The Mango Season

Everyone in the room became very still. Ammamma, who had been fa

Sowmya had put it out there, told everyone, especially Thatha, that if he complained or insisted too much about knowing the gender of the baby he would be slotted away with all those other despicable middle-class men who participated in female infanticide. She had managed to corner the great old man himself with a few words.

“Okay,” Thatha said, looking at Sowmya as if he had never seen her before. “Whatever Lata wants.”

Lata, who was waiting by the back yard to hear the outcome of her a

Jayant washed his hands in the plate but unlike his wife did not bother to put his plate away.

“Thatha,” I started, and fell silent when he raised his hand.

“I will not accept it, Priya. If you marry this man, then you are not my family,” Thatha said.

I had expected it all along but I had not been prepared for the pain that followed his a

“Then that is your choice, I have no problems with who Priya marries,” Na

Sowmya took Na

“And you think that marrying this American is going to make her happy?” Thatha demanded while Na

“I think that how she lives her life is her choice and yes, I believe that she will be and actually she is happy with Nicholas,” Na

Thatha washed his hands in his plate and looked at Ma. “Radha? Is this okay with you?”

Ma sat still for a very long moment and then nodded.

“It is going to only end badly,” Thatha told Na

Na

“But you are for letting her do this,” Thatha said agitated, his chest heaving with the rage he was trying to control. This was his family, he was supreme here. How dare anyone go against him.

“In that case, my family and I will take leave of you,” Na

Ammamma cried out then. “No, no. Why do you talk like this?” She looked at her husband of fifty-one years with admonishment. “He didn’t mean it, Ashwin.” She tried to assuage my father.

“Then he shouldn’t have said it,” Ma said angrily. In all the years that we had all been together, Thatha had never called Na

“I shouldn’t have said it,” Thatha said slowly, realizing that he was breaking up his family.

“It is not right but… she is a daughter’s daughter,” Ammamma said, patting Thatha’s shoulder. “And if Radha and Ashwin feel it is okay, who are we to say anything?”

Thatha nodded grudgingly but didn’t look at Na

“I hope that you will one day feel better about this,” I told Thatha. “I’m happy with this man. I thought that would be important to you.”

Thatha shook his head, defeated. He didn’t say anything. He was coming to terms with the fact that he was not master of my father’s house, that when push came to shove, Ma would always stand by her husband and they both would stand by me, regardless of my decision and their consequences.

“And at least,” Ammamma said with a broad shrug, “he is white, not some kallu.”

I froze.

Damn it!

Had I forgotten to mention Nick was black?

TO: PRIYA RAO ‹[email protected] /* */›

FROM: NICHOLAS COLLINS ‹[email protected] /* */›

SUBJECT: SORRY!

I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING OUT OF TOUCH ALL DAY YESTERDAY BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN A TOTAL MESS. I WENT TO LUNCH WITH STEVEN AND SUSAN TO THIS PUB IN THE CITY AND SOMEONE GOT AWAY WITH MY LEATHER BAG AND MY LEATHER JACKET. MY CELL PHONE WAS IN THE JACKET AND MY PALM ALONG WITH MY COMPUTER WAS IN MY BAG… I AM COMPLETELY FUCKED!

I THINK I HAVE SOME OLD STUFF ON YOUR LAPTOP SO ONCE YOU’RE BACK YOU CAN HAVE A LOOK AND LET ME KNOW. FOR NOW, I HAVE LOST ALL MY CONTACTS BUT AT LEAST I HAVE SOME CDS THAT I USED TO BACKUP MY HARD DRIVE TWO MONTHS AGO.

I SPOKE WITH FRANCES AND SHE TOLD ME YOU WERE WORRIED. I’M RIGHT HERE… A LITTLE LIGHT ON HI-TECH TOYS BUT RIGHT HERE.

HOW WAS EVERYTHING? ARE YOUR GRANDFATHER AND FATHER FEELING ANY BETTER?

I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO COME BACK HOME. AND FRANCES TOLD ME THAT YOU AGREED TO GET MARRIED THIS FALL IN MEMPHIS? ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? I THOUGHT YOUR HEART WAS SET ON MONTEREY OR CARMEL, SOMEWHERE BY THE OCEAN. AND SHE SAID THAT YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT BY THE END OF THE YEAR? I’M ASSUMING THAT A LOT OF THIS IS WISHFUL THINKING ON HER PART, IN ANY CASE, WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU GET HOME.

OH AND I HOPE YOU HATED THAT GUY THEY TRIED TO HOOK YOU UP WITH.

I LOVE YOU AND I MISS YOU, SO COME HOME SOON

NICK

Epilogue – Ready to Eat

The avakai arrived with an Indian who was coming to the Bay Area and whose parents Ma and Na

Nick thought the pickle was too spicy but continued to eat it without ghee or rice, which was as close to killing yourself as you could come with the hot-hot pickle.

My experience with India in the summer had left me with a better understanding of Nick and my relationship with him and my family. Nick was pleased that I didn’t end up marrying a nice Indian boy and assured me that he had never thought about leaving me because I couldn’t tell my family about him.

“We come from different cultures, I understand that,” he said. “I was frustrated at times but never enough to not want to be with you. This is who you are; you’d not be you if you didn’t care about your family.”

It was a relief to be back in the U.S. This was familiar territory and I didn’t feel like a cross between a delinquent teenager and a bad daughter anymore. That feeling had passed when Ma, at the Hyderabad International Airport, had waved good-bye with tears in her eyes.