugging me and asked, “Is she okay?”
“Yes and Mom and Dad are going to India tonight,” I said quietly as I was barely able to hold myself together.
“Meera, how is she doing?” Nate asked her voice barely audible as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Her condition is stable,” I said managing to stay calm.
“How is thatha doing?” Nate asked about my grandpa.
“I am pretty sure Mom and Dad are going mainly for him as he may be shaken up from Nani’s injury,” I said to Nate putting my arms around her.
As I comforted Nate, I looked at Nick taking a deep breath and said, “Nick, please take me home.”
Nick nodded and said to Srini, “Let’s go Srini.”
Nate and I looked out of the window in silence on our way home. All I could think about was my grandma. The loving face of my grandma flashed in front of my eyes. The vibrant, loving mother who lost her son in a fatal accident was able to take care of his estranged family and pulled all of us together.
My grandparents were one of the very few that went to medical school in the early fifties, and eloped when the families did not agree to their marriage. I smiled thinking about my grandparents’ love for each other. I hoped she was doing okay and sent silent prayers as I fought back tears and bad thoughts.
“Nick, you are taking the wrong exit,” Nate said in a low voice about fifteen minutes into the drive.
“I got this, Nethra,” Nick said confidently with a smile.
“Nick, Meera asked you to take us home,” she whined.
I realized what the confusion was and looked at Nick in the rear view, and he winked at me. I looked at Nate in silence as she looked around in confusion.
“Nethra, Sameera asked me to take her home,” Nick said smiling, and added “and home is our apartment in San Francisco.”
Nate’s expression was that of someone who got his or her face splashed with water and she looked at me i
n awe.
“Meera, really?” Nate mocked.
“Nethra, home is where the heart is, right?” Nick said smiling.
Nate saw me blush and fumed at Nick, “What have you done to her?”
Nick and Srini started to laugh and Nate joined them a few seconds later. I smiled at the three of them and was thankful for the distraction.
“You guys should have a sleepover at Sameera’s place tonight,” Nick teased Nate and Srini.
“Nick, for the record I am still mad at you for taking away the best roommate anyone could ever have,” Nate said looking at me.
“Nethra, you would have ditched her anyways in a few months so she is better off with me,” Nick retaliated smiling.
“Nick, I still don’t understand how you got her into thinking your apartment is now home for her,” Nate said looking at me, and I blushed in silence.
“It really is her home, Nethra. Did she not tell you?” Nick smiled and said with pride.
“Nate, let it go,” I said taking her hand in mine and added softly, “I have been in the apartment for quite some time now so I obviously feel at home.”
“Srini, I guess we should have a sleepover at Sameera’s place tonight,” Nate said looking at me with a smile.
“Whatever you say, Nethra,” Srini said half mockingly to Nate.
“Sounds like a plan,” Nick said cheerfully.
“Let’s talk to Nani and Thatha later tonight,” I said to Nate.
Nate nodded and leaned over to put her arm around me and said, “You are way stronger than me Meera. What would I do without you?”
I smiled at her and said, “Srini is my backfill so you need to rely on him now.”
“I have some very big shoes to fill,” Srini said smiling.
“You will be fine, Srini,” I assured.
“We are about twenty minutes away so please take the time to decide what you would like to do for dinner,” Nick asked looking at the road.
“Meera, what do you have to eat at home?” Nate asked smiling at me with a hint of tease.
I laughed and said, “There is always plenty of food at home. I am sure a fresh batch of everything was delivered last night to the apartment.”
“Srini and I need to get into the habit of eating at home. I am so done with eating out every day,” Nate said scrunching her nose looking at me.
“Srini, you are doomed. I hope your culinary skills are razor sharp,” I teased him looking at Nate.
“I am working on it Meera,” Srini said sounding dejected.
“How about Srini and I make dinner tonight?” Nick offered.
“Sounds good,” Nate and I said almost in unison.
When we got home, Nick and Srini got their beers out and were in the kitchen working on dinner while Nate and I were chatting with our grandma and grandpa on a video call. Nate and I were relieved to see our grandparents joking about each other. My grandma was very excited about getting a hot pink colored cast for her ankle. Nate and I spoke to them for almost an hour and headed downstairs to check on the guys. Nick and Srini were in the kitchen in a deep conversation and turned to look at us as we came downstairs.
“Everything okay, babe?” Nick asked as I walked into his wide-open arms.
“Yes, I am so relieved after seeing my grandma. I can’t believe that her biggest challenge at this point in time is choosing the color of her cast,” I said laughing looking at Nate.
Nick tightened his hold on me and said, “I am so glad to hear everything is good. Are you girls ready to eat?”
‘I am starving,” Nate said and asked, “What are my options?”
“Why don’t you girls take a seat at the table, and we will be ready to eat in five minutes,” Nick said directing us towards the dining table.
The four of us sat down to feast on authentic Punjabi food prepared by the chef at the family residence with Nick’s added touch.
Nate laughed and said to Nick, “Now I know why Meera loves it here. You keep her in a perpetual food coma with this amazing food.”
“I have an entire team working on making sure she doesn’t run away from me,” Nick said winking at me.
