After the Morning After (6 page)

Sanjay took his last load of clothes out of the dryer and walking from his service porch into the house, wandered through the kitchen and into the living room, where he dumped the pile on his sofa. The clothes were supposed to be white but instead were a lovely little-girl Easter-dress shade of lilac. “Shit,” he mumbled but then shrugged philosophically and, whistling happily, started folding.

“Well, what do you know?” Bhavani Banerjee drawled. “My big brother’s a metrosexual,” she finished with a smirk as she stared at the clothes.

Sanjay ignored the comment as he looked for socks that matched. “So, to what do I owe this unexpected visit,
Vonnie? Is everything all right?”

“Yes, everything’s fine,”
Bhavani assured him as she stood and paced, her long legs eating up the circumference of his small living room in no time. She walked over to the mantle above the dormant marble fireplace. She picked up a frame that held a fifteen-year-old photo of him, their parents, and her and smiled. Sanjay and she both took after their dad in height, but she had her mom’s more delicate frame. “Nothing’s wrong,” she said as she replaced the photo, “but I did want to stop by and see the man who stood me up for dinner and a movie last night.” She turned back around to look at him. “What gives, big brother?”

“I didn’t stand you up,
Vonnie,” he told her with a sigh as he realized that the mate to an athletic sock had mysteriously disappeared. “I called and told you that I wouldn’t be able to make it.”

Bhavani studied her brother, the family genius. Even with mussed hair and dressed in baggy shorts, a ragged T-shirt, and wearing tortoiseshell glasses, he didn’t look like a nerdy intellectual. He was just too good-looking, or as every friend she’d had since the age of twelve described him, a hot babe. Babe or not, he had one of the sharpest brains in the town—and in a town like Bay Side, California, that was saying quite a lot.

The town had more than its share of research and development arms, including those for computer hardware manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, engineering firms… The list went on and on. And a man with Sanjay’s brain could walk into any one of those companies and obtain a job in no time.

“So, what’s up with you, Jay? What was so important that you had to cancel on me last night?”

“I had business to see to.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Bhavani said knowingly. “I take it this
business
was a woman. Who is she? Do I know her?”

“I don’t want to talk about it; not yet. Let’s talk about you. How are things going? You tell Mom and Dad yet?”

Bhavani fell into a deep chair opposite him. “No, I haven’t yet, and you know it.”

“I know it’s hard,
Vonnie, but you need to tell them and tell them soon. You’re twenty-eight, and you know what that means to them.”

Bhavani
rolled her eyes. “It’s impossible, Jay! I can just see myself now, ‘Mom, Dad, I, your daughter, the one you raised lovingly and respectably in Bengali and Hindu traditions, am a raging, flaming lesbian. Yes, I know you expected me to marry someone by now and someone of your choosing. And of course I know that he would have been a respectable Hindu boy, preferably with family roots in West Bengal or Bangladesh, but as long as his family is from somewhere in India, you would not have minded. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you and make you give up all your hopes and dreams for me, but Mommy, Daddy, I like girls—a lot, so much so that I let one move in with me.’”

Despite the serious subject matter, Sanjay grinned. She was right; their parents would see things exactly that way. They’d think she was ruining her life and theirs. “Don’t forget the part about grandchildren.”

“Please! I don’t even want to think about that! Well, at least you can help me there. You’ll continue the line for them.” She moaned and covered her face. “God, Jay, they’re going to totally disown me!”

But Sanjay was no longer listening. He would continue the line, yes, but he wanted to continue the line with Victoria, and he knew that his parents would not like that at all. She wasn’t Indian, and he could be totally wrong, but he highly doubted that she practiced Hinduism.

“What’s the matter, Jay?”
Bhavani asked, studying his pensive frown. “Is it what I said about you carrying on the Banerjee line? ’Cause if it is, you gotta know that I was joking. Well…I actually wasn’t, but if it bothers you, I won’t bring it up—”

Sanjay cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it,
Vonnie. It isn’t that, not precisely, anyway.”

“Then what is it? Precisely?”

Sanjay sighed. He and his sister were two years apart and had been close all their lives. He felt that he could tell her just about anything, and he knew she felt the same way about him. “You were right earlier. I did cancel on you last night because of a woman.”

