Namaste New York: A Novel

by Vijay Kumar & Victoria Kapoor

  Chapter 12

  Kaveri, Vijay, and Lucky didn't realize how the night had passed them by as they recounted all of these memories. When Vijay's mother awoke, she'd found them in the living room talking.

  "Did you not sleep? You have a big day in front of you!" Vijay's mother scolded. She was in disbelief. Young people, she thought.

  "That's why we couldn't sleep," Vijay replied. His mother muttered to herself and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast.

  "So what happened next?" Kaveri asked Vijay, lazily covering her mouth as she yawned.

  "Hina stayed with Carrie for a few days and then rented a small place using the funds from her fellowship until she completed her masters. And as I'm sure you are aware," Vijay smiled, gesturing at her fianc?, "Lucky completed his MBA and got a good job here, but he moved to India after a few years to take care of his parents. I completed my PhD and started working as a researcher," Vijay explained.

  "And what about Raj?" Kaveri asked.

  Vijay laughed. "Stick around here for a few days and you'll probably catch him on TV or see him in a magazine. He's a pretty famous chef here in New York, and he gets interviewed a lot. Raj and Carrie do a lot of charity work with a foundation that's trying to eradicate polio from the remote areas in Pakistan. It's important to them to honor Raj's father's and his dream."

  "So did Aisha accept him finally?" Kaveri inquired eagerly.

  Vijay looked wistful and shook his head. "No, she'd didn't. Hina's father had heart disease, and he just recently passed away from his third heart attack. I think because he'd been ill for so long, no one wanted to upset him. Aisha was able to talk to Hina once or twice on the phone since Hina left the house. She told Hina that she thought it was best to honor her marriage. Hina's dad wasn't a bad man. He was just born in a different time, with different values, but he'd been faithful to Aisha and to their marriage, and she didn't want to hurt him by betraying his belief about their life together, and about her life before him. Hina and I also decided that we would postpone our marriage until after his death out of respect."

  Lucky had closed eyes and was trying to get a quick nap, and he'd begun to snore.

  "Oh, really? And what did your mother say about all this?" Kaveri whispered.

  "My mom loves Hina, even more so because she's so loyal to her beliefs. Mom appreciates Hina's dedication to her faith. She's cool with everything," Vijay laughed. Just then, Shobha walked into the room and asked everyone to take a shower and get ready for breakfast before the wedding guests started to arrive. The house had three full bathrooms, so the morning rituals went rather smoothly and everyone was ready on time.

  The wedding had been planned with both Hindu and Islamic traditions in mind. Since the ceremony was taking place in the U.S., most of Vijay's middle-class relatives hadn't made the trip, and no one in Hina's family had shown, despite the fact that Vijay had insisted that Hina send them an invitation. He didn't do so out of spite, but out of concern that if Hina didn't at least try to extend an olive branch and make amends with her family, she'd always regret it. In the end, the wedding was a small ceremony by Indian and Pakistani standards, attended mostly by close friends, colleagues, and their families.

  Vijay's house had a huge, landscaped backyard, so they'd decided to hold the religious ceremonies at the house and then have a wedding party the next day in New York. An events team had set up for both ceremonies the day before, so that when the wedding planner and her assistants arrived at 9 am on the day of the ceremonies, they only had to double check the placements and details. The Islamic nikah was planned first, before noon, and the Hindu vivaha was planned for later in the afternoon.

  As per Vijay's family traditions, he was not allowed to see Hina for the five days leading up to his wedding day, which is why Hina was not able to attend his award ceremony the night before. Raj had agreed to take care of all of the food arrangements, and he and Hina were both disappointed that they couldn't be with Vijay for such a prestigious event, but Vijay had insisted that they maintain tradition, as it would have been important to his dad. Raj grumbled about it, because he'd been so proud of Vijay's academic accomplishments, but had ultimately relented. He'd asked Carrie to stand in for him and accompany Vijay and his mother to the ceremony, so that he'd be able to focus on the wedding preparations, and she'd been more than happy to oblige. Vijay and Hina were far more important to Raj than any snooty food critic from The New Yorker, and he wanted to ensure that everything was prepared to perfection. He'd stayed up all night making sure that every appetizer, main course, and dessert met his strict standards.

