Chapter 15
When Dad retired to his room, Mom cast me the same knowing look again. I had put off talking to him about Riya for two weeks now. Shame and guilt were the two main culprits, although my anger was a worthy accomplice.
I found Dad in the monstrous armchair in their bedroom with his hand wrapped around an empty glass, as if that were the only thing keeping him alive. A proud decanter of whisky stood by him on a table. During the day, its facets caught the brilliant light streaming in from the bay windows. Right now, it looked restrained, much like my father.
“Dad, I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
His dazed eyes traveled up to me.
“It’s about Sangita,” I said, lowering myself to the edge of the bed. He turned his head away from me. “She’s unwell.”
The soft tone I used was a calculated move to invoke some emotion, but I found nothing more than dispassion in his glassy eyes.
“So? Throw more money at her,” he cried. “You’re good at that.”
“She has cancer, Dad. She might not make it.” This got me the intended reaction as he struggled to sit upright. Terror had now replaced the indifference in his eyes.
“Can I pour you another?” Stepping over to the table, I poured him a splash. He gulped it down. I dispensed another shot and gently placed the glass in his hands.
“Riya will need a home,” I said. “I’m working on bringing her here.”
“So now that bastard child will live with us?” he cried with anger. It wasn’t long ago that I had used the same vile word to describe her.
“Don’t say that. I regret how I handled things with Sangita, but I’m especially sorry I left Riya when she was only an infant. I want to make up for my mistakes. Can you support me?”
He scoffed. “So now the all-powerful Sameer Rehani needs my support? When did you ever heed my word? I told you thirteen years ago, but you decided you knew better.”
“You didn’t tell me, Dad.” I corrected him gently. “You threatened me.”
“And you threatened me back—” His gaze darted behind me.
I turned around to see Mom standing at the door. She made strong eye contact with the both of us before turning on her heel and walking away. With a sigh, I crouched to the floor in front of Dad.
Placing my hand on his, I said, “Will you help me bring Riya here? You know I can’t do it without your signature on that paper. She needs her father. She needs you.”
He dropped his head back on the chair and nodded. “Okay. But I need details. You took away every authority, every bit of power I had. I want to know everything you’ve done with my daughter since that day. Every decision you made for her and her mother, everything you know about where they are now. I want a copy of every legal document that bears their names.” Despite his inebriated state, he arrested me with a stern look.
I returned a weak nod as my heart pumped heavily in my chest. “I’ll get you everything.”
I stood and crossed to the door.
“Who’s the girl?” he asked.
“Who?” I knew he was talking about Tara, but I didn’t want to put her in his path.
“Tara. Who is she?”
“She’s Amar’s friend,” I replied.
He glared at me, but I kept the confused look on my face until he nodded and returned to his drink.
Relief washed over me as I walked out of that room. I found Tara and Amar in the dining room, helping Mom clear the table. The light and laughter in this part of the house stood in stark contrast to the darkness and gloom I’d just walked away from. I could have all this—the smiles, the jokes, the love. Tara’s warm body against mine, her genuine spirit guiding mine like she did once before. When I walked up to them, I saw a light in Mom’s eyes too. She looked truly happy, unlike the fa?ade she put up during Dad’s parties. I had seen her happy like this only in the company of one other person, Mihir’s mom.
A smile bloomed on my face. “What’s going on?”
“Amar and Tara were sharing some memories,” Mom said.
I glanced at Tara, but she promptly retreated to the kitchen.
“Can I help?” I asked Mom.
“We’re almost done here,” she said. “Go see if Durga needs help.”
I strode to the kitchen, and a burst of excitement coursed through me as I imagined myself in the same space as Tara. I found her putting away leftovers in glass containers.
When I stood beside her, she pointed to an empty container and a bowl of korma. “Make yourself useful.”
I poured the curry out, and snapped the lid closed. She handed me the rice next. When we were done, Mom and Durgaben retired to their rooms. We strolled into the backyard with a bottle of port and a perfectly aged Glenlivet. A gentle breeze flirted with the tiny lights around the pergola, and they twirled with glee. With my eyes set on Tara, I breathed in the beauty of the night.
After sampling both, Amar chose the wine, while Tara and I favored the liquid gold, as I knew we would. It was comforting to know some things hadn’t changed. We didn’t talk much. A few words between sips. But when I returned from a trip to the restroom, I caught Tara’s hushed voice. The air turned still as I stopped around the corner.
“…he’s a really nice guy. You’ll like him.”
“I’m happy for you,” Amar said, then after a moment. “What about Sameer?”
“What about him?”
“Have you told him?”
Silence.
“Are you going to?”
“It’s been years, Amar. I know he’s your cousin and your loyalties lie with him, but he was the one to cut off all contact when he left.”
“I meant it might be one way to help you move on.” In my mind, I could see his smile, like mine but warmer and kinder.
“I know, I’m sorry,” Tara’s voice was softer now. “You were there for me when it mattered most. I can never forget that.”
A sigh, but I couldn’t tell whose it was. I wanted to burst right in and confront them, but my evil, competitive side convinced me to continue eavesdropping.
“How do you feel about him?”
I held my breath.
“You just heard, he’s getting engaged. So that makes the question irrelevant now, doesn’t it?”
Another sigh. Amar’s.
“Don’t worry, this time it’s for the best,” she said.
I heard shuffling and the barking of a neighbor’s dog. As I turned the corner into their sight, I saw Amar’s arm around her and her head on his shoulder, and I surmised what the conversation was about.
I rejoined them, and we sat in silence until Tara excused herself to turn in for the night. “I’m well-fed, drunk, and happy,” she declared. “This has been a great evening. My heart is full, truly.” She gave Amar a big hug. I showed her to the room I’d prepared, but all I got was, “Good night.”
Out in the backyard, I poured us another round. “I overheard you both earlier,” I said to Amar and took a sip of my scotch.
He looked at me. “And?”
“Did you two hook up after I left India?”
He dragged a sip at the end of a sigh. “Would it bother you if we had?”
“What do you think?”
“Does it change how you see her?”
My nostrils flared. No. But it did change how I felt about them. Resentment was the word. They had continued to grow closer as Tara and I drifted apart.
“You left, and you didn’t tell her why. How does it matter what she did after that?”
“Don’t do this to me, Amar. You know you’re more than a cousin to me. Please tell me you didn’t betray me.”
He put a leg over his knee and relaxed into the sofa. My mind drew up images of them together, and I raced to prevent it. “I thought she was your friend,” I finally protested like a pouty child.
“She is.” He kept his unblinking gaze on me. “She’s still one of my closest friends.”
“I want her.”
“I know.”
I poured a splash into Tara’s empty glass and gulped it down. I felt her lips on it, smelled her fragrant breath.
“What’s your problem, dude?”
“She thinks I left because I was done with her. That I cast her aside like she was some sort of accessory, expendable.”
“Then tell her the truth. Game-playing is not the flipping way to get her back.”
I blinked at him.
“And why are you still with Aarti?” he asked with a gentle frown.
Again, there was nothing I could say.
“You’ve been through a lot. I understand that it’s hard to accept that your father had an affair and a child from it while he kept playing the doting husband and loving father to Chachi and you. Your world was shattered, but you bounced back, and you’re in a good place now. Don’t throw it away. There’s only one way to get Tara back, and you know what it is,” he said sagely, and swallowed the rest of his wine. “Go, grovel before her.” He smiled and walked away.