“Dharini is a child. She doesn’t know how the world works,” his father said.
Dharini made a squeak of protest.
“How could you do this to us?” His mother looked at him and started crying.
Rishi had had enough. Enough of his parents forcing his guilt. Enough of this crying for no reason. “Ma! I’m not doing anything to you. This is what I’m telling you. Besides, you would like Emma. She’s brilliant and kind. She loves your food. She’s everything you would want in a daughter-in-law.” The words had fallen out of Rishi’s mouth before he could grab them and shove each one back in.
It was way, way too early for that. He closed his eyes, soaking in the depth of what he’d just said. He’d resolved to be more truthful and not protect his family, so what could he say now? That they didn’t need to worry about her as a daughter-in-law? He couldn’t, because maybe they would.
“I told you,” his mother said, pointing at his father. “You said there was nothing, but I could tell. You said she’s a colleague only.”
Maybe it was too soon to have invited her home. But what was done was done.
“Look, I hadn’t planned for all this to happen this weekend. You would like her, too, if you gave her a chance. If you saw past tradition and religion and looked at her for the person she is.”
“She can’t be my daughter!” his mother cried out, burying her face in her hands. “Dharini will go to some other family, and Sona is no daughter to me. We’ll be alone and poor with no one to take care of us.”
“Mom, how could you think that?” Sometimes his mother jumped from A to Z instead of A to B.
“Listen, we need to think about Rishi’s happiness,” his sister said. “Isn’t this all because of me? And what Sudhar did? Don’t punish Rishi.”
Their parents stared at her like she’d officially gone crazy.
“Thank you, Dharini. You’re right. She might be from a different place and a different culture, but you should look at this as an opportunity to learn from her. You can learn new traditions. And make new rituals. So can she. She can learn our ways too.”
“I’ve seen exactly what someone from outside our culture does to my sons. I don’t need to see it again. I won’t!” His mother shook her head and walked out to the porch. His dad followed. Rishi could hear his father’s whispered consolation through the open door in between his mother’s sobs.
He got up to follow them, but his sister pulled at his arm. “You need to give them time.”
One thing that his mother needed to see was that Sona was not a source of evil. That her family had been affected, too, by her uncle. Yes, it had been a big mistake to trust him, but his parents couldn’t keep living without Sudhar in their lives. They needed to see that while one bad thing had happened, Sudhar was living a good life; he was happy and had a baby. Surely this had to help them all.
And if Rishi was going to stop covering up reality for his parents, they needed to embrace reality too. And that meant finally bringing the family together.
CHAPTER 41
One week. Emma had been back in the office a week. And had tried to get her mind back into work mode, a mode that wasn’t coming easily. Even though they’d launched the first iteration of the app for pilot testing, and it had been really successful, nothing seemed that exciting, not even the app with all the cool features she’d been advocating for—a game, hidden Easter eggs, the works.
How could anything be exciting when she felt like she was destroying Rishi’s relationship with his family?
Preeti stood in the conference room they were using to test the code, the door open, her face in a faint blue glow from the computer monitors.
“Emma!” Preeti shouted when she saw her, and she waved her over. “I’ve been waiting to get you alone. You’ll never believe it!”
“What? What is it?” Emma hurried inside the conference room.
A shy smile danced across Preeti’s lips. She looked around and leaned toward Emma, grabbing onto her arm. “I found someone. I’m engaged.”
“Congratulations!” Emma hugged her friend and couldn’t help but think that, thank God, Preeti would finally get to kiss a boy. “Tell me about him.”
“He lives in Bangalore, and he’s also a programmer. But he’s very nice and very smart.”
“And handsome?” Emma said with a wink.
“Yes, and also good looking.” Preeti gave her a sly grin. “I hope you’ll come to our engagement ceremony. It’s in a few weeks.”
Now there was an engagement ceremony she could get on board with. “I would be honored!” Emma headed toward her desk and was on the verge of tears. Happiness for her friend mixed with her thoughts about Rishi.
If Rishi and Emma were together, would he constantly miss his family? Would he always wish he’d had a traditional marriage? He hadn’t spoken to his parents since they’d been back in Bangalore.
Back in her office, Emma tried to focus on her work, but the code on the screen turned and swirled around like constellations dancing in the night sky. She’d start down one path of code, and her thoughts would migrate from work to Rishi. Distracted again and again.
Her feelings were half fit together, and the rest a mess. Rishi. Love. Marriage. His parents.
Life without Rishi. Rishi’s life without his parents. She didn’t want a life without him.
Her head sagged in her hands over the keyboard. She wasn’t getting anything done. The twisting, sick feeling inside her overtook all thought, consumed her with its weighty pull.
An idea jutted its way through the mess of emotions. If his parents were that worried about Dharini getting married and being able to find the perfect husband, then maybe Emma could help. She had a perfect algorithm that could find a man who matched not only Dharini’s criteria, but also his parents’. And it could find someone who not only was perfect but wouldn’t judge the family by an older brother’s mistake or by whomever Rishi might marry.