  Vijay was in his bedroom, the room he would soon share with his new wife. He was alone, and the noise and bustle around him faded away for a few moments. Vijay sat quietly on the edge of the bed, meditating. As he brought his focus back to the present, he thought of his father, wishing he were alive to witness this beautiful milestone in his life. His father would have been proud of his award from the other night, but he would have been even prouder to see Vijay become a man and take this step, risking his heart for the woman he loved. Vijay had been young when his father passed, but he was old enough to know that his parents had shared something special, and their relationship had always been an inspiration to Vijay. He'd always been sad that his mother had lost the love of her life at such a young age.

  Vijay stood up and began to dress. He wore the sherwani and the turban that Hina chose for him, and after he finished, he stood in front of the picture of his father and prayed to take his blessings. Vijay wondered what Hina was doing, and if she was also getting dressed at this moment. He couldn't wait to see her, and had dreamt of how beautiful he knew she would be. Vijay heard the doorbell, and someone downstairs greeted the guests that had started to arrive. Everyone had worn Indian style colorful dresses, and came bearing large and small gifts wrapped in beautiful gold and silver paper and ribbon. Taking one last glance at his father's photo, Vijay headed downstairs to see his friends and family.

  Raj was manning the kitchen and ordering around the assistant chefs when Carrie and Nadira arrived with Hina. As Hina's eldest brother, Raj was going to serve as her wali, or guardian, for both of the wedding ceremonies, but he had to make sure the kitchen was under control before he ran upstairs to change. Carrie spotted him in the kitchen and waived, and Nadira kept an eye out for Vijay as Carrie snuck Hina upstairs to the guest bedroom that would serve as her dressing room. Hina had chosen an exquisite long-sleeved, high-collared wedding gown adorned with thousands of crystal beads. She thought it complemented Vijay's sherwani, and hoped that he would like her in it.

  Raj was finishing the last of his instructions when Lucky bounded down the steps and into the kitchen. He and Kaveri had just been upstairs changing into formal wear themselves, and Lucky wrinkled his nose when he saw Raj. "Dude, you are wearing an apron to escort your sister in her wedding?"

  Raj looked up and grinned. "I could wear anything and still look better than you, you bastard!" He ran over to Lucky and threw his arms around him. "How are you? Where's the lucky girl?" Raj asked. Kaveri had followed Lucky into the kitchen and introduced herself.

  "Raj, so happy to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you," Kaveri said, offered her hand.

  "All good things, I hope?" Raj asked with a grin.

  "Absolutely," Kaveri reassured him. Raj grabbed Lucky in a headlock and mussed his hair.

  "Way to go, buddy," he whispered. "Looks like you are a lucky charm?and there's no question that she's magically delicious," Raj joked.

  Lucky struggled against Raj's hold. "Dude, I still do not get that joke. But it sounds dirty, and you should not talk about my fianc? like that," Lucky grumbled.

  Raj laughed and let Lucky go. "No offense. Seriously, man, it's so good to see you!" Raj embraced his friend again and Lucky smiled.

  Raj ran upstairs and changed, and just in time, because the nikah ceremony was about to start.
Vijay stood awaiting Hina's entrance, and when she appeared, Vijay struggled to breathe. In all of his dreams, he had never imagined that Hina would look so beautiful in her wedding gown. The material and the cut were stunning on her, but what Vijay admired the most was Hina's natural beauty. In many ways, she had looked just as stunning to him on the first day they'd met, when she was wearing casual school clothes and her hair had stubbornly kept peeking out from underneath her hijab. Hina's attractiveness was not about her makeup, which was always minimal, or the clothes she wore, which were always modest, but about an inner beauty that radiated outward whenever she spoke to Vijay or offered him one of her shy smiles. He was powerless against such true beauty, and he wished that Hina would offer him one of those smiles as she sat across from him. But Hina seemed to be distracted as the Imam started reading the Quran to both of them, her gaze returning repeatedly to the door that led from the house to the backyard.

