by Van,P. G.
“First I need a glass of wine, and then I will call,” she teased after a few moments of silence.
He laughed getting up from the table. “Coming right up.”
Her hand trembled when she heard the ringing at the end of the line.
“Well, hello Varsha.”
“Hi, Rahul.”
“Is this a good time to talk?”
“Yes, only if you are calling to tell me you will give my daughter to me.”
She took a deep breath looking at Kris, fighting the need to say ‘Go to Hell’ and hang up.
“Myra needs an environment where people around her are happy.” She had a tough time maintaining a calm voice.
“What makes you think people around me are not happy?” he retorted.
“She needs to see her mother and father be happy if they are together.”
“I already told you, you can move here, and I will set you up with any kind of business you want, you can work on anything you like. Why won’t that make you happy?”
“How will that make you happy, Rahul?”
“What the heck do you mean?” His tone was acidic.
“I know…I know, Rahul. I know why our marriage failed.”
“And why is that?”
“You need a man in your life, not a woman. You did what was best for the family, but you are living a lie everyday.”
“Bullshit!!”
“Everything you did that seemed mean at that time were things you did to steer my life so I could be with someone else.” She paused when she heard the heavy breathing at the end of the line.
“Rahul, you are a good man. I made you feel more and more guilty by everything I did in hopes of saving our marriage. I am very sorry for putting you through all of that.”
“Varsha…stop!!” She instantly picked up the shift in his tone.
“You did everything you could so I could be with someone else, but you could have told me Rahul. I could have…”
“Varsha…please,” his voice was low as if he was straining to speak.
“Rahul, Myra is my life, and she is the best thing that happened to me. I will do what’s best for her even if we need to pretend to be a happy couple, but I know that will take a toll on both of us and eventually her,” she spoke in a calm yet stern tone.
“You don’t understand the situation here…,” he started to say and she interjected. “How long will you go on like this?”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do. I need you to be happy and be there for Myra when she needs you.”
“I can’t do this…if you are calling to tell me the same thing you have been telling me all along, then this conversation is over.” She sensed dejection in his voice.
“I will bring Myra to India if you promise to tell everyone who you really are once the elections are done.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know why you need Myra, rather why your father needs our child, and as her father, if you think that’s the best thing to do, I will go to India and go to the rallies with her.” Her voice blared through the quiet night.
“No…that’s not what…,” he was struggling to speak.
“Why else do you need our child, Rahul? How is this in her best interest?” The protective mother resurfaced.
There was enough pause in the conversation for her to start wondering if he had hung up. “You don’t have to go to India, Varsha.”
“Rahul, what about you? How long can you go on like this? How can I help?”
“I’ll be fine…I need to go now.”
‘Before you go, there is one more thing I need to tell you.”
She continued when he responded with silence. “I’m engaged, Rahul.”
“What? Oh wow…when did this happen?”
“I got engaged a few weeks ago, and I trust my fiancée to take care of Myra.”
“I’m happy to hear that, I am very relieved. Thank you!!”
“You need to thank my fiancée for that, it was his idea to tell you about our engagement.”
“Oh…how did you meet him?”
She smiled looking at Kris. “That’s a long story, but he is a decent guy.”
“Congrats, Varsha!!”
“Thanks, Rahul. Where do we go from here?”
“I’ve caused enough chaos already, and I can’t put my child through this, I will withdraw my case,” he declared.
“What?” She was in disbelief.
“Yes, you’ve done a fine job of taking care of her, and I know you will going forward.”
“Rahul, she is your daughter whether you have the legal custody or not.”
“I know. Who is the guy you are getting married to?”
“You know him, Rahul.”
“Is it Kevin?”
She took a deep breath smiling at the man that looked at her with pure admiration in his eyes.
“It’s not him. Kevin is a very good friend, and I know you hoped I would be with him.”
“Kevin liked you Varsha. So it’s not him?”
“No, it’s Kris.”
“Kris who?”
“Your roommate from college.”
“Holy shit!! You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Yes, small world.” She smiled at Kris.
“Is that why he cancelled my contract?”
“Well, you kind of were being an ass.”
He laughed taking her by surprise. “This is surreal.”
“Are you mad?”
“Varsha, no. I am very happy for you. Kris is a great guy.”
“Thank you!!”
“Wait, so you are the woman that made him move from New York?”
She blushed wondering how he found out about them.
“Umm…”
“You are the one taking care of his sister’s child?”
“Yes.”
“I feel bad for doing this to you. I’m sorry, Varsha.”
“Rahul, please take care.”
“You too, Varsha. Goodbye.”
She ended the call and looked at Kris in disbelief. “I can’t believe I had that conversation with him.”
“He was messed up, but I knew he was a good guy; one of the reasons I invested in his company.”
“Kris, he is going to withdraw his case for Myra’s custody. How did this happen?”