“I knew it,”
Bhavani said with an arrogant toss of her long black curly hair. She grinned, and a dimple peeked out from one cheek while her black eyes sparkled mischievously. “I’m never wrong about these things. Again, who is she, and do I know her?”

“Her name is Dr. Victoria Howell, and I don’t know
—do you know her?”

“The name’s not familiar, no. And it doesn’t sound Indian either,” she said slowly. “I don’t suppose she’s at least Indian-American or, better yet, Bengali-American?”

Sanjay hid a grin at the faintly hopeful note in her voice and shook his head as he continued to fold his clothes. “Nope, ’fraid not.”

Bhavani
flopped back in the chair. “Shit, Jay; not you too! I don’t know how Mom and Dad will ever recover.” She covered her face with her hands and spoke through them. “It took me several years to convince them that I’m not going to be a burden because I became a paralegal instead of going into one of the science fields, but I did it. But this…this is going to kill them. Both of their children involved with people who are neither Indian nor Hindu, and throw in that lovely little curve about mine being a girl, and well, jeez, Jay, we’ve just about got ourselves a perfect storm!”

Sanjay frowned. Unfortunately, his sister was not exaggerating. Despite having lived in America for thirty-five years and having birthed both of their children here, his parents were traditional Bengali in both thought and deed.

“What are we going to do, Jay?” Bhavani wailed.

“Tell them the truth and deal with the fallout,” Sanjay told her. He looked at the last item in his basket. “Ah, so you’re the culprit,” he muttered and picked up a pair of now bleach-streaked purple boxers, which had been a gift from an ex-girlfriend.

“I don’t understand how you can be so calm.”

“I have to be,” he explained. “Mom and Dad will be upset enough for all of us; somebody has to keep a cool head. And besides, I want this relationship, so there’s no point in getting upset when I’m going to do what I want to do anyway.”

“Are you so willing that you’ll introduce your new girlfriend to Mom and Dad when they come in for
Maha Shivaratri
in a couple of weeks?” she challenged with a lifted brow.

Sanjay winced at the mention of the holiday that was celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva, one of three Hindu gods that form the
Trimurti
. “No, not this trip,” he said. “Even though there will be time because the holiday falls on Monday, and they’ll be here that Friday. I don’t think I’ll be inviting the doc over. It’s too soon in the relationship, and she’s already gun-shy.”

“Really? What’s her freaking problem? Is she an idiot?”

Sanjay sighed. Vonnie had always been protective of him and became offended at even the thought of someone slighting or insulting him. “She doesn’t
have
a problem, Vonnie, so don’t go starting anything.”

“I’m just saying
—”

“
Vonnie.”

“All right, fine. If you say she doesn’t have a problem, then I believe you. Is she the reason you ditched me last night?”

“I didn’t ditch you, but yes, like I already told you, she’s the reason I canceled dinner with you. I needed to talk to her about a few things.”

“How long have you been seeing her?”

“We, uh, went out a few months ago, and she decided that she wasn’t ready for a relationship. I was going through my own thing at the time—you know, with my prototype—so I let things go…sort of. Anyway, I want her to work with me, and I want a relationship with her, so I went to see her.”

“Right,”
Bhavani said with a nod. “Plus, Mom called you, didn’t she?”

“Uh, yeah. Guess she told you, huh?”

“Yep. She told me that there’s a potential wife for you in Bengal. She thought it would be nice if the whole family took a trip there for a vacation. After all, ‘it’s the perfect time of year for it.’”

Sanjay chuckled at her perfect imitation of their mother. “I have one thing to say to that: her call got me off my ass and over to see the doc. I wanted to see if I’d imagined how great it was all those months ago. I hadn’t.”

“And her?”

“She hadn’t imagined it either, but she still took a little convincing.”

“I don’t get it,” Bhavani complained. “Why? You’re a great guy, so I ask you again, what’s her problem?”

Sanjay shook his head. “Not everyone thinks I’m as great as you do,
Vonnie, and I don’t think that I’m the reason she’s hesitating. I’ll find that out soon, though,” he said and playfully tossed a balled-up pair of socks at her.