  Hina finally noticed that Vijay, who was positioned across from her and behind a transparent curtain, was mouthing something to her. Initially she thought he was asking her to pay attention to the Imam, and she blushed and lowered her eyelids in embarrassment. But when she chanced another glance at Vijay, he motioned to something behind her. Hina turned around to see her mother sitting on the floor right behind her. Not caring that the ceremony was in progress, Hina hugged Aisha tightly, but she couldn't speak to her in front of the Imam. She turned her attention back to the Imam and Vijay.

  "Do you accept?" Imam said, asking for Hina's agreement for marriage.

  "Kabool," Hina replied in affirmation. The Imam asked the same question to both Hina and Vijay three times, and they both confirmed their readiness for marriage. The Imam then introduced the couple to the wedding guests as husband and wife, and congratulated everyone on the occasion of the marriage. The audience burst out in cheers and clapping, and Hina was overjoyed. She wasn't sure if she was more excited to finally be married to Vijay, or to see her mother for the first time in years, but she'd never dreamed that she could be this happy. Hina held on to her mother like a little girl while Aisha congratulated Vijay. After Aisha had shared her good wishes and spoken to Vijay and Lucky for a few minutes, she looked around the crowd.

  "Where is Raj?" she asked.

  "He was in the garden with Carrie, last time I saw him," Lucky replied. Aisha unwrapped her arm from her daughter's and excused herself. She briefly touched Vijay's arm as she walked away.

  Carrie noticed Aisha enter the gardens, and she smiled at her and left her alone with Raj.

  "Are you angry with me?" Aisha asked, approaching her son.

  Raj looked down and shook his head.

  "So why are you running away from me?" Aisha asked.

  "I don't want you to be embarrassed," Raj said, keeping his head down.

  Aisha saw tears welling up in her son's eyes, and she took his face in her hands. "I was never embarrassed about you. In fact, I was ashamed of myself for leaving you alone, not once, but twice. Can you ever forgive me? I am so proud of you, Raj. You remind me so much of your father." Aisha pulled Raj into her arms in front of all of the guests in the garden, no longer worried about what people might think. "If it's okay with you, I would like to get to know my son," Aisha said, her face pressed against Raj's chest.

  "But what about Shoaib?" Raj asked.

  Aisha sighed, taking a step back. "Shoaib chooses his own road in life, as we all do. As for me, I will not choose between my sons. I love you both, and I will continue to do so until the end of my days. It is up to Shoaib to decide if he can accept that, and if he can, I will be here, waiting for him at the end of his path with open arms. But I will never let anyone stand in the way of my relationship with you and Hina ever again. I am sorry I did not say this to you before, but I want to thank you for not giving up, Raj. Thank you for looking for me until you found me," Aisha said, hugging her son closely to her.

  Raj's tears kept falling as he hugged her back.

  "Hey," Aisha said, smiling through her tears. "Whenever I see you on TV and people talk about your cooking, I feel very proud. You should cook for me sometime. I want to eat the food made by my son."

  Raj smiled. "Have you tried the chicken tikka here?"

  Aisha laughed. "No, I haven't. Let's go make me a plate, what do you think?" Aisha linked her arm through Raj's and they headed back towards the house. Raj saw that Carrie was waiting for him at the door. "Who is that girl?" Aisha teased. "She is very pretty."

  "Oh! She's my friend, Carrie," Raj blushed, suddenly feeling shy.

  "Are you sure she is just a friend?" Aisha asked. The smile on Raj's face told her everything. Aisha walked up to Carrie and took her hands in hers. "May Allah bless you. Thank you for taking care of my son," she said before she walked into the house. Raj took Carrie's hand in his, and Carrie kissed him on the cheek.

