by P. G. Van
“While we are sharing good news, I have something to share as well,” I said winking at them.
“Are you pregnant too?” Nate and Ann asked almost in one voice, and they started laughing looking at my shocked expression.
“Stop it, you two. I can’t believe I have to deal with two older sisters now,” I whined.
“Get used to it, Meera,” Ann teased as she sat down on the massage table and asked, “What is your news?”
“Well, it’s not really mine and serious code of silence ladies,” I said and paused as they both nodded and added, “Nick told me this morning that Sam and Reetu are ready to pick a date for their wedding.”
“Oh wow!!” Nate said, and I knew it was a halfhearted statement.
Ann was looking at me with a weird expression on her face.
“I expected a little bit more excitement gals. What’s up with you two?” I asked concerned that they didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm that I had and expected from them.
“Big code of silence. I have mixed feelings about that,” Ann declared looking at me.
“Wow Ann, I did not see that coming. Why do you say that?” I asked in surprise.
“This is not my pregnancy hormones talking, but I don’t think Reetu is right for Sam,” Ann said in a flat voice and added, “but I will support my little brother and will learn to like Reetu.”
“Ann…” my voice trailed off as I wondered why Ann felt that way about Reetu.
“Ann, I agree with you,” Nate chimed in. I glowered at Nate as she continued looking at me. “I told you I had a bad feeling about her. She comes off as sweet and innocent when you meet her for the first time, but I am pretty sure it’s one of her fake facets.”
“That’s exactly how I felt when I met her the first few times, and then I started to see how snappy and manipulative she can be,” Ann said softly and added, “Like the other day she was making condescending comments about how you and Nick getting married in a hurry because you were pregnant. That was just ridiculous.”
“She said what?” Nate snarled like a mama bear.
I took a deep breath and said, “Nate, easy. She was kidding,” and added defending Reetu, “You guys are reading too much into her behavior.”
“If it were just me, then I could have blamed them on my pregnancy hormones, but Nethra seems to have the same feeling,” Ann said softly.
“I seriously don’t know why you guys feel that way about her,” I said shaking my head.
“Meera, I am not saying she is a bad person but she has a mean side that she does a good job of covering up,” Nate said softly.
“She is pretty reserved by nature so she is chirpy with a few people, doesn’t talk to some people, and I think that is totally fine,” I said softly.
“It’s not just that, she is snoopy too,” Nate said not letting it go and added looking at me, “When I talked to her at your birthday party, she wanted to know every single detail about you, it was very sneaky.”
“Nate, let it go,” I warned.
“She definitely is hard to read,” Ann declared and added, “It took me a while to figure out that she had a different face for different people.”
We heard a knock on the door at that moment and I said, “That’s enough for today. Your therapists are ready.”
“Come in,” Ann called out as Nate and Ann went back to lie on the massage tables.
“Ann and Nate, please keep this to yourself. No sharing with husbands for now,” I said in a cool voice and Nate and Ann nodded in agreement.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sam and Reetu announced later that day at dinner that they would like to get married before the end of summer. The family residence filled with cheers and tears of joy. Ann and I exchanged a look but smiled at each other without saying anything.
“You girls should go jewelry shopping,” Nick’s mom declared after dinner looking at Reetu, Ann, and me adding with excitement, “I will have Rhea deck you girls up with the latest jewelry.”
“Mom, I am good with the jewelry you bought me for my wedding,” Ann said smiling and I nodded and said, “Same here. We can go shopping with Reetu for her jewelry.”
“Sounds like fun,” Reetu cheered and added, “I barely have any jewelry, and I have been saving up some money for my wedding jewelry.”
“Reetu, I am going to get you all the jewelry because it is our family tradition that we get all the jewelry for the bride,” Nick’s mom said smiling at her.
Reetu smiled and said, “I can’t wait to go shopping with you guys,” and added, “I can go after work on Wednesday. Does that work for you guys?”
