Karan was the tallest, just over six feet, his body lean and muscular, like a runner. His dark hair fell below his ears, curling slightly. Dark skin glowed in the sun, and his smile was small and shy as he shook his head at something one of them said. If memory served, he’d been one of the fastest on the soccer team. He was an engineer now. Vishal was a couple inches shorter than Roshan, also lithe and quick; he had played striker. He was saying something, his medium brown complexion complimented by his white shirt. He pointed at Karan and ran his hand through his closely cropped hair. She gathered that now he was a high-level corporate lawyer. Roshan, just an inch shorter and a bit broader than Karan, had been the goalie on the team. He had won some county and state awards for that position. Roshan was shaking his head and laughing with his friends. His skin tone was the lightest, which Nimita knew only played off the darkness of his eyes. His dark hair was longer on top and he tossed it away from his eyes. He had become a doctor.
The three of them turned heads of all ages in the lobby of the hotel.
Though not one of them seemed to notice.
“The best defense is a good offense,” Nimita said calmly, rebutting Roshan’s critique of her driving.
Roshan opened his mouth like he was ready to say something, but he shut it, then quietly said, “That’s what I always say.”
She snapped her gaze to him in surprise. “My dad always said that when he…well, when he taught me to drive.” He had been healthy back then. No episodes. They had all but forgotten that he had MS. Those were some of her favorite memories. Guilt tugged at her, reminding her that she hadn’t bothered to spend more than a few days every few months with her dad. It was the fact that seeing her father meant also dealing with her sister.
She shook away those thoughts. Plenty of time to worry about all that later. She was sure Reena would have more than a mouthful for her when she got to San Diego.
“Do you all still live in Maryland?” She should make conversation.
“I live in Minneapolis,” Vishal offered.
“Philly,” Karan added.
“Basically just live at the hospital,” Roshan joked, and his friends rolled their eyes.
“But all our parents are all still in Columbia. How about you?” Karan asked.
“I don’t really live anywhere. But my family moved out west,” Nimita responded, keeping it vague.
They settled in, ordering drinks and appetizers, all of the guys listening to Nimita’s recommendations. The conversation flowed, and the meal was amazing. Roshan was mostly quiet.
At one point, his phone rang, playing a mystical tune she recognized from social media. He excused himself and left to take a call.
“I thought you said no work,” Nimita said to Karan.
“Oh, that’s his little sister, probably just checking in.”
“That’s right, I remember… Malini, right?” she said, thinking of the thin little girl in her pretty head scarf. Frail but full of life. “She had…?”
“Leukemia, yeah.”
Nimita had been trying to stay cool and distant with Roshan, but she felt a bit bad that she hadn’t asked about Malini. “She’s better now?” she asked the guys.
“She’s had a few rocky years. He’s pretty vigilant about taking care of her. They even live together,” Karan offered before returning to his meal.
“She’s fine now,” Vishal said, likely in response to the blanched look on her face.
“Not to hear Roshan say it,” Karan mumbled.
She had a million questions, but Vishal and Karan had moved on to other topics of conversation.
She remembered that Roshan was many years older than his sister, and he’d always seemed like a good big brother. She’d liked that about him back then. His parents weren’t always around during their tutoring sessions, taking care of their daughter; appointments, hospital stays. Roshan had been so focused on academic excellence, but he’d also seemed to keep the household running. She remembered him skipping a few sessions to drive Malini places or preparing dinner while Nimita talked over some chemistry concept or other.
Reflecting on it now, she hadn’t really known him well socially, and it made sense now that she thought about it. He’d been focused on school and his family. There was no priority given to getting know each other. Which had suited Nimita just fine then and quite frankly suited her just fine now. She wasn’t in a place to add relationships when she was barely managing the few she already had.
After dinner, the guys saw her back to the hotel before heading out to grab a drink at a local bar on her recommendation list. “Come with us,” Karan had offered.
More than aware that the guys were on their special trip, she declined. “Surf lessons tomorrow. Sunrise.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Vishal said, waving her off. Roshan didn’t even look her way.
* * *