  A few hours later, after the guests had complimented Raj on all the food, the Hindu wedding ceremony started. Vijay and Hina sat under the mandap, and Vijay smiled at his mother who was sitting nearby. Raj performed kanyadaan, a Hindu tradition usually performed by fathers giving away their daughters in marriage, and Hina and Vijay placed garlands around each other's necks.

  The guests watched as the traditional Hindu ceremonies ensued, and when the pandit finally announced them as husband and wife, the guests cheered, and Lucky jumped up to begin his job as deejay. He fired up the speakers, flooding the house and yard, and probably most of the neighborhood, with the loud, joyful sound of Indian Bollywood music. The wedding crowd slowly migrated to the middle of the yard and began to dance and sway to the music.

  Raj and Carrie stood on the perimeter of a large circle of friends and relatives, and Raj scanned the crowd for Vijay. Vijay was several yards away, twirling Hina around as she threw her head back in laughter. Raj caught Vijay's eye, and Vijay smiled and nodded, whispered to his new wife and excused himself. Together, Vijay and Raj walked over to where Lucky and Kaveri were standing, and motioned to the man next to him to take over Lucky's deejay responsibilities.

  "Come on, man!" Raj shouted over the music as he grabbed Lucky by the arm. "Let your friend take care of the music?just one dance!" Kaveri smiled and encouraged Lucky to go with his friends.

  Lucky reluctantly abandoned his post and followed as Raj dragged him further into the crowd. When the three boys reached the center of the impromptu dance floor in the middle of Vijay's yard, they stopped and looked at each other. For the first time in years, it was just the three of them, together again. Everything suddenly seem to fall away and the music faded into the background as the boys stood silent and motionless in a sea of twisting and gyrating bodies, their faces holding expressions that only they could read and understand. Raj nodded at Vijay, who in turn nodded his head to Lucky. Lucky's eyes filled with tears, and he wiped at them with embarrassment, but when he looked at Vijay and Raj, their eyes were also clouded with tears.

  Raj laughed. "Look at us! We're worse than a bunch of girls!" Lucky laughed and sniffled, and Vijay smiled. "No more tears!" Raj shouted. "This is Vijay's wedding!" He grabbed Lucky's arm, pulled it high above his head, and spun him around like a top before dipping him low in his arms.

  "Dude!" Lucky shouted, his face turning red as he lay bent over backwards in Raj's arms. "Stop it! Let me up!"

  Vijay burst into laughter and clapped his hands to the beat of the music. Raj set Lucky back on his feet, and Lucky made quite the show of straightening his clothes and feigning indignation, which only made Vijay laugh harder. He looked at Vijay and then made a face at Raj, but as hard as he tried, he couldn't maintain the act. Lucky grinned, and Raj grabbed him in a bear hug. Lucky hugged him back, and Vijay moved closer and put his arms around his two best friends, his two brothers. They had seen each other through years of life's ups and downs, and Vijay knew that no matter what happened or where they all ended up, nothing could break the bond that had been forged when
they'd first arrived in America as three poor Indian graduate students.

  When they finally released each other from the embrace, they saw that all the women had gathered around them. Carrie smiled at Vijay. "Any room for us in this little love affair?"

  The boys laughed with embarrassment and Hina and Vijay paired off, and Raj took Carrie into his arms. Lucky and Kaveri began to dance, and Aisha and Shobha began swaying to the music, and their laughter and joyful singing filled the air. The party would continue long into the evening hours, when the backyard took on an ethereal glow from the tabletop candles and the paper lanterns and the thousands of tiny white lights that were strung throughout the trees. Vijay smiled as he watched his friends eating and dancing. He'd had no idea when he came to America what fate had in store for him, the people he would meet, the acquaintances who would become his friends, and then his family. His work was important to him, and the award he'd won was a nice, professional nod to his research achievements. But as he looked around at the wedding party, he knew that no research breakthrough could ever make him feel the way he felt right now. These people - at one time, all strangers - had come together and created a family in this strange, exotic land, thousands of miles from India, and it was this accomplishment that Vijay was most proud of. He was suddenly overwhelmed with love for this new extended family of his, and as he pulled Hina into a warm embrace, he knew in his heart that nothing he had experienced before and nothing he would experience in the future would ever surpass the love and joy he felt in that moment.

