Chapter 5
Chapter Five
M onday came quickly—too quickly. Arjun had stayed up late scrolling aimlessly through the realty website, fantasizing about various locations for a new restaurant and trying to put the encounter with Jamie out of his mind. One of the storefronts in Hayes Valley had seemed promising, and he’d planned to pay it a visit in person—but he fell asleep watching TV on the couch and woke up ten minutes after his alarm had gone off.
He showed up to work bleary-eyed and exhausted. Kelley was sitting in the chair opposite his desk when he arrived. “You look like shit,” she said, as diplomatic as ever.
“Don’t I know it,” Arjun replied, smiling weakly. “But I’ll be fine. More importantly, how are you feeling?” Kelley’s stomach looked as though it had somehow expanded in the day since he’d last seen her, like a balloon pumped so full that just a bit more air would explode the whole thing.
“I feel great,” she replied enthusiastically. “I sold seven more pieces at the fair. Mark bought the baby all of the Harry Potter books, even though it’ll be years before she can read.”
Kelley gasped as though the building had shaken on its foundations. “What is it?” asked Arjun, rushing towards her. “Are you going into labor?”
“No, you idiot,” said Kelley, waving him off. “No one knows the sex yet. We’ve been waiting until she’s born to tell people…” Her face fell again. “ Shit . I just said it again, didn’t I?”
Arjun chuckled. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Your secret’s safe with me.” He went to turn on his desktop, and he caught his reflection in the darkened monitor. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, giving him a distinctly raccoon-like appearance. “I’m going to get a coffee before my first meeting,” he announced. “Do you want anything?”
“You know the drill,” Kelley replied.
The memory of the green-eyed woman from the week before flashed in Arjun’s mind. “ All the scones,” he said, smiling to himself. “Got it.”
There was a familiar face at the coffee shop: Arjun recognized Vinay Sampath sitting at one of the tables inside. Vinay had a ring of close-cropped hair around his scalp, and he was wearing a crisp gray blazer over jeans. A brand-new wedding band flashed on his ring finger, as golden as the sun. Fresh off his honeymoon, he seemed to be glowing.
“Congrats, man,” Arjun said, taking a paper bag bursting with pastries from Ron. “How does it feel to be married?”
“The same,” Vinay replied, chuckling softly to himself. “But different, somehow. Beena is great, man. I’ll have to have you over for dinner sometime soon.”
“I’d love that,” Arjun said. He glanced meaningfully at the chair opposite Vinay.
“You want to sit?” Vinay asked, taking the hint.
“Thanks,” said Arjun. “You know, I’m surprised that I haven’t met Beena before. How long were you together before you tied the knot?”
“Well, we were never really ‘together,’” Vinay replied, working his wedding ring around his finger. “We had an arranged marriage.”
Arjun feigned a surprised expression. Of course, he knew that Vinay had gotten an arranged marriage. It had been the subject of office gossip ever since Vinay invited the whole team to his engagement ceremony a month ago (one of the software engineers had asked Vinay how much he fetched in dowry, and HR had swiftly reprimanded him).
“Wow,” Arjun said, trying to play it cool. “An arranged marriage, huh? Is that very common these days?”
“Among us ABCDs?” Vinay replied, laughing. “It’s more common than you think. Once people hit a certain age, they want to partner up. An arranged marriage…it’s like a cheat code. It cuts through all the mess of American dating, finds you the most compatible person—financially, socially, culturally—and gets you to the altar in just a few months. And the best part? My mom loved Beena before even I laid eyes on her.”
Arjun nodded, hating Vinay for how much sense he was making. “You didn’t miss it, did you?” he asked hesitantly. “The mess, I mean.”
“Like, the whole rom-com, tropey stuff?” Vinay replied. “No way, man.” He leaned closer to Arjun, the coffee steaming up his wire-framed glasses. “To tell you the truth, that was my biggest hang-up about it. I thought that I was abandoning some hero’s journey towards true love. Like I was the protagonist in a Nicholas Sparks movie or something. But you know what I realized?”
“What’s that?” Arjun asked. He noticed that he was gripping the edge of the table very tightly, his body rigid with anticipation.
Vinay grinned. “If it works, it works. Those movies are all bullshit, anyway.”
It turned out that Arjun didn’t have to keep Kelley’s secret for long. He received a text from her on Tuesday morning, informing him that she’d gone into labor overnight and delivered the baby not long after. The next day, Arjun told Adam D’Antonio that he’d be out of the office for the afternoon, and he made the trek up to SF General Hospital to see the new arrival.
The hospital was a maze, and it took Arjun nearly half an hour to find the Labor and Delivery ward. The admitting nurse sat alone in the nurse’s station, typing furiously on a desktop. “Hi,” Arjun said, drumming his fingers on the desk. “I’m looking for Kelley Garcia.”
The nurse did not look up from her computer. “Garcia,” Arjun repeated, in case she hadn’t heard him the first time. “Spelled G-A-R?—”
“Are you family?” the nurse asked, fingers still clacking rapidly over the keys.
“Uh…nope. She’s my assistant. Is that okay?”
