Page 40 of One Indian Girl

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‘How is it?’ he said.

‘Yum. Thank you.’

‘Welcome.’

‘Debu, listen.’

‘What?’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too. Just don’t get to see you much.’

‘Sorry, baby.’

‘Let’s move in together. That way I will see you at least.’

I became silent.

‘I will share the rent. Don’t worry.’

‘Not that, silly. But that’s a live-in. That means we are in a serious relationship.’

‘Aren’t we?’ Debu said.

I smiled at him.

‘Keep the place clean, okay?’ I said.

10

One year later

‘Iwill think about marriage later, mom. I am still new at my job. Let me focus on that. Please,’ I said.

I ran down the subway steps to the Wall Street station platform. The Friday evening rush hour made it difficult for me to hear her.

‘What?’ I said, as the sound of an arriving train drowned her words.

‘Job is not that important,’ she said. I could hear sounds of her making tea in her kitchen. It was 8.30 in the evening for me, 6 in the morning for her. Jonathan had made me do a presentation twice, giving me a dirty look when he noticed some inadvertent typos.

‘It is important. I am in the most challenging group in the firm. Everyone here thinks I am one of the best,’ I said.

‘What about everyone here thinking why isn’t MrMehta’s second daughter getting married? Is something wrong with her?’

‘Really, mom? You think something is wrong with me?’

I stepped into the number 3 train. The doors shut. I had just three stops to Chambers Street in Tribeca, a five-minute subway ride. Somehow, speaking to mom made it seem much longer.

‘It’s been a year since you have been abroad. Your sister married two years ago. Let us at least start looking. It takes a while, you know.’

‘Aditi didi wanted to get married. I don’t.’

‘You don’t?’

‘Not yet. Look at my life. I just finished work. It’s 8.30 at night here.’

‘What kind of a job is this? Making girls stay so late.’

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