“It’s the timing, sweetheart.”
“What did you do?”
“I did nothing. You were the one that talked to him and got him to think and reason with himself.”
“Don’t give me all the credit, Kris. I know how much time you put into this.”
“All I did was speak to him earlier tonight and told him Rohan was going to work with him as my representative to get the contract extended.”
“Oh my gawd, are you going to set him up with your cousin?”
“I was hoping for the shift in mindset, and it was a way to cause the shift.”
“Interesting…I’m impressed.”
“Impressed enough to get married to me?” he mocked as she sat on his lap.
“Maybe.” She took her lips to his feeling the strain being sucked out of her body and relief take over.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“They are here? In San Francisco?” Meena asked in disbelief when her sister told her that their parents were visiting. They had called Varsha on Friday about visiting them over the weekend.
“Yes, and they want to see you, too.” She cheered.
“I don’t believe it. They are up to something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Meena. They are just meeting us so mom can have pictures to post online and have her friends tell her how great she looks and that she looks more like our sister than our mother.” She rolled her eyes laughing.
“I can’t believe we are their daughters. Do you think we were adopted?” Meena asked laughing.
“I wonder all the time about it, too,” she giggled at her sister’s comment.
“
Are you going to tell them about Kris?”
“Oh yeah, they are coming to my house where I live with my fiancée. They better be prepared to handle it,” Varsha declared.
“I will have 911 on speed dial in case someone has a heart attack.”
“They will be shocked if they cared enough about us, Meena.”
“You are going to freak them out for sure.”
“I’ve given them enough already. I think they’ll be fine.”
“True, you were their golden child until I intervened and kicked your ex’s ass,” Meena giggled.
“Yes, you did and if you had not done that, I don’t know if I would have ever gotten out of it.”
“Scary!!”
“Yes, I can’t even imagine being in that relationship now that I know what it means to be in a meaningful one,” she said softly.
“Will you tell them about Rahul?”
“I won’t go out of my way to discuss his sexual orientation, it’s not up to me to tell them.” She shrugged.
“Dinnertime is going to be so much fun,” her sister declared stirring the curry.
“Yup. You keep doing what you’re doing, and I will see you in about thirty minutes,” she squeaked with excitement.
“You’re really enjoying this whole baby phase, huh?” her sister observed.
“I love it, Meena.” She had too much to think about when Myra was a baby, but she loved being a baby mommy again, and knew she would have a tough time going back to work.”
“You need to talk to Kris about becoming a stay-home mom,” her sister teased.
“I’m sure he’ll love that. I don’t know what I would do once the kids are older.”
“You can have more kids,” she suggested sarcastically.
“Right!! Great idea. That’s what Kris wants too.”
“You guys have your hands full, and you are talking about more kids,” her sister snickered.
“Not me, him,” she said just as Kris stuck his head through the patio door.
“What did I do now?” he chuckled.
“Meena thinks we need to have more kids.” She stuck her tongue out at her sister as she headed upstairs.
“You should listen to your sister,” he called out from the kitchen.
*****
Varsha watched from the kitchen setting up for dinner as Kris and her brother-in-law, Varun, made polite conversation with their parents. Meena left the family room under the pretext of watching the kids when she couldn’t bear the disapproving looks she was getting from their mother.
Meena believed in simplicity and her fabric of choice was always cotton while their mother was all about silks and georgettes. Their mother always had an issue with Meena refusing to wear anything glittery even as a little girl.
Their mother and father arrived at six and picked a spot on the sectional and had not moved from that spot in the past couple of hours. They smiled when their grandkids came into the room but did not make any attempts to converse with them or take them into their arms.
“Meena, I need your help,” Varsha called out to her sister who came downstairs moments later grumbling.
“I can’t bear to be in the same room with them for one more minute,” she snarled.
“Just tell yourself you’re a better person.”
“It’s unbearable. They met their grandkids for the freaking first time and all they get is a smile?”
“Easy Meena. They are leaving tonight.”
“Why show up if they are not interested in talking to us or our kids?”
“Remember, we agreed years ago they are weird; almost alien because they don’t seem to have the human bonding that normal people have.” She laughed.
“Do they know Kris is your fiancée?” Meena whispered.
“They didn’t ask me, and I didn’t tell them.”
“I’m sure mom noticed the floating rock on your finger.”
“It doesn’t matter. I will tell them before they leave and invite them to attend our wedding.”
“Please don’t…please don’t invite them to your wedding. I can’t even breathe properly if that woman keeps analyzing my every move.”
She laughed at her sister’s impression of how their mom had taught them to hold a polite smile on their face at all times.
“Dinner is ready,” Varsha called out to the group in the family room.
“Did you hire help for tonight’s meal,” her mom asked in her standard polite snobbish tone making her way to the kitchen.
“Ma, Meena is an excellent cook. She cooked everything herself,” Varsha retorted.
