“Um, hi,” she said as Dinesh got to his feet.
“Nice to meet you,” he replied. “I hope I’m not intruding. I was in the area and thought I’d drop in.”
“Not at all!” Mumma interjected cheerfully. “You’re always welcome. Priya, you sit here!” She patted her seat as she rose. “I’ll go and make some tea.”
Priya offered Dinesh a tentative smile and took a seat. Her eyes drifted to Ravi, then Manoj. An awkward silence hung in the air. Dinesh pretended to admire the apartment. Ravi focused on the carpet as though it held the answers to life, and Manoj stared at the small Ganesh figurine on the family’s altar. Meanwhile, Puppa kept nodding his head like a bobblehead doll. Priya glanced at her feet. In a congregation of socks, she was the only one with bare feet.
She cleared her throat. “So, um. Ravi, Manoj—what are you doing here?”
Before they could answer, Mumma called her to the kitchen.
“Coming!” Priya leaped to her feet, grateful for the excuse.
“Can you grab that pot for me?” Mumma asked, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Then under her breath, shehissed, “Why is Ravi here? And what on earth is Manoj showing up for now?”
“I have no idea,” Priya whispered back. There was a time when all her parents wanted was for her to patch things up with her ex-husband, not that they knew what had really happened. But now that they’d met Dinesh, their priorities seemed to have shifted.
“Thank you, beta,” Mumma said, continuing the charade. Through clenched teeth, she added, “Get rid of them.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll try,” Priya replied. As she returned to the living room, Mumma swept past her, extending her hand to Dinesh.
“Come, beta. I must show you our balcony,” she said. “You can pick some herbs to take home.” Leading Dinesh away, she gave Puppa a meaningful look and gestured toward Ravi.
Puppa caught on and cleared his throat. “Ravi,” he said. “Have you seen Moksha’s new electrical panel? It’s quite impressive! Come, let me show you.” He got up, put on his shoes, and waited by the door.
Ravi shot a puzzled look at Puppa, then at Priya, and back again. “Alright,” he agreed, a little perplexed, before getting up and putting on his own shoes.
“We won’t be long,” Puppa declared, nodding toward Manoj and winking at Priya as he led Ravi out.
Priya sighed.Here goes nothing.Her mission was to politely get rid of Manoj.
“Finally, some privacy,” Manoj said, letting out a relieved breath.
Priya sat on the sofa across from her ex-husband and looked at him. “What exactly are you doing here?” she asked.
“I brought you a certified check for your share of the company.” Manoj extended an envelope.
“Thank you.” Priya glanced at the number on the check before closing the envelope again. “But you didn’t have to fly all the wayfrom Calgary to deliver this; you could just have transferred it, like we agreed.”
“I know. But I wanted to see you, Priya. I meant what I said on the phone. I’m hoping you can give us another shot. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make things right.”
“Manoj, I need to stop you right there,” Priya said. “I know you’re sorry. And I’m sorry too. The truth is you weren’t the only one to blame for our marriage ending. I wasn’t completely present in our relationship, even before you cheated.”
His face clouded with confusion. “I thought we were fine. Until I…well, until I ruined it.”
Priya sighed, searching for the right words. “We were fine on paper, Manoj. We had the same background, the same interests…Our families got along. I told myself that would be enough. But deep down, I know now—I didn’t marry you for the right reasons.”
A puzzled look crossed Manoj’s face. “What do you mean?”
“I was looking for something safe. Something uncomplicated. And you gave me that,” she admitted gently. “But my heart has always belonged to someone else, and I didn’t face that until I returned home.”
“Someone else?” Manoj rose from his seat, his voice filled with disbelief. “I don’t get it, Priya. I was your first kiss, your first boyfriend…The only person you’ve ever been intimate with…” He trailed off and stopped pacing. “This has to do with your parents.” He frowned, his gaze sharp and searching. “You told them I had an affair, so now they’re setting you up with someone else, right? Is it that guy?” He gestured toward the balcony. “Or the one who left with your father?”
Priya shook her head, but before she could reply, the door swung open.
“We’re back,” Puppa announced, leading Ravi through the door.
Manoj closed his eyes and swore under his breath. “Well,” he said, his lips pressed tightly together. “I guess this is it. I’ve said what I needed to, but it looks like you’ve moved on.”
