Chapter 4
*****
Later that night, Ashok pulled up in front of his sister’s home, practically a second home after his two-level pent house on the tallest building in the city. The suburban home was far from everything he did for his lifestyle. But everything changed when her sister had kids.
The little rascals. The twins!
As he got out of his car, he heard the main door opening. His car was noisy enough to announce his arrival.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t rev the engine of your fancy sports car,” Sami teased as he walked up the small flight of stairs. “The lil ones are asleep.”
Ashok knew not to fall for the trap. He only smiled as he walked up to her, his arm going around her and planted a kiss on her temple. “I got here as soon as I could. Are the lil rascals in bed already?”
Sami raised her eyebrows. “At this hour, they should be in bed, you know.”
“Right. Where’s the dad?” Ashok asked about his best friend and co-founder of the technology company that they started in college. “I need to have a word with him.”
Sami only laughed. “You sound so scary, right now.”
Ashok followed his sister to the well-designed family room. He enjoyed the wall of pictures the most. “Hey buddy, why did you make Sami ambush me?”
They clapped their hands together before fist-bumping just like they did from their college days. “It was all her. I had no idea you were supposed to join us for dinner.”
He trusted Ravi too much not to believe him. Knowing his sister, she was capable of pulling any such stunt. He turned to look at Sami, who looked like she had a lot going on in her mind. “What’s going on, Sami?”
“Sit down, I’ll make you a drink.” She walked away, leaving the two men looking at each other.
Ashok looked at Ravi. “Am I getting fired as an uncle? What’s up with her?”
Ravi nodded, the cool cucumber always. “Believe me when I say this, I was warned not to say a word about this.”
“You are such a traitor, brother!” Ashok ran his fist into his friend’s arm making him laugh. Ravi was the best guy he knew on earth and when he told him he was in love with his sister, no questions were asked. And he didn’t disappoint.
From how much he loved his sister, so much so she didn’t miss her family by ensuring they had their own small family.
And the two rascals who changed how he thought about kids.
He never thought about marriage and didn’t care for a wife .
But someday he knew he wanted kids, just like the two rugrats he had learned to adore.
Sami returned minutes later with his favorite drink. “Here you go, hope this is to your liking.”
Ashok took the drink quietly as his eyes followed his sister’s moves to sit next to her husband. “Ashok, we have something to share.”
He placed his drink on the coffee table. “You’re making me nervous now.”
“We are nervous too,” Sami confessed, making Ashok’s chest tighten. “But it is the right thing to do.” She took Ravi’s hand in hers and looked at him and nodded like it was his turn to speak.
Ravi smiled at Sami. “Ashok, you’re more a brother than my best friend so I wanted to share this decision of ours at home and not in the office because this is a family based decision and not one driven by a career opportunity.”
“Nope.” Ashok hit his drink on the glass table. “You don’t get to quit.”
Ravi laughed. “Not quitting, Ashok. I’ve decided to take the VP position that we opened in San Francisco for the North America expansion.”
“What?” It was the last thing Ashok was expecting as it would be a step down from Ravi’s current position of Executive Vice President. “Why?”
It was Sami who responded to the question. “We want to be close to family.” She paused like it was painful for her to speak. “Our family doesn’t want anything to do with me and because of me, you’re having to stay away.”
Ashok attempted to interject, but Sami shook her head and added, “It’s time, Ashok, for you to go back to where we are from and take your rightful place.” She looked at Ravi and added, “We want to move to San Francisco to be close to Isha and the rest of Ravi’s family.
Ashok’s knee-jerk reaction was to oppose both the things Sami said but he paused for a long moment. “How long have you guys been thinking about it?”
“From the day I told Sami we are looking for an executive in San Francisco for the software division.” Ravi laughed.
“I’m never going back to what was home once, Sami. Never.” Ashok was adamant.
Sami shook her head slowly. “I know you want to oppose this move but don’t. This is why. Say we move to San Francisco for a few years and in the meantime, you figure things out back home and guess what when we come back, you will be the one welcoming us home. You get my point?”
Ashok shook his head. “If that’s what you want, Sami, I will go home and override everything.”
Sami smiled. “It’s not for me, Ashok. I want the twins to have a connection with family. You are my biggest strength but the kids need more people in their lives.”
Ravi nodded and added, “I’ve been away from my sister for so long, she is lonely.”
Ashok did not necessarily agree with what Ravi said. The woman showed up for Ravi and Sami’s wedding for barely a few days before returning to San Francisco, claiming to be busy at work. The woman didn’t bother visiting since the twins were born. Why would they move for her sake?
“Does Monisha know you guys are planning to move?” Ashok asked.
“She prefers Isha,” Sami said. “She knows we will be traveling to celebrate the kids’ first birthday in the US, but it is a surprise that we will be moving there to live.”
“Wait a minute.” Ashok was surprised. “Are you saying that you guys are planning to move within the next couple of months?”
“Yes,” Ravi and Sami said in unison.
Ashok ran his fingers through his hair again. “I can’t believe this.”
“Since we will have an office in San Francisco, you can travel more often.” Ravi offered.
Ashok shook his head. “No. You’re not.”
“Ashok, this is the right thing to do. For all of us, and promise me you will reconnect with our family.”
“Sami...” he started to say but she cut him off.
“That’s a promise.” She laughed.
Ashok was not happy, but he hated to admit that they were both right: their young children needed more family than just him in their lives. However, he couldn’t give up easily. “What would change your decision?”
Sami was ready with a response like she expected him to ask the question. “If you get married and promise to have kids within the next year.”
Ashok threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “There is no winning with you, Sami.”
“You know this is the right thing for us to do,” Sami said and he could not disagree.
Ashok only wished he could be a part of the kids’ lives, but he knew he had to swallow Sami and Ravi’s decision, even if that was a poison pill.