  Afterward

  "Is she pushing? It does not sound like she is pushing," Lucky said, trying to peer through the door to the delivery room.

  "Lucky, come sit down and wait, like the rest of us," Kaveri admonished. "Vijay will come out and let us know what is happening as soon as he can."

  Raj was also pacing the hallway, while Carrie had taken a seat next to Kaveri and flipped through the latest issue of Vogue. Shobha and Aisha were sitting nearby, chatting nervously and sipping bitter, cold tea they had bought at a vending machine. The group had been there for several hours, and they were all a little anxious for the show to start.

  Suddenly the delivery room door swung open, and a scrub nurse appeared. She smiled amicably. "It's time. She wants you to come now."

  Lucky clapped his hands and jumped up from his chair, but Kaveri grabbed him by the shirtsleeve and yanked hard. "Lucky!" she hissed. The nurse giggled. "I'm sorry, sir. I was speaking to her mother and mother-in-law."

  "Oh, sorry, sorry," he said, bobbing his head and reluctantly taking his seat. Shobha and Aisha set their Styrofoam cups on the table and anxiously walked towards the delivery room. Before they could enter, Lucky again jumped up from his seat and ran over to the nurse.

  "Sorry, sorry, but could you make sure to tell the doctor that she needs to push? Push hard. And do not worry about the screaming. Women sometimes scream, and it is okay."

  The nurse seemed amused. "What is your name, sir?"

  "Lucky, ma'am."

  "Okay, Lucky. Dr. Rai has been delivering babies for about twenty years now, but I will definitely make sure to give her your advice."

  Lucky smiled triumphantly and nodded. "Thank you, ma'am!"

  Vijay appeared at the door wearing a pair of paper scrubs and a cap. He was sweating profusely, dark tendrils of hair plastered to his forehead. "The doctor said to come now."

  Shobha and Aisha pushed past him into the room, and then he followed. Aisha went to her daughter's bedside, took her hand in hers, and softly whispered encouraging words in her ear. Vijay stood on the other side of the bed, and Shobha stood next to him, proudly watching her son comfort his wife as she labored with her first child. Vijay wasn't as impressed with his ability to comfort, and he looked as though he might faint at any moment. It was at times like these that he realized that the "Dr." in front of his name was not helping him in the least. When he was a young boy, his instructors had been so impressed by his grades that they'd encouraged him to consider medical school. As a smart Indian boy from a middle class family, Vijay's options were limited: he could have studied to be an engineer or a doctor, and one class in zoology was all it took for Vijay to decide that he would make a terrible doctor. Now, standing in this hospital room and seeing his wife enduring the pain of labor only reaffirmed what he'd known long ago. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths, and then kissed Hina's forehead.

  "Okay, Hina, you're doing great. Just one or two more good pushes and we should be there," the doctor encouraged.

  Hina gave a loud cry, which startled Vijay. He'd had no idea that such a loud, horrible sound could come from his shy, tiny wife. Hina squeezed Vijay's hand and bore down with all of her strength.

  "And there he is! Hello, little man!" Dr. Rai exclaimed, cradling the slimy little boy in her hands.

  Aisha and Shobha wiped away happy tears as they admired their new grandson.

  "Okay, dad, do you want to cut the cord?" Dr. Rai looked at Vijay expectantly, but Vijay was a frozen bundle of nerves, and couldn't speak.

  "Come on, dad, it's not hard at all. I've clamped off the cord, and I just need you to cut right here in the middle. Don't be afraid to put some pressure on it; it's tougher than you would think."

  Vijay's hands shook as he reached for the scissors and cut the cord where the doctor had instructed. Dr. Rai laughed. "What is it that you do, Dr. Kumar?"

