Chapter 9 #2
“Yes, right. You saw your cheating ex having the time of his life. You had every right to lose it. I would have done worse.” Deena paused, her eyes suddenly going wide. “Wait. Holy shit.” She looked up at Manisha. “This video has over half a million views.”
“And counting!” Manisha groaned, slumping in her seat.
Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get the original taken down, let alone the dozens of copies floating around.
“Now do you understand why I can’t show my face on dating apps?
The last thing I want is some guy I’m interested in stumbling across this disaster.
It’s already bad enough trying to keep my family in the dark. ”
“Your mom would kill you.”
“She would,” Manisha agreed, shuddering at the thought. “If she saw that video, she’d probably re-enact a Bollywood scene, and not the kind with a happy ending.”
Deena studied her. “I don’t get it. Why aren’t you more upset? I’d be furious if this happened to me and I lost a promotion I’d worked my ass off for.”
Manisha shrugged. “I don’t know, Deena. Sure, the money’s great, but being a lawyer, taking money from the poor to help the rich—it’s not exactly what I imagined for myself.
I didn’t want things to go down this way, but I don’t think I really wanted to stay at McGuire & McLeod.
Becoming a senior partner was supposed to feel like an accomplishment, but honestly? It was just…unfulfilling.”
Deena looked at her thoughtfully. “Okay, let’s focus on one thing at a time. How much money do you have?”
Manisha winced. “I have, like, five thousand dollars I could give you.”
Deena let out a frustrated groan.
“Honestly, I’ve got nothing. I’m drowning in credit card debt, especially after Sanj’s wedding.
I can’t put a penny toward any of this. The only thing I’m glad about is that I paid my rent for the rest of the year already!
” She glanced at the pamphlets on the table, eyes narrowing. “No money, no eggs, no sperm.”
Deena’s face lit up with an idea. “What about selling some of your post-breakup purchases?”
Manisha shook her head. “I’d have to deal with consignment shops and probably wait forever for authentication and a buyer. And even then, most of my items wouldn’t fetch anywhere near what I paid for them.”
A heavy silence settled over the room, one of those rare moments when neither cousin had the energy to speak. Usually, their conversations were fast-paced and animated. But not now.
Finally, Deena broke the quiet. “Manisha, remember when we were kids, dreaming about getting married and starting families? Is that still what you want?”
“Absolutely,” Manisha said without missing a beat.
“Okay…” Deena hesitated, then continued, “But using a donor’s sperm? I don’t know…”
“It’s not how I imagined things, either. I always envisioned finding someone, having a big Indian wedding, then starting a family together. Look, it’s even on my vision board.” Manisha pulled out her phone and showed Deena a picture of her vision board, brimming with images of the sort.
Deena studied it and then nodded. “Well, if it’s on your vision board, it has to happen. We just need to figure out how.”
They both sat in silence again, lost in their thoughts. Finally, Deena spoke. “What else did Dr. Rocky say?”
“I don’t know. He said something about how I could just walk down the street and find my ‘Prince Charming,’ ” Manisha said with a roll of her eyes.
“What?”
Manisha shrugged. “It was more of a joke, but he suggested I find a boyfriend, a partner…a guy.” She set her phone on the table, the vision board lighting up again.
Deena straightened, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “How much time do we have to find this guy?”
Manisha shrugged. “I’m not sure. But given my situation, he hinted that I need to move fast. Apparently, time isn’t exactly on my side.”
“Don’t stress. You just need to hit the gas and make this mission happen faster than expected. It’s like why you’re back in town—new man, maybe a new job…” Deena looked at her with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
“Something like that,” Manisha murmured, but she could feel a sense of defeat creeping in.
Without warning, Deena jumped up and rushed out of the kitchen, returning seconds later with her laptop in hand. She settled back in beside Manisha and started typing furiously.
“Okay, check this out.” She turned the screen toward Manisha. “This is a website from one of the sperm banks. It’s incredible how detailed it is. You can choose based on race and ethnicity, eye colour, age, height, medical history, profession. It’s like a dream come true for selecting sperm.”
Manisha read through the page. “It is impressive, I’ll give you that.
” She leaned back, a frown tugging at her lips.
“But it still feels so unfair. Sanj and Sammy found their perfect matches, fell in love, and are on the fast track to babies. Here I am, picking from some strangers on a website I can’t even afford! ”
She dropped her head dramatically to the counter, forehead coming to rest on the cool surface. “Mom was so wrong about the Patels being ‘blessed,’ ” she said, her words muffled.
“What do you mean?”
Manisha turned her head to the side, cheek pressed into the granite. “She always goes on about how every member of our family finds love almost overnight. She calls it the ‘Patel Blessing.’ Maybe I was adopted,” Manisha added with a small laugh.
Deena rolled her eyes. “You’re definitely not adopted. We just need to channel those genes. Channel that blessing!”
“How?” Manisha raised an eyebrow. “The dating apps aren’t exactly brimming with Prince Charmings. And it could take months, maybe even years.”
Deena gave her a pointed look. “It’s true. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that. But hear me out.” She waved Manisha’s phone in front of her face. “What if we had a shortcut? What if there was a Man Bank?”
Manisha sat up. “What are you talking about?”
Deena’s eyes danced with mischief. “I’m talking about a matchmaking site. But instead of the perfect sperm, we help you find the perfect partner.”
Manisha raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious!” Deena’s fingers were already flying over her keyboard.
“Guys can send their bios to an ‘auntie’—like an Indian matchmaker. But in reality, it’s you and me doing the vetting.
We filter through their details based on your requirements and find your perfect match.
No dating apps, no embarrassing setups. Just one tailored guy who fits exactly what you need. ”
Manisha’s curiosity was undeniably piqued. “So, no public profiles? No swiping? Just you and me sifting through resumés to find my Prince Charming?”
“Exactly!” Deena grinned. “I’ll handle the website, SEO, and all the details. It’s going to be perfect!”
Manisha thought about it for a moment. “This could actually work. But wait, you have to let me help with something. I can’t just sit back and let you do everything.”
“Fine. You can help with some of the admin, general query emails or whatever. No filtering profiles for you though—let me handle that. Trust me, dear cousin,” Deena said.
“Okay, but we’ve got to move quickly. Time is ticking, and building a family has to be my priority now.”
Deena’s eyes gleamed. “We’ll make it happen. This is the magic we’ve been waiting for.”
Manisha smiled to herself, the word “magic” taking on a new, deeper meaning. Maybe—just maybe—this was the beginning of something.