“I don’t see the need to do something yourself when you can get help.” She shook her head.
“It’s her passion. She enjoys cooking and is good at it. No hired help can cook as well as she does!!” She didn’t feel like ending the conversation and was ready to continue the argument if her mom continued in her usual tone.
She was glad her mom chose to end the conversation. “Meena, I need to go feed the baby. Why don’t you guys get started with dinner?”
“You already fed Myra,” her mom observed.
“Ma, I have another baby. She is sleeping.”
Her mom gasped so loudly the men heard her from the dining area.
“Everything okay?” Kris was the first one to show up in the kitchen.
“How did you have another child when your husband is in India?”
“My ex-husband, Ma. I am divorced.” Her voice blared catching her dad’s and Varun’s attention.
Everyone stood staring at Varsha as she spoke to her mother. “I have moved on, Rahul has moved on, and you two need to make peace with the fact that I am engaged to be married again. Kris is my fiancée.”
“What rubbish!!” Her dad spoke up.
“Look what these girls have done. Varsha, how could you have a child out of a wedlock?” Her mother was visibly upset.
“Do I need to give you a biology lesson now?” Varsha snarled at her mother.
“That’s enough, take it easy Varsha. Can we all go sit at the dining table?” Kris interjected calmly.
“I don’t have time for them, Kris. I need to feed Nikki.”
“Bring her downstairs, and you can bottle-feed her,” Kris suggested gesturing the group to settle down at the dining table.
“I will go check on the kids,” Meena said and followed Varsha upstairs. “Varsha, I love you so much for standing up to her. I eloped because I knew I couldn’t do that.”
“I need to keep my cool, Meena.” She shook her head.
Ten minutes later, Varsha sat next to Kris holding the infant in her arms.
“Why are you two here?” she asked impatiently.
Their parents exchanged looks and finally her dad spoke up. “We want you to re-consider getting back with Rahul.”
“Oh, the same guy that got married a day after the divorce and who is technically still married?”
“His wife was a bad match for him. You are the right match, and it’s best for the child to have a father,” her father declared.
“The child’s name is Myra, and she has a father. Kris is her father.”
They both gasped in unison and looked utterly confused. Her dad recovered a few moments later and said, “Please consider moving to India with Myra.”
“I’m not moving. Why are you guys insisting on me moving back when Rahul is fine with it? I spoke to him a few weeks go and told him everything.”
“He is stupid, he is so madly in love with you, he agreed to whatever you asked for,” her mom chimed in making Varsha laugh throwing her head back.
“He is not, he is not capable of loving a woman. This guy right here, he is the one madly in love with me.” She looked at Kris.
“How can you say that about Rahul? He loves you so much.”
“Oh my gawd, he does not. He cannot be in love with me. He is gay.”
Her parents were clearly taken aback but managed to recover quickly. “Stop making up stories Varsha.
He cannot be gay, you have a child with him.”
Meena gasped, Varsha looked at the ceiling in disgust. “Ma, I didn’t say Rahul was impotent, he is gay. He prefers men over women.”
“Do not say that anywhere, Varsha. That is a lie, and their family prestige will be tarnished if people hear these rumors.” Her father hushed.
Kris finally lost his cool. “Sweetheart, will you let me handle this?”
“Who are you to speak about our family matters?” her father retorted.
“He is my fiancée and the father of my children,” Varsha barked.
“Ok, easy. Calm down please.” She was amazed Kris was managing to stay calm.
“Kris, don’t waste your energy on them. They don’t care about people.”
“Rahul and I were roommates in college, and I am one of the investors in his company. I know Rahul is a good man, but Varsha is right he cannot be in a relationship with a woman.”
“They were married for seven years,” her mom chimed in.
“It was a hell hole, Ma. I lost seven years of my life. I should have run away from home just like Meena. Look at her, she is happy with a husband that adores her, and you still can’t accept what she did is right even after my failed marriage?”
“Varsha, it’s okay. Let it go.” Meena comforted her as tears of anger blurred her vision.
“That’s it. I’ve had enough,” Kris declared. “Mr. Neni, I will give you a contract comparable to what Rahul’s dad promised to give if you were to bring Myra and Varsha to India. Isn’t that the only reason you are here?
It was Varsha’s turn to gasp and look surprised. “ What are you talking about Kris?”
“Rahul told his father about withdrawing the legal case for custody and told him he wasn’t going to be part of his political campaign. Your parents are Plan B for getting Myra and you to go to India to paint the pretty picture.”
“Is that true?” Varsha was in disbelief. “This is another business deal for you?”
“We do this for you and your sister,” her father tried to reason.
“We don’t need the money, we need you as people. We need you to spend time with your grandkids,” she pleaded amidst the anger.
“It’s easy for you to say you don’t need the money because we have provided everything you ever needed. You don’t know the value of money,” her father retorted.