“You guys need to stop your crazy theories,” I said looking at Nate and Nick.
“Okay, let’s talk about something more interesting,” Srini chimed in cheerfully.
“Like?” Nate asked enthusiastically.
“We are getting married in less than two months so I am wondering when these two are going to get married. Any bets on when?” Srini asked looking at Nate. Nick ran his fingers through his hair, and I turned crimson especially because Srini was bringing up the topic.
I looked down at my food and avoided eye contact.
Nate laughed and said, “Srini, you and I need to have a bet about when they will be married.”
“Good idea,” Srini said cheerfully and added, “I will say that they will get married before the end of the year.”
“Nice,” Nick mocked Srini.
“No, end of this year is too soon. Nick will probably wait until his brother gets married so I would say they will be married by this time next year,” Nate declared.
“Nate, cut it out,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Stop being a spoiled sport Meera. This is so much fun,” she said teasing me.
“Okay, next bet. Who will propose? Meera or Nick?” Srini asked looking at Nate.
“You guys, I am serious. You two are being ridiculous now,” I glared at Nate and Srini.
Nick took my hand in his under the table and looked at me and said, “It’s okay. Let them indulge in some fun at our expense.”
I smiled at Nick and looked at Nate. She smiled at me and said looking at Nick, “I won’t be surprised if Meera proposes. She is capable of anything.”
“That’s my girl,” Nick cheered putting his arm around me as Srini and Nate laughed out loud.
“Srini, what is your prediction?” Nate asked looking at me.
“These two are very different. I doubt if a proposal is on the list of things to do. I won’t be surprised if they already started talking about kids,” Srini said thinking out loud, and I almost chocked on the bite of food in my mouth. I looked at Nick fuming and he shook his head and said to me, “I said nothing to him. He knows me too well.”
“Wait, is that true?” Nate asked looking at Nick’s and my expression.
“What is?” I asked attempting to divert the topic.
“Did you guys talk about kids already?” Nate asked looking at Nick and me. Nick and I both sat in silence, and Nate looked at us in awe and said to Srini, “These two are definitely something else, Srini.”
“Srini, did you know my grandparents were and are just like Nick and Meera? Made for each other,” Nate said her eyes tearing up.
“I agree,” Srini said smiling at Nick and me.
“I have an interesting question. Do you think Nick and Meera will elope just like my grandparents did?” Nate asked winking at me.
“Hmm...I actually don’t know. Would you Nick?” Srini asked teasing Nick.
“If she wants me to, I absolutely will,” Nick said putting his arm around me.
“Okay, I think that’s enough fun for tonight,” I said giving Nate the stink eye.
Nate and Srini laughed but complied.
“What would you guys like for dessert?” I asked getting up from the dining table.
“Please don’t talk about food for another ten days. I am stuffed,” Nate said holding her tummy.
I laughed and said teasing her, “You mean ten minutes because I am sure you will have room for dessert in less than ten minutes.”
Nate looked at me shaking her head and not even attempting to retaliate. Nick and I took a few minutes to clean up and put the leftovers away. He was standing next to me near the sink when I leaned over and asked, “Do you mind sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight?”
Nick looked at me puzzled for a few seconds and then smiled. “That’s very thoughtful of
you, and no I don’t mind sleeping in the guest bedroom as long as I am not sleeping with Srini.”
I laughed so hard that I almost dropped the plate I had in my hands into the sink.
“What’s so funny Meera?” Nate asked walking towards us from the dining area. I shook my head controlling my laughter by pressing my lips together.
“Ohh c’mon. What is it?” she said and looked at Nick for the scoop.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go upstairs and change,” I said to Nate distracting her.
“Yes, I need to borrow some pajamas from you,” she said smiling.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said taking her by her hand and added, “Srini and you can sleep in the bedroom at the end of the landing area.”
“Isn’t that the master?” she stated and I nodded.
“The guest bedroom has a bed right? We can sleep there,” Nate said as we went up the stairs.
“I know, but I want you guys to have the master bedroom. You are the newly engaged couple and are staying over for the first time,” I said smiling.
“You silly thing, you are always trying to make things special for everyone else. Nick has no idea how lucky he is to have you in his life,” Nate said hugging me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
On Tuesday evening, I sat on the chaise in the bedroom and stared at the calm bay water. It had been three days since my grandma hurt her ankle.
Nick walked out of the bathroom and asked, “Meera, everything okay baby?”
I turned to him and looked at him shaking my head as he walked towards me.
“What is bothering you love? I did notice that you have been in some serious thought from the time we got home,” Nick observed.
“Nick, I am worried about my grandparents,” I said as he sat next to me on the chaise.
“Is your Nani doing okay?” he asked concerned.
I nodded unable to find my voice and Nick continued, “What are you worried about, Sameera?”
“Nick, it’s my grandpa. He is shaken up,” I said looking at him and added, “I talked to him this morning, and he sounded very dejected. He is taking my grandma’s injury as a sign to return to the ancestral village. He declared that he wanted to move back to the ancestral home where he grew up to spend the rest of their life.”