Ann pulled out her phone to check her schedule and said, “Sure, works for me. Does Wednesday work for you Meera?”
“I am sure it works for Meera as long as it works for Nick,” Reetu teased.
“I can go even if Nick has to stay back,” I said smiling not sure if the statement was a benign one or Reetu was hinting at something else. I told myself not to be influenced by how Ann and Nate felt about her.
“That’s great,” Nick’s mom cheered and added, “I will let Rhea know that she can expect you girls around six on Wednesday.”
*****
“Meera, I have a bad feeling about this,” Ann whispered as we headed to Rhea’s jewelry boutique with Mitch at the wheel.
“You mean about Reetu?” I whispered back and Ann nodded,
“I feel like I need to say something to Sam or talk to him to make sure he is sure about getting married, and that he is not under some kind of pressure,” Ann said clasping her hands together.
“I know Nick talked to him on Saturday, and he seems to think that Sam and Reetu are in a good place with their relationship,” I said softly.
“What was it that you noticed that concerns you?” I asked Ann when she did not say anything for a few minutes.
“I don’t see the love for Sam in her eyes,” Ann said looking at me and added, “like the love I see in your eyes every time you see Nick.”
I smiled at her and she continued in a soft voice, “Sam has always been attracted to strong women, but Reetu is more dominating and has been talking down to him lately.”
“Sam may actually be okay with her talking to him that way Ann,” I suggested in an attempt to alleviate her concern.
“Actually no, the more and more I think about it, a lot of things make sense,” Ann said deep in thought.
“Do you think mom noticed anything odd about Reetu?” I asked Ann and she immediately shook her head and said, “Reetu is a completely different person when mom is around.”
“Ann let’s give Reetu the benefit of the doubt for Sam’s sake, and let’s just hope she doesn’t hurt him,” I said in an encouraging tone.
“I am going to talk to him before this weekend because we are all supposed to go meet the priest that is going to pick an auspicious weekend for the wedding,” Ann declared.
“Let me know if I can help,” I offered and whispered to Ann, “Do you think Mitch might have a perspective? Do you think he will give us a perspective?”
Ann’s eyes widened and said, “I think we should. Mitch is a part of this family, and he has probably seen more than what we have seen.”
“Mitch, we have a question for you,” Ann said hesitantly.
“What is it Ann?” Mitch said looking in the rear view mirror briefly.
“Hang on, Ann,” I said interrupting her and whined, “Mitch, why can’t I get you to call me by my name when you address everyone with his or her name?”
“Ms. Nick, I have known you as Ms. Nick even before I met you so it’s hard for me to switch,” Mitch said laughing.
‘Whatever, Mitch,” I said rolling my eyes at him.
“What did you want to ask me, Ann?” Mitch asked in a casual tone.
Ann hesitated and said, “I am asking you this out of love for Sam, and I trust you to give me your honest response.”
“I understand, Ann,” Mitch said maintaining h
is cool tone.
“What do you think about Reetu?” Ann asked, as she cut to the chase.
“I have not had a lot of interaction with her so I am not sure if my opinion counts,” Mitch said in a professional tone.
“Mitch, you are trained to pick up on the slightest of the slightest nuances. What have you noticed about her that seemed odd to you? Anything?” Ann urged.
“I don’t have a lot but from the way she is, I can tell she has had a rough childhood and has a lot of trust issues,” Mitch said and added, “I was there the night Sam proposed to her. Sam was ecstatic when she accepted, but I did not pick up the same level of excitement from her.”
“Mitch, she was probably in shock. I was when Nick asked me after showing up unannounced,” I said giggling.
“Ms. Nick, that wasn’t the vibe I picked up that day,” Mitch said softly.
“Mitch, why didn’t you say something to someone?” Ann asked sounding annoyed.
“Sorry, Ann. It’s not my place, and I told Nick the same thing when he asked me about her last week,” Mitch said in a cool voice.