  "I'm a mechanical engineer," Vijay replied, his voice shaky as he stared in awe at his son.

  "Hmm. That's very good to know, Dr. Kumar, because you certainly don't have the hands of a surgeon."

  Dr. Rai handed the baby to the nurses so that they could clean him and do an Apgar assessment, then turned her attention back to her patient. "Okay, Hina, how are you feeling? Do you think you're okay? Are you ready? You can do this, you know."

  Vijay had been watching the nurse as she carried his son to the table, but now he spun around to look at the doctor and then at his wife. "What's happening?" he asked, his voice laced with fear. Hina still seemed like she was in a lot of pain. "Ready for what? What does she need to do? Is there something wrong?" Vijay was beginning to panic. Dr. Rai was not their regular OB, but he'd been called into an emergency surgery and had reassured Vijay that he had full confidence in Dr. Rai's skills.

  "She's fine, Dr. Kumar. But it's time."

  Hina was covered in sweat, and she was in obvious distress. Vijay knew something was terribly wrong, because he'd watched all of those health channel documentaries and the shows about the sixteen year-olds giving birth when they didn't know they were pregnant, and every time, once the baby was out, the women didn't seem like they were in pain anymore. Or at least they didn't care about it, because they were too busy fawning over their babies. But Hina wasn't paying any attention to her son's cries, and her breathing was jagged. Vijay was suddenly very afraid for his wife.

  Hina looked at the doctor and grimaced with pain. "He doesn't know," she panted.

  "Oh, really?" Dr. Rai raised her brows in surprise and shook her head.

  "Know what?" This time Vijay couldn't control himself. He looked at Shobha and Aisha, but neither of them seemed concerned.

  "Well, Dr. Kumar," Dr. Rai smiled. "I hope you have a strong heart. Or good insurance. Don't worry, our hospital has a wonderful cardiac intensive care unit," she said sarcastically.

  Vijay looked at the doctor like she'd lost her mind. "Please," he begged. "What's wrong with my wife? Please don't let her die!" Vijay could hear his son crying in the background and he wanted to go to him, but his focus now was on Hina.

  Hina reached up and grabbed Vijay's arm. "Vijay, it's okay. I'm sorry, it's just that you've always been the one to surprise me and I never get to surprise you. From the day?you gave me that card and the rose, and?then?" Hina couldn't talk through the pain that tore at her insides. She took short, shallow breaths. "When you came to the house and took
me away from my wedding?"

  The doctor jerked her head up and looked at Vijay, but he didn't notice.

  "I just?wanted?to surprise you, just once," Hina said, between staccato breaths.

  "Okay, Hina, I need for you to push. I need you to push hard, right now! Here we go!" Dr. Rai said.

  Vijay stood in shock as Hina again began to push, and suddenly a small cry pierced the silence, joining the other baby's cries in a chorus of wails.

  "Welcome to the world, little man," Dr. Rai said as she held the baby up and looked at Vijay. He looked unsteady, and then his face took on an unflattering greenish tint. Before he could make any sense out of what had just happened, he began to feel faint, and a nurse quickly helped him to the chair in the corner.

  "Vijay!" Hina cried out.

  Vijay sat for a moment and tried to control his dizziness. The nurse handed him a small cup of water, which he gulped down, and then he stood up on shaky feet and walked over to Hina, who was exhausted but glowing. Aisha reached over her daughter and squeezed Vijay's hand. "She wanted it to be a surprise. She was so happy when she found out that she wasn't giving you just one, but two sons!"

  By now, both babies had been tested and swaddled, and the nurse placed one of Vijay's sons in the crook of his right arm, and the other in his left. Vijay stared down at them in awe, counting their tiny fingers, making sure there were twenty fingers total. Hina reached up to touch her sons. Vijay gently laid them both down in her arms, then closed his eyes and placed his lips against Hina's forehead.

  "Do you have names chosen?" Dr. Rai had finished with Hina and took a moment to look at the babies.

