Chapter 11
“I feel like we should be at home working on the website or something. Do we even have a name?” Manisha asked, adjusting the hem of a fitted black Stella McCartney blazer dress that hugged her curves comfortably.
She and Deena carefully made their way down the narrow staircase of the lively karaoke bar, the sound of their heels echoing against the polished wooden steps. The air was thick with the stale scent of beer and cheap cologne.
“I’m working on that! You’d think it would be easy to come up with a name for a fake matchmaking site, but it’s not!” Deena chuckled. She was dressed in a trendy combo of high-waisted jeans and a vibrant off-the-shoulder red blouse that fluttered with every step.
“Anyway, I needed a break from the fake!” she continued and shot Manisha a pitiful look. “I’ve been at it non-stop for two days. But tonight is about fun! We’re going to let loose.” She tousled her hair, flashing a playful grin.
“Okay, fine!” Manisha relented. She bit her lip nervously as she surveyed the room.
The bar buzzed with energy. Patrons devoured heaping plates of nachos and bottomless glasses of cheap wine.
Laughter and cheers created an electric atmosphere, and colourful lights danced around the room, illuminating the small stage where a karaoke machine awaited its next aspiring rock star.
“Why this place of all places to have ‘fun’?” Manisha asked, bemused.
“I wanted somewhere we could unwind without worrying about running into anyone we know. I want you to have a good time, Manisha! No one’s going to know us here,” Deena explained.
“Thanks, Deena. I appreciate you looking out for me!” Manisha said.
“Anything for my favourite cousin. Now, I need to hit the restroom, so can you grab us drinks? Strong ones,” Deena shouted, her voice barely cutting through the lively chorus of “Livin’ on a Prayer” resonating from the stage.
With a quick wave, she vanished into the crowd, leaving Manisha to navigate her way to the bar.
She flagged down a bartender and ordered two vodka sodas, then turned to watch the performance.
A nearby group clapped and shouted encouragement as their pals belted their hearts out onstage.
Deena was right; they needed a night out.
The past few days had been filled with restless nights and anxiety.
She spotted a flash of Deena’s red blouse and waved to catch her attention.
“Is this all you got?” Deena scrunched her nose, getting there just as the bartender slid the drinks toward them. “Hey, can we also grab two whiskey shots?” she asked before he left. He threw her a wink to confirm.
Deena grabbed a glass, clinked it against Manisha’s, and then guzzled it down. “Bottoms up, Manisha!”
Manisha swirled her drink in response.
“Hey, stop worrying. Surrender to the fun! Everything will work itself out,” Deena reassured her, grinning. “You just have to let the universe do its thing.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like Meena Auntie,” Manisha teased, taking a huge sip.
Deena shrugged, a playful glint in her eye. “Maybe she has the right idea.”
Leaning closer, Manisha raised her voice above the couple belting out a duet onstage. “What do you mean?”
“There’s just something about her. She’s like, I don’t know—”
“Magical?” Manisha blurted out, finishing Deena’s thought.
“Yes! That’s the word I was looking for. Meena Auntie is magical.”
Deena thanked the bartender as he returned with their shots. “I visited her the other day, and she said some things that really made me think,” she revealed.
“You did what?” Manisha gasped, her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.
“I know, I know! But my friend has an aunt whose daughter was about to marry this guy. Turns out he was seeing someone else—and his family knew about it, too. Anyway, post-breakup with him, her daughter went to see Meena Auntie about her future—and two months later, we got a wedding invitation from her and her new man!”
“Wow! What happened to the first guy?” Manisha asked, invested.
“His other girlfriend found out and dumped him, but not before spilling that his family had been in on the whole thing over an Instagram Live,” Deena added with a smirk.
“Unreal!” Manisha said, shaking her head.
“I’ve heard Meena Auntie’s helped a lot of people with their problems, and honestly, I’m having no luck with online dating. At this point, why not give her a shot? She might be a little eccentric, but aren’t we all a bit out there?”
“You’re creating a website for a fake matchmaking auntie, and her only client is me. Yes, I’d say we’re all a little out there.” Manisha chuckled.
“Well, cheers to that!” Deena laughed, passing a shot to Manisha. A quick cheers, then they downed them.
“Two more vodka sodas, please—but make them doubles!” Deena called to the bartender while Manisha chased the shot with a sip of her first drink.
“Meena Auntie might not be everyone’s cup of chai, but I have to say, I left that appointment with a sense of optimism. You should think about visiting her,” Deena suggested.
“Actually, she already stopped by my place,” Manisha replied, wincing at the memory.