“Nick talked to you about Reetu?” I asked in surprise and wondered why he had that conversation with Mitch.
Mitch nodded and added, “I also told him that Sam and Ms. Reetu are no way like you and Nick.”
“Okay guys, stop talking about us like we are the most ideal couple. I am sure you know how badly we argued the other night,” I said looking at Ann.
“That’s part of life, Ms. Nick. You don’t argue with a person if you didn’t love or care for them,” Mitch added softly.
“I agree but what else do we need to know about Reetu?” I asked curiously.
“I know the only family she has is her uncle, aunt, and cousin, and I don’t have a good feeling about her cousin,” Mitch said in a soft tone.
“Mitch, we don’t care about her cousin. What else about Reetu?” Ann said sounding impatient.
“Well, this maybe nothing, but I feel like she doesn’t want us to know where she lives,” Mitch said in a flat voice.
“Wait, what?” Ann asked curiously.
“Roger has done most of the transportation for Sam, and he told me once that she is dropped off at her uncle’s house in the South Bay or she gets off at a park in her neighborhood and walks to her apartment,” Mitch said in a flat voice.
“I think that’s fine, Mitch. She is a reserved person so her preferences are hers, but have you seen anything that may be issues in the future for Sam and Reetu as a couple?” I asked.
“Ms. Nick, these are just my observations. They may not mean anything, but I thought that’s what you were asking for,” Mitch said in a calm voice.
“You are right Mitch. I don’t think we even know what we want to know about her,” Ann said sounding dejected.
“Ann, we should let this go,” I suggested.
“I agree, but I am going to talk to Sam before we go talk to the priest this weekend to set the wedding date,” Ann declared.
When Mitch pulled into the private parking area of Rhea’s boutique, there were no other cars. We wondered if Reetu was running late, but to our surprise, Reetu was already in the lounge area in the back of the boutique with Rhea. Reetu was checking out a heavy antique gold necklace as we approached her.
“Sorry, we are late. Mitch drives so slow,” I said laughing as I put my arms around Rhea and added, “Good to see you, girl.”
“Good to see you too, Sam and Ann,” Rhea said smiling at us.
“Is Sam here?” Reetu said jolting on the couch.
Rhea giggled and said, “Sorry about that. I meant Sam as in Sameera.”
“Oh, I didn’t know people called you Sam,” Reetu said with surprise and mocked, “How much jewelry have you bought that you know Rhea that well?”
“So, Sam started off as my best friend, then my model, and now my best client’s daughter-in-law so we knew each other long before she purchased jewelry from me,” Rhea said in a stern but cool tone.
“Oh, I did not know that,” Reetu said visibly surprised and asked curiously, “How did you guys meet, and Meera is a model?”
Rhea smiled at Reetu and said, “I think that’s enough about Sam and me. I have been tasked by Mrs. B to have you pick out three necklaces with matching earrings before you leave here. We have to work on that first.”
Ann and I exchanged looks, and I wondered if Ann was thinking what I was thinking. I realized Reetu wanted to know everything about everybody, but is very private with her stuff. I wondered if that’s what had ticked Nate.
Reetu picked out an antique yellow gold necklace set with matching earrings for the wedding and set aside a delicate diamond necklace for the reception declaring she was done shopping for the wedding.
“Reetu, Mrs. B said three items or more,” Rhea insisted.
Reetu smiled and said, “I want to get something for Sam, I mean for Samraat for the wedding. What do you have for men?”
Ann and I looked at each other guilt struck when we realized that she was thinking about him when she could have picked out another piece of jewelry for herself.
“That is very sweet of you, Reetu,” I said smiling at her.
“Hey, I can’t top what you gave Nick as a wedding gift,” Reetu teased.
I looked at her with a puzzled expression and she said, “I mean the chain that you gave him for your wedding. I think it’s amazing that it lasted for all those years without getting damaged.”