She just needed to plot with Rishi to find out what to include, and they could have some potential matches custom made for his sister. Surely that would show his parents that she could help their family and wasn’t completely foreign to their traditions just because she was a foreigner.
She rushed over to Rishi’s desk and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, a curious look on his face. “Yes?”
“I have an idea,” she said.
“Okay, about . . . ?”
“I’m going to revamp the marriage code. But this time for Dharini. I feel like it could help your parents, you know, like me.” Maybe that was a stretch this early on. “Or maybe, at least tolerate me?”
Like a light had switched on behind Rishi’s eyes, they seemed to glow. “Hey, that’s not a bad idea. It could help lessen the stress of finding someone for Dharini.”
“That’s what I was thinking. We’ll just address each roadblock as it pops up.” She got out her notebook. “Okay, I need some information from you, and Dharini, of course. I know we’ll use the same cultural attributes as yours, but her guy will also have to love animals, from what you’ve told me. And be open minded. What did you say before? Traditional yet modern?”
He shook his head and got out his phone, searching for Dharini’s name. “Who knows what my little sister wants. We can call her.”
“Great. Let’s do it.” Emma was ready to do anything to get into his parents’ good graces. Or at least out of their bad ones.
“When the web crawl is done, what do you think about another weekend visit to Madurai?”
Emma stared into space, considering. It meant another weekend of his parents staring at her suspiciously, making her feel like an evil temptress from some alien planet. And every word they spoke in Tamil seemed like it was about her. But that’s what she’d signed up for, wasn’t it? “I guess that’s the only way this is going to work.”
“I just want them to see how hardworking you are and how you’ve done all this just for them. To show them you care about their happin
ess, and Dharini’s.”
“You think the marriage code 2.0 is going to do that?”
“I have a few other ideas as well. Consider this phase one. We have a little more prepping to do.”
CHAPTER 42
Rishi knocked on the door of his family home for the second time in a month. His mother couldn’t say that Emma wasn’t bringing them together more often, at least. Dharini answered the door, and even though it was almost eleven, he could tell she’d just woken up by that half-lidded, cloudy gaze he knew so well.
“Haven’t had your coffee yet, sis?” He patted her on the head. It was so easy to do when she was so much shorter. But she’d always be his little sister, even if he was finding her a husband.
She shook her head, an annoyed look on her face. The smell drifting out from inside the house, cumin and chili and turmeric, wafted toward Rishi; his stomach growled. He’d only eaten a few idlis this morning, saving space in his stomach for his mom’s cooking.
Dharini peeked around him and said hello to Emma, who was at the far end of the patio, as if she were afraid a tiger was going to leap out of the room and get her. If the situation weren’t so serious, he’d laugh that Emma was intimidated by his parents, while he was certain his parents were terrified of her.
Emma smiled and waved at his sister.
His mother came into the hall. “Hello, Rishi.” Well, at least his name was still allowed to be spoken in the house. The first time he’d texted to say he and Emma would be coming this weekend, she hadn’t replied. Then he’d called her, strategically arranging with Dharini beforehand to make sure his mother actually picked up the phone. They couldn’t refuse a guest. They couldn’t refuse their son.
Yet, at least.
“Hi, Amma.” He bent down and touched her feet, showing the respect he still had for her. Showing that her rituals were not dead.
“Emma, she’s not going to bite you,” he whispered. “Come on.” He waved for her to join him. She came to his mom as well and bent down on the floor, following Rishi’s gestures. His mother stood shell shocked, her mouth open, looking from Rishi to Dharini and then back to Emma. Because she had to, she uttered a blessing in Emma’s direction. He tried not to smile. His plan was coming together perfectly. Well, so far.
His mom turned around and walked toward the kitchen. “See, it’s working!” Dharini whispered.
Emma’s eyes were wide in question as she looked at his sister. Even though Rishi had explained how they showed respect to their elders and answered Emma’s hundred questions about the custom, even practiced it, pretending her sofa was his parents, he could tell she was still overwhelmed.
“Relax.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be fine.”
“I hope so. Otherwise . . .” She swallowed and released his hand as his mother came out of the kitchen. What was the “otherwise”? He didn’t have a chance to ask her because his mother was coming toward them with a tray of four coffees.
She set them on the table in the middle of the room. “Your father is out at the store.”
They all sat down and drank their coffee, staring at one another in silence. Rishi, stunned that his mother hadn’t yet pulled him aside and reprimanded him. Dharini, silently giggling to herself about what she was witnessing. His mother, confused at what to do about this foreign girl who was acting like Rishi’s cousin or, dare he say, like a potential bride.
“The coffee is delicious,” Emma said in Tamil. The handful of words that Rishi had taught her. Kaapi romba nalla irruka. And “The food tastes good.” Saapad romba nalla irruka.
Even though she’d only learned a total of five words in his native tongue, his mother faltered with her coffee, looking at Emma like she was some kind of creature. A polite creature, but strange nonetheless. His mother’s glance volleyed back to Rishi like he was the Dr. Frankenstein who’d created her.
“See, Ma, she’s learning Tamil.”
“And she found me those matches,” Dharini added.
