Jana could do this. She took a deep breath, kicked off her shoes, and hiked and tucked her sari. She’d said she wanted to get out of her comfort zone, so she intended to do that. Jana stood next to Kamila and Shelina on the dance floor, closed her eyes, and let the fast beat pound through her until muscle memory took over.
With Kamila taking the lead, Jana stomped, twirled, and swayed to the music, shocked that her body still knew what to do. Shelina and Kamila remembered more of the moves, but the three of them were still mostly in sync. Jana was stiffer than she used to be, and definitely more out of breath, but with the music in her ears and the wood floor beneath her feet, everything else melted away. She’d completely forgotten how much sheloveddancing. She didn’t need to think about what to say, or worry about what people were thinking of her—she could just tune out the world and let the music control her actions. Jana was smiling when the song ended, and everyone gave the three of them a standing ovation. She laughed, hugging Kamila and Shelina.
There. The first item on the “letting loose” list easily checked off. And it felt really good.
Jana noticed then that Anil was looking at her with a curious expression. Like he had no idea what he was looking at. Or who. Jana glanced away quickly, finding her shoes.
When the DJ switched to the Macarena, Jana escaped the dance floor. There were limits to how much letting loose she’d do. She found a quiet corner to catch her breath.
“Enjoyable party,” said a voice behind her. It was Dr. Lopez. Jana quickly put her job interview smile on.
“Yes! I wouldn’t expect anything less from Kamila,” Jana said.
“She’s such a delight.” He stepped closer. “I really enjoyed your dance. You have many talents!”
Jana smiled. “Oh, thank you. I really love Indian dancing. It’s a great way to connect to my culture.”
“I’m thoroughly impressed. Now that I finally have you alone, Dr. Suleiman, I wanted to reassure you that I haven’t told anyone at the wedding that I interviewed you last week. Not even my Farzana knows. As you know, I am only one member of the selection committee at Think, and the board will have input on the final decision, so really, us being together here should have no bearing on your application.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lopez.”
He nodded. “I did inform the HR department that I was unexpectedly on holiday with one of the applicants when I first saw you. I don’t want anyone accusing me of bias. Thankfully, I’d already given them my short list to start the process of getting references and background checks. Please, just think of me as a wedding guest, nothing else.” He indicated toward Kamila on the dance floor. “I understand you grew up with Kamila and Rohan?”
Jana nodded. “Yes. Our fathers started a company together soon after moving to Canada. And we all used to travel together. We even came here to Tanzania when I was fifteen.”
He smiled. “I don’t know how I didn’t make the connection when I first interviewed you. I remember meeting your parents around the time I was first married. And of course, I had just met your mother again several weeks ago. She spoke to Farzana more, though, and no one mentioned you were in development.”
Jana smiled. “My mother said she enjoyed meeting you.”
He said nothing for a few moments while they watched the dancers. Tim and Asha were patiently trying to teach Imani the Macarena.
“It’s wonderful how they’re all there for your daughter,” Dr. Lopez said. “It takes a village, and clearly you have an extremely supportive one.”
Jana nodded. “She’s a lucky girl.”
“I remember from your resume that you headed a project here in East Africa. It sounded like a fascinating endeavor. You were working with a hospital system, right?”
Thank God—work was one topic she could talk about without feeling like a fish flopping at the bottom of a boat. She nodded, and they spoke for several minutes about the sexual health project she’d helped launch in Kenya years ago.
“I have to say, I am impressed, Dr. Suleiman. I’ve never met someone as young as you who has already made such an impact.”
This was going so well. Dr. Lopez may have said that their being on the same trip would have no impact on Jana getting this job, but Jana disagreed. Shefeltvibrant, and she was confident that Dr. Lopez was seeing the dynamic, lively team player he wanted to hire.
***
Eventually, Mom took Imani up to their room to sleep. Jana even danced again—nothing fancy, but she joined the Bridal Brigade for a Taylor Swift song. After that, she decided she deserved a reward for all her letting loose and found herself a cup of tea and sat at her empty table.
She wasn’t alone for long, though. Nicole was sitting with her in minutes.
She gave Jana a tired smile. “I’m too old for this. I thought my bridesmaid days were over when I turned forty.”
Jana chuckled. She liked Nicole. Nicole was Black, with shoulder-length curls and warm brown eyes. Most of the time, Jana forgot Nicole was the oldest member of the Bridal Brigade, because Jana herself felt that way.
“This is my first time as a bridesmaid,” Jana said.
“Where’s Imani?” Nicole asked.
“Mom took her to bed. She has to be somewhat functional at the wedding tomorrow.”