“No way! To your house? She doesn’t make house calls anymore! You’re so lucky!” Deena exclaimed in disbelief.
“Seriously?”
“Absolutely! I heard she stopped visiting people because her special skills were just too intense. Some folks went into literal shock—frozen stiff like a statue, and it took them months to thaw out,” Deena declared.
“Sounds like something out of Greek mythology,” Manisha remarked with a smirk. “Mind you, she showed up at my parents’ unexpectedly and it was odd; I felt like I was in a trance the whole time she was there.”
“See, you were almost frozen like the others!” Deena cried.
“Anyway,” Manisha continued, “as she was leaving, she handed me something.”
She reached into her purse and pulled out the sachet of white seeds.
“Holy shit, me too! Mine are blue! Look!” Deena exclaimed, pulling out an identical bag from her jean pocket.
“Oh my god!” Manisha whispered. “Why are yours blue?” she asked.
“Well, they’re customized for each customer’s needs,” Deena replied, slightly slurring as the whiskey began to kick in. “It’s not like she just pulls them out of a candy machine. Meena Auntie makes them fresh for everyone.”
“I had no idea.”
“Yeah, mine are like ‘destined to find me love,’ ” Deena practically squealed, her excitement bubbling over.
“I can’t remember mine exactly, but it was something about a new life or something along those lines…”
“Manisha Patel! Why didn’t you mention this sooner? It’s like she’s basically delivering you baby news!” Deena exclaimed, pulling Manisha into an enthusiastic hug.
Manisha chuckled. “Wow, you’re channelling my mom right now.” She took another hearty gulp of her drink before asking, “But seriously, why haven’t you taken them?”
“Well,” Deena huffed, “I’ve been a bit preoccupied, in case you forgot. And you? Why haven’t you taken yours?”
“I’m just not sure…Aren’t you at all scared of what they’ll do to you? Like, what if I get high or something worse? We’re not exactly in Ibiza.”
Deena shimmied her shoulders and waggled her brows at the mention of Ibiza, conjuring the memory of their unspeakably wild nights of dancing and more until sunrise. The bartender chose that moment to place their two double vodka sodas in front of them, and the cousins burst into laughter.
“Okay,” Deena gasped, catching her breath. “But what if you become pregnant? Manisha, what if these are meant to nurture a new life within you?”
“Deena, I hate to break it to you, but I also need sperm.”
“We’re working on that, remember?” Deena reminded Manisha.
“How could I forget,” she scoffed.
“All I’m saying is these seeds plus some sperm, and poof, a baby.” Deena gestured animatedly with her hands, emphasizing the word poof. “Baby-making through the magic of Meena Auntie!”
Manisha laughed. “You think that’s how this works? If so, then poof to you finding love!”
“I just thought of something.”
“What?” Manisha asked warily.
“Why don’t we take these seeds together?” Deena said, pumped.
“Right now? Right here?”
“What’s the worst that can happen?” Deena asked.
“Ibiza,” they both said at the same time.
“Seriously though, Manisha, it’s not like any temple-going auntie is going to distribute disguised ecstasy pills to a bunch of Indian kids.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Manisha replied cautiously.
Deena poured her blue seeds onto her palm and eyed Manisha, willing her to do the same.
Manisha hesitated, but Deena was right. Meena Auntie wasn’t looking to harm anyone. In fact, from their one encounter, Manisha had felt safe in her presence. Entranced, but safe.
The cousins looked at each other and quickly threw the seeds in their mouths like kids eating Pop Rocks—but now, as adults, they were washing them down with vodka sodas.
“We did it!” Deena declared. They’d done something, alright.
Before Manisha could say anything back, she heard their names being called.
“Manisha and Deena, get ready to take the stage after the upcoming song,” the DJ called out.
“Deena!” Manisha looked at her in shock. “You added us to the karaoke lineup?”
“Absolutely,” Deena grinned. “Let’s do it.”
“Absolutely not.”
“There’s a high probability I am not listening to you.” Deena tugged at Manisha’s arm, pulling her to the stage. The drinks (or maybe the seeds?) were starting to take their toll on Manisha, but she knew she had only a few seconds to get fully on board before the music started.
“What song are we singing?” she asked. Her question was nearly drowned out by the cheers and applause from the crowd as they made their way to the stage.
“ ‘Step by Step’…New Kids on the Block, obviously!” Manisha began singing, the lyrics flowing effortlessly from her lips. As she stood under the spotlight next to her cousin, she felt her nerves melt away and make room for joy. With each note, she took another step toward her new life.