Bhavani
smiled as she tossed the socks back to him. “So, I assume you have a date with the fair lady.”

“You bet,” Sanjay said and bounced on his toes to toss the socks in the basket as if he were playing on a basketball court. “I invited her to dinner here tomorrow night.”

“Really, and she deigned to come, huh?”

Sanjay rolled his eyes. “Jesus,
Vonnie, will you stop being so stubborn about this? Not everyone is crazy about me. I know you love me, and I appreciate your pride in me, but let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“All right, then. I heard about what was supposed to have been your deposition yesterday. What the hell, Jay? You just walked out?”

Sanjay shrugged. “I was there of my own accord. I didn’t have to be.”

Bhavani
shook her head. “You’ve left yourself open to penalties, you know. Why are you drawing this out, dude?”

“Because I can, and they screwed with me, the greedy bastards. They accused me of stealing my own product. They’ve tried to ruin my reputation and the respect I’ve always had from colleagues.”

“So why not just end it, then? Stop jerking around and let it go.”

“Why should I? It’s been four months, and fallout has already been maximized. I don’t think it can get any worse for me, but I can drag this out for them.”

“But why? What good would it accomplish?”

He shrugged again. “Good-
schmood; I just want to be a pain in their asses for a little while.”

Bhavani
laughed. “Well, Carol—the paralegal who was there—did say that their reactions to your just walking out were hilarious.”

Sanjay frowned as he thought about it. He’d forgotten that he’d walked out. He’d been in a hurry to get to Victoria. He’d been unsuccessful, which was when
he’d come up with his plan for seeing her later that night. “Hilarity wasn’t my intent. I had other things on my mind.”

“Well, she also said that they were pissed. One of the lawyers called you ‘a haughty
braniac bastard.’”

Sanjay grinned. “Yeah? ‘Haughty,’ huh? Must have been the woman. I felt her checking out my ass.”

“No, Mom, I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard from Nana,” Victoria said into the phone as she dusted a bookcase. She’d invited Bella and Addie for dinner and was preparing the house. “I’m sure she’s all right, though. She’s left home before.”

“Yes, I know that, Victoria,” Regina Howell said with frustration. “But Mother’s never been this upset before. Your father has really gone and done it this time. And aside from all of that, she’s seventy-eight years old. I don’t like it that she’s gone off and hasn’t contacted me. I’ve called all of her friends, and none of them have heard from her.”

“Well, what exactly did Dad do?” Victoria stuck her finger in the soil of an African violet.

“Mother wanted to redecorate the main dining room in the house in Boston. Your father told her no, that it was absolutely out of the question.”

“But why? When was the last time that room was updated anyway?”

Regina sighed. “You’re missing the point entirely, Victoria.”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “Then why don’t you tell me what that point is, Mom?” she said, picking up her watering can to water the violet.

“The point is that that room is practically the centerpiece of the house, and your grandmother knows that. Yet she insists on being given the right to decorate it in what she calls an African safari motif.”

Victoria’s lips pursed as she tried to stifle a chuckle. She knew her grandmother and could well imagine what that meant. “And what does that entail?”

“I heard you laugh, Tori. It isn’t funny. The swatches she brought home were just awful: Zebra print, giraffe, tiger
—”

“Actually, tigers are from Asia, not Africa
—”

“
Vic
toria Renee Howell.” Regina demanded her attention in a strident voice, which made Victoria wince. “I do not need a lecture on the origin of species right now, young lady. Your grandmother is missing.”

Victoria bit her lip. “Sorry, Mom, force of habit.”

“Well, all right, then,” Regina said begrudgingly. “Now, back to your grandmother. Do you know she even had something that she called elephant hide? She said it was genuine,” she finished. The horror of it all came clear across the phone lines.

“So what did Dad say to her? I assume the fact that he told her no wasn’t enough to send her away.”

Mrs. Howell heaved a deep sigh. “No, dear. Now you know I don’t usually approve of your grandmother’s choice of language when she gets mad at your father, but this time I was in agreement with her when she called him a—just a moment, I have it written down.”

Victoria heard some minor rustling, and then her mother was back. “Here we are. She called him ‘a dick wad with a mean streak a mile wide and a stick up his ass.’ Now I don’t exactly know what that first term means, but I can hazard a guess. Victoria? Victoria? Are you still there?”

