“Jana,” her mother said. She was sitting on the other side of the table with Kassim Uncle, Rohan’s parents, Farzana Aunty, and Dr. Lopez. “Did you know that Sam works for an international nonprofit? Maybe he could help you find a job.”
Dr. Lopez smiled. “I work mostly in policy and planning. I’m happy to talk to her about it later, though. This is a vacation. Let’s put work behind us.”
Jana tried to smile at him, but she was terrified—now that Mom knew he worked in her industry, would she talk about Jana even more?
“Oh,” Kassim Uncle said. “I thought you were a professor like Farzana.”
Dr. Lopez nodded. “I’m that, too. Part-time at U of T.”
“Jana was thinking of being a professor,” Mom said. “She taught at Cambridge when she was in grad school. They wanted to keep her, but she insisted on moving around to different places. But now she wants to stay in one place for Imani. So selfless.”
“I would love to explore teaching more,” Jana said, looking at Farzana Aunty. “You said you teach in addition to your research?”
“Yes, undergraduate developmental psychology. I do find it rewarding, but research is my first love.”
“Teaching would be a breeze for Jana compared to the kind of fieldwork she’s done,” Anil said. He looked at Dr. Lopez and Farzana Aunty at the end of the table. “Honestly, I know I’m biased, but I’m in complete awe of the scope of her past work. And of course, I saw her talent firsthand when we started a nonprofit together a few years ago.”
Jana looked at him. This was just him helping her get the job. Or maybe he meant it? He’d been complimenting her a lot lately.
Or maybe Jana should stop analyzing his every word?
“You should look into teaching. Campus life is so inspiring,” Farzana Aunty said. “That’s where Sam and I met, you know.” She told the story of them locking eyes in a café on a crisp fall day. She neglected to mention that he was a professor and she was a student, though. Talk about a relationship with a problematic foundation.
But here they were, thirty years later, and they were clearly as in love as they were when they were married. Even after being divorced, they found their way back to each other.
Farzana Aunty’s story led others to talk about how they’d met their partners. Mom talked a bit about meeting Dad—Jana’s grandparents had arranged the meeting after prayers one day, and Mom’s first thought was that there was no way she’d marry a man with ears that big. Asha and Nicole talked about how Kamila had set them up but tried to make it seem like a random encounter.
“So what if I’m not good at stealth matchmaking,” Kamila said. “I was right about you two being perfect together.”
The bartender came to the table then to tell them that the karaoke machine was ready if they wanted to use it.
For the first song, Mom, Nadira Aunty, Jon Uncle, and Kassim Uncle got on the stage to sing “Malaika,” a famous Swahili song written in the forties that pretty much everyone who’d ever lived in Tanzania knew by heart. They sang it well—Jana did not inherit her mother’s singing voice.
“Did you know ‘Malaika’ once hit number one on the Swedish pop charts?” Anil said. “It was recorded in the sixties by the Hep Stars, which was Benny Andersson from ABBA’s first band.”
Jana raised a brow at Anil. Since when did he know music trivia?
Anil shrugged. “I like ABBA. My mom’s influence.”
Asha clapped her hands together, looking at Kamila. “Love ABBA! We’re still going to do ‘Dancing Queen,’ right?” The Swahili song was done, and Mom and the others were climbing off the stage.
Nicole shook her head. “Let’s do ‘Waterloo’!”
Kamila took Yuriko’s arm in one hand and Shelina’s in the other and pulled them onto the stage. “Nope. It’s got to be ‘Mamma Mia.’”
Jana waved her hands in front of her. She did not want to sing. The “letting loose” list was supposed to be there for inspiration—they said she didn’t have to do everything on it. “No…I’m not really—”
“C’mon, Jana,” Kamila said. “The brigade is supposed to be together! Let’s go be…vibrant!”
Everyone was here tonight. Dr. Lopez, Farzana Aunty, Anil. She was just not comfortable singing in front of all of them. But…that list was about doing things that wereuncomfortable. To show Dr. Lopez how she could be part of a team.
After dancing, and swimming in the pink bikini earlier, Jana had realized that the list—andpretendingto be vibrant—was shockingly working. Stepping out of her comfort zone was awakening something in her. She felt closer to the person she used to be…or at least the person she wanted Dr. Lopez to see.
She finally nodded. As the rest of the brigade climbed the small stage in the lounge, Kamila grinned at them. “I just realized that life is imitating art! A destination wedding with my favorite friends? Just like the movieMamma Mia!”
Yeah…except Tanzania instead of Greece, and unfortunately, no Colin Firth here.
But as the song started, Jana wondered if she’d ever really listened to the lyrics of it. Despite the upbeat tempo, “Mamma Mia” was about feeling bitter and angry after a failed relationship. About not figuring out how to stop loving the person who’d broken your heart.