“Who am I to judge? You can have an assistant if you really need one.”
“No, I mean—can I see her?”
“Sorry,” the nurse replied flatly, pausing her typing for a moment to look him in the eye. “Unless you’re related to the patient?—”
“It’s okay,” came a voice. Mark Garcia walked down the hall, holding two cups of cafeteria coffee. “Come on back, Arjun.” The nurse nodded and let Arjun pass, and he followed Mark to Kelley’s room.
Kelley’s birthing suite was a small, windowless room at the far end of the hallway. A medical bed was in the center of the room, with a small rolling crib beside it. Chairs were scattered around the room, laden with presents from friends and family: flowers and chocolates, baby clothes and stuffed animals. A giant teddy bear, nearly as tall as Arjun, was propped up in the corner.
Kelley was reclining in the bed, holding an oversized sippy cup marked with fluid increments. She smiled wearily when Mark and Arjun entered. “Thanks for coming,” she said, resting her hand on Arjun’s as he stroked her shoulder.
“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t have missed it,” he replied. He added his gift, a mobile featuring a variety of plush dinosaurs, to the pile. “You two are parents ,” he whispered. “How do you feel?”
“Exhausted,” she said, smiling wanly. “But really, really happy.”
“Is that her?” he asked, walking over to the crib. Kelley nodded, and Arjun leaned over the crib and peered inside.
The baby was swaddled in a checkered pink blanket, and she was just barely awake. She was impossibly tiny, not quite the length of Arjun’s forearm. Her rosy skin was wrinkled and delicate, like a raisin. A few tufts of black hair peeked out from beneath her knit cap. Her mouth moved softly, silently, as though she was trying to say something but couldn’t quite find the words.
Arjun watched her in amazement. San Francisco was a city where a passing stroller was more likely to be occupied by a cockapoo than an infant, and it had been a long time since he’d even seen one. He was filled with an indescribable awe, something pure and joyful. It was the feeling he when he watched the sunset or dug his feet into the sand and let the ocean lap at his toes. “Does she have a name yet?” he whispered, turning to Kelley.
She nodded. “Emmylou,” she said. “You know, like Emmylou Harris.”
“That’s very pretty,” he said, smiling and straightening. “Next time, I’ll bring her a guitar.”
“Would you like to hold her?” Mark asked, scooping up his daughter.
Arjun nodded eagerly. “Of course.”
“You’ll need to Purell,” Mark said, using his chin to gesture to the bottle of hand sanitizer on the bedside table. Arjun squirted the thin, clear liquid onto his palm and rubbed it over his hands until it evaporated. “Careful,” Mark whispered, gently passing Emmylou over to Arjun. “Watch her head.”
Arjun handled her like a Fabergé egg. He supported her torso in the crook of one arm, and he cupped her head with his other hand. He marveled at how small she was, how light she was. Emmylou stared up at Arjun with her deep, luminous eyes, and for a moment, he was transfixed. It was like he’d stepped onstage in an empty auditorium, drenched in a spotlight—as though this tiny infant’s gaze had reduced the world to just the two of them.
Arjun handed the baby over to Kelley. He felt tears welling behind his eyes, and he wiped them away with his thumb before anyone could see. Kelley gave Arjun a look, but it lasted only a moment. “She’s something else, you two,” Arjun said, clearing his throat. “Really.” Kelley smiled and gently stroked her daughter’s cheek with her pointer finger.
Arjun knew, then, how far he was from his dream of having his own family. Kelley was five years younger than he was— So, what am I doing with my life? he wondered. His mind flashed back to his awkward parting with Jamie, to that night alone in the restaurant on the eve of his birthday, to all of those failed dates, and to the countless nights spent lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. I know that this is what I want, thought Arjun. So, why hasn’t it happened yet?
Emmylou began to fuss. “She’s hungry,” said Kelley, holding her daughter close.
Arjun nodded. “Congratulations again,” he said, his heart galloping. “If you need anything at all, I’m just a call away.”
Arjun walked out of the room and down the hallway, and as he went, he felt his legs moving faster and faster, as though the ground were a treadmill picking up speed. He was practically running by the time he reached the stairwell, and he sprinted down the stairs of the parking garage. Adrenaline surged through his body, and his mind felt clearer than ever. Why have I been so resistant? he wondered. Was it Vicky Chang? Was it his pride? Was it a lifetime spent watching Hallmark Christmas specials? He thought back to his conversation with Vinay: Those movies are all bullshit, anyway.
He found his car, unlocked it, and threw himself into the driver’s seat. He leaned back, awkwardly jiggling his butt in the air as he strained to pry his phone from his pocket. Are you really doing this right now? he asked himself. But, before he could further consider what he was doing, his fingers were dialing the numbers.
He held the phone to his ear. One ring, two rings… Come on , he thought, his leg bouncing furiously with anticipation. Pick up. Pick up!
The line crackled to life. “Arjun?” came the voice on the other end.
“I know what I want,” he said, breathless, as though he could not wait to get the words out. “I’m ready for an arranged marriage.”