Victoria’s eyes had widened to the point of pain, and her mouth had fallen open. She tried to speak but couldn’t. Her mother had actually said the words “dick” and “ass.” What was the world coming to? She tried once again to speak. “Uh…hmm…”

“Yes, dear. I know it’s shocking, but your grandmother was absolutely right. Your father not only told her that she couldn’t redecorate, but to add insult to injury, he told her that all of her fluttering and fidgeting about was giving him angina, and that to him all of her ripping and running and getting in his way only meant one thing: that she’d been widowed far too long and needed to find herself a husband and redecorate
his house
. Well, that was early yesterday evening, and needless to say, I woke up this morning and found Mother gone and a note that simply said ‘See you when I see you.’”

Sufficiently recovered now, Victoria laughed.

“It isn’t funny, Victoria,” her mother chastised, but it lacked any real power because she herself was chuckling.

“It’s just all so funny,” Victoria said once she had wound down. “I honestly think that those two enjoy sparring with each other.”

“Of course they do,” Regina confirmed, “but that doesn’t change the fact that your father was completely out of line yesterday, and I let him know that in no uncertain terms.”

Victoria chuckled, knowing her father was in for it. “I know this is probably an insulting question, but did you call her cell phone?”

“Yes, and of course she has it turned off.”

“Well, she’s done this before, and she’ll be back when she’s calmed down. She hasn’t called me, but when she does, I’ll let you know.”

“You do that, sweetheart, the minute you hear from her. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Mom. Bye.”

* * *

Victoria was finishing vacuuming her living room when the front doorbell rang. She opened the door to find her grandmother, Ms. Theresa Stanton, standing on her porch with two big suitcases at her feet and determination on her face. Victoria smiled cheekily. “Well, hello there, Rebel. How long will you be staying?” she asked as she went in for a long, tight hug and a gentle kiss on the top of the head.

“Hi, baby,” Theresa said. “Oh, it’s so good to see you,” she cooed and squeezed Victoria one last time before releasing her. “I take it your mother called you.”

“Of course,” Victoria said as she lifted the bags and brought them into the house. “She’s worried, and I told her I’d call her as soon as I heard from you. So, just let me put these bags in your usual room so I can do that.” She’d lived in the house
for five years, and during that time, her grandmother had visited her at least twice a year.

“Thank you, dear heart,” Theresa said as she followed her up the stairs and to the second door. “You know, I can’t believe I still have to wear my coat,” she said as Victoria helped her take it off. “This is California, after all.”

“This is northern California in late January,” Victoria reminded her as she walked to hang the coat in the closet. “We don’t get much past fifty degrees in the winter. Now,” she said as she watched her grandmother sit on the bed, “do you want to call Mom, or should I?”

Theresa already had her phone out of its case. “I’ll do it.”

As her grandmother talked on the phone, Victoria busied herself with the unpacking.

“Don’t bother with that right now, I-
adori-ya-Victoria,” Theresa said when she’d hung up. “Come on over here and tell your nana what’s going on with you.” She patted the space next to her on the bed invitingly.

Victoria grinned at the old childhood nickname and walked to sit down on the bed. “Okay, Nana, what do you want to know?”

“For starters, you can tell me about this man you’re seeing, and it’s about time, I might add.”

Victoria studied her for a silent few seconds. “How did you know?” she finally asked.

Theresa’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh you
are
seeing someone? Honey, I was only guessing,” Theresa confessed with a wink, making Victoria burst out laughing. “Well, good for you! Tell me all about him.”

“Well.” Victoria drew the word out cautiously. “I really like him, but there’s something about him I know the family isn’t going to like. He isn’t a Christian.”

Theresa drew back with a frown. “Oh, sweet pea, your daddy’s not going to like that at all, neither will your mother. What is he? Jewish? Muslim?”

“No, he’s Hindu.” The only reason Victoria knew this was because she’d overheard him discussing it with a coworker before he’d quit.

Theresa pursed her lips, clearly in thought. “I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with that particular religion. Where’s he from?”

