Chapter Fourteen
Roshan Dave lived in San Diego. In Pacific Beach. Walking distance from Nimita’s sister’s house, in fact. And her new friend, Molly—Mali—was Roshan’s sister, and she had told him that she was falling for him. Because she was.
It was unrealistic. Who fell so hard for a guy in five days?
Unrealistic or not, the answer was her.
Nimita was digesting all of this new information while still navigating the situation with her father, sister and niece.
She felt lighter and happier, but she still hadn’t shared whatever was between her and Roshan with her sister.
She wasn’t hiding it, it just never seemed to come up.
Or she was too much of a coward to bring him to Reena’s critical eye.
Nimita had started a new routine. In addition to waking up early to change Naya and play with her before Reena was ready for her, Nimita took over her father’s medications.
She learned what he was on and why and where and how often they needed to be picked up.
While Reena fed and played with Naya before starting work, Nimita checked email, starting her job search in earnest. She was looking locally, which had more to do with her family than anything else.
Midmorning, she put Naya in the stroller, and she and her dad took the little girl for a walk.
This way Reena would have about forty-five minutes of complete quiet time to do whatever she wanted.
Her father took his cane and held her arm while she pushed Naya’s stroller. She had missed time with her father, and she had a lot to make up to him.
“Tell me, Beti. What did you do and see while you were gone?” he asked as they walked. His hand on her arm was stronger than she’d expected, but his balance was not solid.
Nimita told him stories about the places she had been, the adventures she’d had. He was full of questions and seemed genuinely interested in her.
“I missed you, Beti,” he said softly.
“I missed you, too, Papa.” She paused. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around.”
He waved her off. “Children are meant to go out into the world.”
Except Reena never had.
They walked a bit in comfortable silence, Nimita finding a sliver of peace with her father and niece.
Naya started to fuss, raising her hands to indicate that she was ready to get out of the stroller. Nimita bent down to check on her.
“Nasi, out!” Her niece demanded. Nimita had not taken into consideration that Naya might want to walk.
“Okay.” She unbuckled Naya and took her hand. “Papa, you push the stroller. Here, I’ll hold your cane.” She juggled her father, her niece, the cane and the stroller, until she had it all under control.
Nimita exhaled. This was working. Naya was holding her hand, walking the same pace as her father. She chuckled to herself as she recalled hearing something about the youngest and oldest in society having things in common.
All seemed fine. Until they hit a slight downward slope in the road, and the stroller got away from her father.
“Let go!” she told him. “Let the stroller go.” She grabbed his hand just as the empty stroller rolled away.
Nimita watched in helpless horror as the stroller rolled down the sidewalk and turned into a driveway, hitting the car that was parked there with a small thud. She and her father both winced, and she handed him his cane.
“Damn it.” She didn’t need this right now.
Maybe Reena didn’t need to find out about this.
It took a few minutes to reach the stroller, and she was so focused on the well-being of her niece and her dad that she didn’t recognize the driveway at first. Then she noticed the gorgeous deep yellow-orange flowers along the walk and the shrubs with reddish blooms by the house.
“Everything all right there?” Roshan was strolling toward them from the direction of the beach with a wet Finn in tow and a thick book under his arm.
She snapped her head to him. Of course it was his driveway.
And of course he was walking up right at this moment.
And of course he looked completely tantalizing.
“Yes. The stroller just got away is all,” she said, taking him in.
“Roshan, this is my father. And this…” she picked up Naya “…is my niece.”
“Namaste, Uncle,” Roshan said, bowing his head slightly. He turned his attention to Naya, and his face lit up. “Hi.”
That was all it took, and her niece was enamored, her giggles floating on the breeze. Not that Nimita could blame her. Roshan fresh from the ocean was one of her favorite looks. Though he usually wasn’t wearing a shirt when she pictured him in her mind.
She knelt down to greet Finn, who wagged his tail in delight, nuzzling her father as well. Naya screeched in just as much delight as Finn sniffed her.
“Papa.” Nimita cleared her throat. She could introduce Roshan as her boyfriend to her father. She was thirty-three years old for god’s sake. “Roshan and I are seeing each other.”
Roshan froze for a second in his play with Naya and caught her eye. If Nimita hadn’t been paying attention, she might not have noticed. She widened her eyes at him. Roshan was important to her; she wanted him to meet her family.
“Ah. So this is the young man who has occupied your free time.” Her father was teasing her. She relaxed. “Didn’t you used to tutor him in high school?”