  "Just Rahim," Vijay said. "I don't know how she kept this secret from me. I was here for her appointments and we went shopping for one baby?"

  Hina smiled. "I told our doctor that I wanted to keep it a secret, so he never said anything when you were here. And when he turned the screen to you during the ultrasounds, he made sure to focus only on the one baby. I tried to tell him that you were not doctor material, and that you wouldn't recognize two heads or four feet even if you saw them, but he said we should be careful not to ruin the surprise. After the way you cut the cord today, maybe she believes me now," Hina explained with a laugh.

  "But we only bought one crib, one changing table?" Vijay said, shaking his head at his crazy and amazing wife.

  "It's okay, Vijay. It's all taken care of," Hina said, smiling at Shobha and Aisha. "Mom, please bring me my hijab. I'd like for our friends to see the babies." Aisha nodded and combed her daughter's hair, then helped her with the hijab.

  "Vijay, I'm ready. Go get everyone." Vijay seemed reluctant to leave, stroking his wife's forehead and rubbing his son's puffy red cheeks. "They'll still be here when you get back," Hina promised.

  Vijay kissed Hina's cheek and went to the door. Lucky's nose was pressed against the glass, and he backed up when he saw Vijay coming towards him. "Alright everyone, come meet my sons," Vijay said, a huge grin plastered across his sweaty face.

  Lucky and Raj stopped in their tracks. "What? What did you say? Did you say son or sons? I thought you said sons!" Lucky asked excitedly. He turned to Raj. "Raj, did he say son or sons?" Raj shrugged and looked at Carrie, but Carrie and Kaveri were giggling.

  Lucky pushed past everyone and was the first into the room. He looked at Hina and the babies in her arms and took in a deep breath. "Two little mini Vijays!" he exclaimed. Hina smiled and looked down at both of her sons. "This is Rahim," she said, kissing the top of his head, "and this is Ram," planting a kiss on her other son's head.

  Lucky clapped. "Ram and Rahim! Just like the comic book! Excellent choice!"

  Hina laughed gently. "Yes, Lucky, just like the secret agents in the Indian comic book. But their names were fitting because Ram is a Hindu name and Rahim is a Muslim name. And yet my boys are brothers, and share the same blood. It's symbolic of all Hindus and Muslims. We are all brothers, and we must learn to love each other, and not hate what we don't understand." Aisha looked at her daughter with pride.

  "Fantastic! I will go out now and buy them copies of the books," Lucky said.

  Vijay chuckled. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Lucky, but it's going to be awhile before they can read."

  "They are the sons of Vijay and Hina," Lucky scoffed. "They will be doing multivariable calculus by the time they are three."

  Raj walked up to the bed. "Raj, why don't you hold Ram?" Hina said, gesturing at her baby.

  "Oh, no?he's so small," Raj said nervously.

  Hina exchanged a look with Carrie. "Go ahead, bhai," Hina laughed gently. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

  Raj tentatively reached his hands under the baby and pulled him up to his chest, cradling him in his arms. So tiny, Raj thought. He looked down at little Rahim and touched his cheek. So perfect. Carrie stroked Ram's cheek and put her arm around Raj.

  "You seem like a natural around babies," Aisha said as she admired her son cradling her grandson. "Maybe someday you might decide to have a few of your own."

  "Yeah," Raj replied. "Maybe someday, if I'm lucky."

  Hina looked at Carrie impatiently. Carrie waived her hand at Hina. "Okay, okay!" she whispered.

  Raj looked up from Ram. "What? What's happening?"

  "Nothing, Raj. It's just that I'm happy that you want babies someday."

  Raj nodded. "Of course."

  "So when you say someday, I was thinking more like twenty-nine weeks."

  Raj looked confused, as did Vijay and Lucky. Aisha had her hands over her face, and she was laughing and crying at the same time. She came around the bed towards Carrie with her arms outstretched. She hugged her and kissed her forehead, then turned to her son. "Raj," she smiled, amused by the look of confusion on his face, "Carrie is pregnant," she explained. "You're going to be a father."