Victoria grinned. “Athens, Georgia, but if you mean what’s his ethnicity, he’s South Asian Indian. His parents are originally from the Bengal region of India.”

“Now
that’s
something your father really isn’t going to like,” Theresa muttered. “Is his skin brown?”

Victoria frowned. “No, well…kind of…I guess, but what’s that got
—”

“Really? Could you could pass him off as being biracial
—you know, like he’s mixed with black and something else? It doesn’t matter what.”

Horrified, Victoria could only stare at her for a moment. “Why would I do that? And I can’t believe that you would even suggest such a thing!”

“I don’t care who you date, Victoria. You know that. As long as he makes you happy and treats you well, I’m good. But your parents are a different kettle of fish altogether. Your father will definitely object to the fact that this boy isn’t black. You know that as well as I do. And your mother won’t be too happy about it either.”

“That’s their problem,” Victoria retorted, “and besides, who says they will ever meet him anyway? I didn’t say that this was serious.”

Theresa’s smile was soft and chiding, and she took Victoria’s chin in her hand so she could see her eyes. “Honey, you didn’t have to. For someone like you, ‘really like’ means you’re on the road to serious.”

Victoria sulked and grumbled, “How’d you get to be so smart anyway?”

Theresa laughed. “Baby, I was born that way. Now tell me some more about your fellow. What’s his name?”

Laughing, Victoria answered, “His name is Sanjay Banerjee, and I met him through work.”

* * *

“You look too loose and limber not to have been fucked,” Addie said by way of greeting when Victoria opened her door to him and Bella.

“And hello to you too, Addie,” Victoria said as she offered her cheek for a kiss. “Watch what you say,” she whispered as he kissed her. “My grandmother’s here.”

“Cool
—can’t wait to meet her.”

“Pay no attention to him, sweetie,” Bella said with a quick hug. “Though, I will say you do look a bit softer around the edges than you usually do.”

“Oh, stop,” Victoria chided with an embarrassed smile. “Come on into the dining room and meet my grandmother. The salad is on the table, and the lasagna has about another five minutes. I’ll grab the wine while you guys wash your hands. But first, you should meet Nana.”

“You’re a hoot, Ms. Stanton,” Addie told Victoria’s grandmother between deep chuckles. “An absolute hoot!”

Theresa looked askance at his outfit of silver pants and purple silk shirt and finally smiled with amusement. “Yes, well, you’re not half-stepping yourself, young man.” She looked over at Victoria, who was sitting on the sofa with Bella. “I’m tired, sweetheart. You’ll have to forgive an old lady for being rude, but I think I’ll head on up to bed.”

“Oh, you’re not being rude, Nana. In fact I’d say you did pretty well, lasting as long as you did. After all, it’s hard out there for an old broad on the lam.”

“And exhausting,” Theresa said with a straight face and hugged her. “It was nice to meet you two,” she said to Bella and Addie. “Don’t be strangers while I’m here, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the two said in unison.

“Good night, Nana. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

“What a sweetheart,” Bella said once they’d heard Theresa’s bedroom door close.

“Yeah, Nana’s the best.”

Addie slid back on the couch and crossed his legs. “Okay, enough about her, sweet as she is. Let’s hear about your night of reclaiming your manhood.” When Victoria looked at him in confusion, he rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, doll! You
did
sleep with the Southern-fried Indian, didn’t you?” When Victoria shook her head and buried her face in her hands, he said, “Like I said, you reclaimed your manhood.”

Victoria ignored Bella’s ill-concealed snort into her snifter of brandy and focused on Addie. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

Addie and Bella looked at one another, nodded. “She did.”

“So how good was he?” Bella asked.

Victoria felt her entire body flush with heat and struggled to suppress a smile. “None of your business.”

“That good, huh?” Addie asked softly and smiled as Victoria squirmed in embarrassment.

“Worst poker face
everrrr
,” Bella murmured as she took a sip of her brandy and pretended to look everywhere but at Victoria.

Laughing, Victoria tossed a small pillow at her. “Quiet, you!”

Bella snatched it neatly from the air and continued drinking. “So,” she said after cradling the snifter in her hands, “when will you see him again?”

Victoria had no problem answering this question. “He’s making me dinner tomorrow night.”