She flushed. “Yes, Papa. I used to tutor him.”
“I am sorry about the car,” her father said to him. “The stroller got away from me on the slope.”
“No problem, Uncle.” Roshan’s smile was genuine, and his tone was warm and easy. “I’m sure it’s fine.” He moved the stroller away, and Nimita saw a scratch.
“So sorry. I’ll pay for it,” Nimita said.
“I’m not concerned.” He turned that easygoing aura on her, and she melted just a bit more.
“You should be.” Her father looked closely at the scratch. “That will rust, and then your whole car will be ruined.” He always had been a stickler for every little car thing.
“So, you think it’s worth fixing?” Roshan looked at her father for his opinion, and she loved him for it. When was the last time anyone had asked him for his opinion on anything?
Her father stood a bit straighter. “So-taka. And you make sure you send us the bill.”
Roshan nodded with that warm smile again. “If you insist, Uncle.”
“These flowers are beautiful,” her father told him. “Tell me, Beta, who planted that garden?” Her father pointed to a small area on the side of the house where vegetables were growing.
“I did. Come see.” Roshan escorted her father to the garden, walking at his pace as if he had nothing else he wanted or needed to do. Roshan showed her father all the vegetables he had planted. Her father was clearly impressed.
“How about some chai, Uncle?” Roshan offered.
Her father grinned. “I will take a rain check. All this activity, I will be needing a nap.”
“Of course. Why don’t Finn and I walk you home with the stroller, and I’ll tell you about the garden?” Roshan suggested.
“That would be wonderful,” her father said. “I used to really enjoy gardening.”
“I don’t see why you can’t have a garden now, Papa,” said Nimita as she shifted Naya to her other hip.
His face lit up as he chatted with Roshan on the walk home.
They talked about plants and growing cycles and fertilizer.
When they finally reached home, Nimita took her father and Naya in.
Roshan folded up the stroller and then followed her in with Finn.
Nimita spared a thought to be thankful the dog had dried off in the sun before entering Reena’s house.
“Where have you been?” Reena called, emerging from her office.
“Mama!” Naya stretched out her arms for her mother.
“It’s past her nap time,” Reena snapped. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
“Yeah, sorry. The stroller hit his car.” She motioned toward Roshan, then quickly added, “Naya was not in it.” She held out her hands to assure her sister. “And the car was parked.”
But Reena wasn’t listening. Instead, she was regarding Roshan intently. “Sorry about your—why do I know you?”
“Roshan Dave,” Nimita said. “From high school?”
Reena stared. “Soccer player, right? My sister used to tutor you.”
Roshan grinned. “Yes.”
Her sister pursed her lips and nodded. “You yelled at my sister on graduation day.”
Roshan blanched. “I did. And I apologized.”
Reena snapped her head to Nimita. “What? When did he apologize?”
Nimita sighed. “In Hawaii.”
“You went to Hawaii with this man?” Reena said. “You didn’t say—”
“We ran into each other there. It doesn’t matter, Reena,” Nimita said.
“Aren’t you going to tell your sister the news?” her father asked
Reena stared at her.
“So… Roshan and I are seeing each other,” Nimita said, feeling like she was holding her breath.
Reena nodded but narrowed her eyes at Roshan. A small part of Nimita was amused that her sister was still angry with him on her behalf after all these years. Finally, Reena said, “Okay. Come on. Naps for everyone.” To Roshan, she added with a shrug, “My sister can be klutzy.”
And there it was.
“It wasn’t really her fault—” he started, but Naya let out a wail.
Reena backed out of the hallway. Her father was already halfway to his room.
“Bye, Beta! Nice meeting you,” he called.
Then the hallway was empty of everyone except for Finn, Roshan and her. “Wow. You weren’t kidding.”
Nimita shrugged. “She likes an organized schedule. She’s high achieving.” Like you. “And she expects excellence from everyone around her.” Maybe like you as well. “She’ll have to come around eventually.” Or so Nimita hoped.
* * *
Malini was in the hospital today for her routine CBC, the complete blood count test that would tell her if she was still in remission. This happened every three months, but today’s felt momentous—it was her fourth anniversary off treatment.
“Hey.” Roshan knocked on the exam room door before entering. Her oncologist, Dr. Boseman, was very capable. She and Roshan had gone through residency together. But of course Roshan stopped by to check in on his sister during her consults.