Page 68 of Arranging Ayra
“I did manage pretty well on my own.”
“Yes,” she said with a vague nod. “Youmanaged... quite well, I might add. You had your books and your movies and your music and...” She came around the bed to sit beside me once again. “I wish I’d been there more for you.”
I reached out for her hand. “You’re partially right, Mom. A part of me did want to be alone. A part of me escaped into the world of books, films and music.”
“But...”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe there was a time or two when I wished you’d get home early; a time or two when I was disappointed when you were called to the hospital for an emergency. But I understood.” I squeezed her hand. “I admired you. The older I got, the more I admired your strength. I came to realize how difficult it all was for you. After all, you’d lost your husband. I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”
She ran her fingers over my cheek.
“The important thing,” I went on, “is that you were there for me when I really needed you.”
“Was I?” She looked away, not wanting an answer. “You know, when you started going to college, then attended grad school, I noticed how... well, how minimal your social life was. You never brought friends home, never brought a boy home... you never even talked about friends or potential boyfriends.”
“I was a very serious student,” I said in my defense.
“Indeed, you were. But that didn’t keep me from growing concerned.” She turned to me. “The single life isn’t always easy. I still miss your father terribly, and while I know I’m a strong and independent woman, I also know the benefits of having a good and strong man at my side. And that’s what I wanted for you; a good man.”
“That’s why you fixed me up.”
She nodded.
“I knew that many of my friends from back in India had children of their own; children around the same age as you. When I learned that Naya and her son Desi Barnaby now lived here in England, and you were coming to work on this project...” She raised her free hand to the heavens and smiled as she squeezed my hand. “I thought; this is meant to be.”
“I appreciate the effort you put in to making that arrangement,” I said as tears streamed down my face. “Things were complicated from the beginning. I did try to meet with him, but he didn’t show up...and then...” My voice trailed off.
“Tell me honestly,” Mom said. “Were you excited at the prospect of meeting him? Did you trust your mother’s intuition?”
I chuckled lightly. “I have to admit that I had my doubts at first. But when I saw him... so handsome, so charming, so... the dream boyfriend I always wanted. Yes. Yes, I was excited and happy to meet him.”
“And now? Is he the one you’re crying over? Did things not work out between you?”
“Oh, Mom,” I said as a fresh wave of tears poured down my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I really am so sorry. I know how important this is to you, and I know how much you like him and approve of him and... your friend set this up and... Oh. How can I tell you this?”
“Tell your mother the truth, Ayra. Just tell me.”
I looked into her eyes. “Mom, he’s just not the kind of guy I originally thought he was.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand. For years you’ve spoken about this Mr. Darcy character, and I always assumed you wanted to meet someone like him. What did I get wrong?”
“He may play Mr. Darcy, but he really isn’t like him at all.” In fact, the more I thought about it, the more he resembled the dastardly Wickham.
Mom blushed and leaned back. “You’re going to think I’m just an old woman who doesn’t know much about much, but... Well, when his mother, Jaya, told me that his name sounded like Darcy...” She laughed at herself. “Doshi. It does sound like Darcy, don’t you think?”
“Doshi?” My tears suddenly stopped flowing as I frowned and looked at her. “Mom, what are you talking about?”
“The boy you met. Jaya’s son.”
“Jaya? Mom, Doshi is Jai’s middle name, not Barnaby’s.”
“That’s right. Yes. Jai is Jaya’s son. You remember Jaya, don’t you?”
“Mom, you told me I was meeting Naya’s son Barnaby.”
“Well, yes. Her son, too.” She let out a light laugh. “You know, there are plenty of Aunties in India. Many of my friends have attractive sons that I could have set you up with. I just picked these two because they both live in England, since you seem to talk about wanting to visit England all the time, how you love England, how England is where Jane Austen lived.”
“I do believe there has been a bit of confusion here,” I said.