  Raj's face dropped, and he quickly handed Ram back to Hina. He grabbed Carrie by the shoulders and spun her around. "Seriously? You're going to have a baby? My baby?"

  "Of course, 'your' baby. Whose else's would it be, silly?" Carrie beamed. Raj threw his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

  "I love you, too," Carrie replied. Raj put his hand on her stomach in disbelief.

  "It's a little early for kicking," Carrie said.

  "Dude, congrats!" Lucky said, slapping Raj on the back. "Is there not something you want to ask Carrie?" Raj shook his head reluctantly and looked at his sister and Vijay. "This day is about Hina and Vijay, and little Ram and Rahim."

  "Bhai," Hina said as she handed the babies to Vijay and took Raj's hands in hers. "If you have learned anything by now, it should be that you must follow your heart, wherever it leads. Life is so short and there is no time for formalities. Carrie had the same concern, and asked me if it was okay to tell you here, today, about the baby. She, too, was concerned about taking the attention away from me and Vijay and our babies. I told her the same thing I will tell you now. Life will always be full of sorrow, so when there is love and when there is joy, we must share it and celebrate it. It is not about you versus me, or my good fortune versus yours. It is not either/or, bhai. Your good fortune is mine, and mine is yours."

  Raj had tears in his eyes when he turned to Carrie and took her hands in his. "Carrie, I've had an engagement ring at our apartment for six months, but it never seemed like the right time to ask. I came to this country to look for my family, nothing more. I never dreamed that I would meet and fall in love with a blonde, blue-eyed, loud-mouthed, strong-willed British girl living in America. You were nothing that I'd hoped for my whole life, but I know now that you're everything that I need."

  Carrie also had tears in her eyes, but a smile firmly planted on her face. Raj continued to hold her hands and look into her eyes, and the room was silent with anticipation, but Raj didn't speak. Vijay looked at him, then at Hina. She shrugged, and looked at her mother. Aisha held her finger to
her lips, motioning for everyone to be quiet. The only noise in the room came from Ram and Rahim as they squirmed in their father's arms.

  Finally Lucky could not contain himself any longer. "Are you going to propose or what?" he shouted.

  Carrie smiled as the tension eased, and she exhaled loudly. "Lucky has a point, Raj."

  Raj laughed. "Carrie, I hope that I can be half the man you already think I am. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure that you never regret having me as your best friend, your husband, and father of our child. This may not be the right time or the right place, but Carrie Ann Jacobs, will you marry me?"

  "Raj, this is the perfect time and the perfect place. What could be more perfect than sharing this moment with our friends and family?" Carrie threw her arms around Raj and kissed him, and Aisha and Shobha began clapping while Hina smiled and Vijay whistled through his teeth.

  Lucky, however, was incensed. "You people do not do anything right," he said angrily.

  Raj and Carrie looked with confusion at Lucky. He threw his arms in the air and began pacing and cursing in Tamil as Kaveri tried to calm him down, but she got a fit of the giggles and wasn't being very effective. Lucky shrugged her off and turned back to Carrie.

  "Carrie, Raj asked if you would marry him and you did not give him the answer!"

  "Oh!" Carrie blushed. "I'm sorry! Yes, yes! Of course I will marry you!"

  Lucky cried out and clapped his hands together. "Now it is proper proposal, finally!" He did a little dance in celebration.

  The group huddled around Hina's bed, excitedly making plans for Raj and Carrie's wedding and the baby on the way. Vijay stood apart, watching everyone in the room, thinking back to the night he and Hina got married, and how he'd looked at these same people and thought that he couldn't possibly feel any more love and joy than he did in that moment. He was wrong. As Vijay held his sons and looked at his big, goofy, flawed, but perfect family, he realized that as long as he had them in his life, there were no limits. His love just kept growing, and his life just kept getting better. He looked down at the cute little ABCDs nestled safely in his arms, and planted gentle kisses on their foreheads. Not bad for a PIG, Vijay thought, not bad at all.