“Oh, yes. It’s been in our family for so long, and I didn’t really know the connection between the families until recently. I think it is where it belonged all along, and Nick actually likes wearing it,” I said smiling at her.
“Do you like the one that I made for you, Sam?” Rhea asked with excitement.
“Yes, I do and it’s perfect,” I said to Rhea.
“You mean you made a replica of the chain that Nick wears around his neck?” Reetu asked curiously.
“Yes, fully hand crafted, and it took us a while to get the right composition of the metal so it lasts for decades like the original one,” Rhea said with pride.
“Perfect, I would like one for Sam for the wedding. Could you make me an exact same one with the antique gold?” Reetu asked with excitement.
“I unfortunately can’t,” Rhea said flatly looking at Reetu and added, “Nick filed a design patent for that chain. The unique handmade internal links and the metal composition made it so unique that the patent was approved, and even if we didn’t have the patent, it is not an easy task to make that chain.”
“C’mon Rhea, I need this for Nick’s brother, and I am sure Nick will be okay with it,” Reetu said looking at me and asked, “Can Meera authorize the order for the chain because she was the original owner of the chain?”
I looked at Reetu in shock as she put me in the spot, and Rhea came to my rescue and said, “Unfortunately, no. I am sorry, Reetu.”
Reetu was visibly upset and tears started to gather in her eyes.
“Reetu let me talk to Nick and see if we can have another one made,” I offered, as I felt bad for her.
“Sam, you are going to have to wear that sexy red dress that you wore on Saturday to get him to say yes,” Rhea teased and added, “I filed the patent myself, and the patent allows only three more such chains to be made and they can only be made for the next generation of Bhatia’s.”
“Rhea,” I scowled at her.
“I am sure you guys had more fun than we did on Saturday night.” Rhea continued to tease me until I finally shook my head with a serious expression on my face.
“Rhea, which way is your restroom?” Reetu asked as she got up from the couch.
“It’s through that door at the end of the hallway to your left,” Rhea directed her.
As soon as Reetu left the lounge area, Ann pulled me close to her and asked, “Did you see how she just manipulated you to ask Nick for the chain?”
I looked at Ann processing what she said as Rhea whispered curio
usly, “What are you guys talking about?”
I shook my head and said, “I will tell you later, Rhea.”
“Okay, why aren’t you two buying any jewelry?” Rhea complained.
“Rhea, didn’t mom buy me a necklace for our wedding just a few months ago?” I mocked Rhea.
“Wait, your mom did?” she asked in surprise.
“Not my Dallas mom, my mom here,” I said giggling.
Rhea, Ann, and I were laughing when we heard a phone ringing. We checked and it wasn’t our phones, and it felt like the phone was ringing from under the couch we were sitting on. I looked under the sofa and found a phone that was still ringing. The screen flashed the name ‘Roy Shankar’ and a picture of a man in his late twenties flashed on the screen. The picture was an up-close picture that showed the man’s broad shoulders and a distinctively curved scar cutting across one of his eyebrows.
“I think this is Reetu’s phone,” I said and added, “It probably fell off her lap when she got up to go to the restroom.”
The phone continued to ring, and the man’s face flashed on the screen multiple times as I held it in my hand.
Reetu came back from the bathroom rather shaken up and when I asked her if everything was okay, she said in a sad voice, “I am really counting on you to get that chain made for Sam as his wedding gift, Meera.”
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and said, “I am going to talk to Nick tonight,” and added handing her the phone, “We found your phone under the sofa, and someone has been trying to reach you.”
“Oh, thanks Meera,” Reetu said as she looked at the phone and grumbled.
“Hey, what’s the cool story behind the scar on his face,” I asked Reetu inadvertently.
“Oh,” she said taken back and added with a smile, “That’s my baby cousin who is supposed to pick me up from here, and the scar story is not that interesting.”
“That scar looked so interesting on the picture that flashed on the phone screen that I am pretty sure it had to be a Samurai story,” I said cheerfully.