His mother had never been stunned speechless like this before. He hoped this wasn’t the moment before she clutched her chest and fell on the floor. Or reached for a bottle of aspirin. Or said a prayer before passing out.
“Ma, say something.” Rishi shook his head at her.
She blinked more than a few times, like she was considering what to say. She didn’t look at Emma, but to Rishi she said, “It’s very nice.”
He didn’t want to ask what “it” was, for fear that she was referring to Emma, but probably it was the searching or the learning Tamil or the showing of respect. Maybe all three. Rishi smiled at Emma to let her know everything was okay, and she took a sip of her coffee, the look of worry fading from her face.
“So, how did the matches turn out?” he asked Dharini.
“One is very good. Another also good.” She tilted her head in approval, a knowing smile on her face. “One boy, Rohin, his family has a golden retriever.”
“Nice. So you found a dog lover.”
“The other one says he’s always wanted a dog.”
“Either way, it looks like a puppy could be in your future,” Emma said.
“Yes, thank you. I can’t imagine two better guys.”
“I’m hurt. Deeply,” Rishi said, his hand over his heart.
“You are the best guy. I’m sure Emma agrees.”
“Emma agrees with what?” His father’s voice came from the door.
They all turned to look at the same time. “Emma agrees that Rishi is a good guy, Appa,” Dharini said, staying strong. He was proud of his sister. Those years he’d been forced to help change her diapers were all worth it today.
“Everyone is sitting around having coffee together?” His dad studied the scene, his eyes settling on his mother, obviously wanting an explanation.
“They came, Emma showed her respect, is speaking Tamil . . .” His mother stood and threw up her arms, like she was helpless in the face of so much respect. She walked into the kitchen, muttering to herself.
Rishi’s father eyed him with a look that Rishi could only shoot back at him. In Tamil, Rishi said, “Emma’s here to talk with you. So you can get to know her. She found the matches for Dharini. It’s important you know that she’s supportive of our cultures and traditions.”
His father exhaled through his nose and, likely remembering Emma was still a guest, nodded toward her. “Hello, Emma.”
“Hi, uncle.”
“Excuse me.” His dad walked into the kitchen, and Rishi followed him.
“Mom, Dad, there’s something you need to understand.” Both looked at him. “Emma is here because she wants to get to know you. She found matches for Dharini because she cares about this family. We knew there would be some good families with a modern outlook who would understand what happened with Sudhar was not our fault, so we found them. I want her in my life, and more importantly, she wants you in her life too. She doesn’t have parents, and it’s important that you are kind to her.”
His parents both studied him, their faces inscrutable. “The matches were good,” his mother said, nodding.
“What happened to her parents?” his dad asked.
“Traffic accident. When she was eight.”
His father made a sympathetic noise with his tongue. “So young.”
“Poor thing,” his mother added.
“See? This is why it is important that you are kind to her. And she is trying to be very kind to you.”
Rishi didn’t know if it was because his parents were tired of being upset or worried they’d lose another son, or if the potential matches for Dharini had placated them, but they dropped the subject. “Dharini, Emma, saapda vaanga!” his mother called out. Just like that. Like it was a normal lunch on a Saturday. And then they all came together to eat.
Emma searched Rishi’s face, and as he handed her a plate, she whispered, “What the hell is happening?”
He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, you’re doing great.”
His
mother came around as they sat at the table and dished out a mountain of rice, sambar, gently spiced and crispy cauliflower and potatoes, and his favorite eggplant sautéed to the point of melting. Emma took a photo, and his dad stared at her, but he could have sworn there was a hint of an amused smile creeping into that frown.
His mother laughed in the doorway and walked back to the kitchen to finish frying the popadams. “I’m sure she thinks it’s like food paparazzi. You’ve elevated her food to celebrity status.”
Then, as she took a bite, of course Emma moaned. “It’s just so good!” she said to his dad; he looked back at her, dumbfounded, then at Rishi, who just shrugged back. Between bites, Emma leaned toward the kitchen and shouted, “Auntie, saapad romba nalla irruku.”
His mother just laughed. She wasn’t used to having her food fawned over. Maybe their family took her cooking skills for granted. “It is really good, Mom.” He wanted to add, even moan-worthy, but that would have been pushing it.
What was important was that they weren’t attacking him for bringing Emma to the house. They seemed amused by her, if anything. Maybe they thought this was all a temporary thing that would fade in the future, but for now, it was as good as he could hope for.
Now that phase one of Rishi’s plan for his family to accept Emma had been put into action, it was time to start on phase two: bringing his family back together. It had been too long. Senselessly long, and for no reason.
CHAPTER 43
Emma couldn’t believe that Rishi’s parents had seemed okay with her. Like, actually tolerated her. She had no idea what a future would look like with them or what would happen, but at least she had eaten some good food, supported Rishi, and really, she’d enjoyed herself. Yes, it was painful not understanding 75 percent of what was said. And yes, she had to smile and act like she wasn’t dying to know if they were talking about her, but walking through the town with his family and feeling part of something bigger than just herself—well, that was comforting. And something she’d missed.
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