She blushed. “Thank you. Aren’t you in the least objecting to us?”
“No. Believe it or not, you remind me of myself when I was much younger.”
“Really?” we both asked in unison.
“Yes. I had such a smart mouth on me. My parents practically died every time I opened it. Sarcastic and witty. Oh, no one messed with me, and it took a brave man to marry me. He never expected me to change, saw me for every good deed and every blemish, but loved me like in the movies. You better believe how mean people were to me. In India, at that time, pushing myself to become educated and independent, society did not like that. I enjoyed a party or two, I tried a drink. Jay’s father and I snuck out a time or three before the wedding.”
“Oh, lord,” I muttered, not wanting to know this side of my mother.
“We were full of passion and fire, and yes, we argued sometimes, but we never stopped loving one another.”
“Ma…” I mumbled.
“Oh, hush. You’re an adult now. You know what we did to make you.”
“Lord,” I muttered under my breath and offered Liya an apologetic glance.
She laughed. “I love your mother.”
Ma went on. “You can be different, free, opinionated, be all those things but be a good person.”
“Were you a feminist?” Liya asked.
“Still am.”
“But this whole finding a wife for your sons?”
“It’s a parent’s duty, isn’t it? To make sure their children are loved, fed, taken care of. That they get through college, build a career, and marry the right person to spend their lives with, someone who will make them happy. I’ve always kept an eye out for special women for my sons, but it’s always up to them. I don’t force them. I wouldn’t force my daughter to marry a certain man, either.
“Notice that Shilpa is not a quiet girl. Oh, no. She will stand up for anything she believes in. She’s a hard worker, an equal partner in her marriage. She respects me, I respect her. She doesn’t expect me to tell her what to do, and I wouldn’t expect her to obey me if I did. She’s independent and, thankfully, out of the goodness of her heart and the fact that we get along so well, she’s more than happy having me live with her and help with the baby.
“And don’t you think I know how hardheaded, competitive, and assertive Jay can be? He wouldn’t want a quiet girl, either, but a special woman who can put up with him, put him in his place if need be, but more than ever, build one another up.”
“I’m sure by now you’ve heard all the rumors, in detail, about my wild ways. Aren’t you concerned?” Liya bit her lip and glanced at the table between us and Ma.
“No. Some of us have had our wild times. Yours is in the past and Jay is your present. Love is love. If you’re committed to my son, and only my son, I’m happy. What else is there? You’re everything to him. On top of that, you come from a good family, have a career, good friends, are a hard worker. It’s not as if you’re having relations with other men at the same time, or are you?”
Liya shook her head vigorously. “Oh, lord, no.”
“Good. I approve, in case either of you were concerned.”
“That means so much to me,” Liya replied, her eyes glistening.
I took her hand beneath the table and squeezed.
“I enjoyed dinner. I’ll leave you two,” Ma said and went upstairs.
“I didn’t mean for us to get ambushed like that,” I said after Ma left.
Liya shrugged. “That’s not an ambush.”
“Look, I know where you stand on marriage and kids and all that, and you know where I stand and what I’m willing to compromise on. There’s no pressure here.”
“There was no pressure from her, either.”
“Good. As long as we’re honest with one another, we’ll be good.”
She squeezed my hand a little more. “Speaking of, you know how I said I might have a new job lined up?”
“Yeah.”
“My boss actually recommended me for a job,” she said, albeit a little nervously.
“That’s great! Is it nearby, or do you have to drive through this nasty traffic?”
She rubbed her hands against her lap. “The job is in Dallas, and they just made an offer.”
“What?” My heart sank at her words.
“I’ve been debating another city for a long time, particularly this company in Dallas.”
I swallowed. “What’s there to debate about?”
“I hate living here. You know that. Been trying to get away for a long time, and this company has been on my radar since graduation.”
“You’re trying to run?” I clenched my jaw.
“Not from you.” She touched my cheek. “I promise I’m not. But there are tumultuous things here, corrosive people. I also have my friends here.”
“And me,” I reminded.
“And you,” she said gently.
“But the fact that you’re aiming for Dallas says a lot about what you think of us.”
She swallowed. “I have always wanted to get away from Houston. I didn’t think you’d be the type of guy who would hold me back from this kind of opportunity.”
“Hold you back? You mean get upset because you’re considering leaving me?”
“I’m not leaving you.” She shook her head as if this conversation was exasperating her.
“How long do you expect a long-distance relationship to work?” I asked, trying to keep my anger, my panic, down.
“We’ll try. Maybe you can get a job there.”
I scoffed and pulled away. “And leave my family? I get that you hate yours, but I love mine. I can’t leave Ma, I won’t leave Josh. I thought you were starting to love them, too.”
She sat back, her face rigid. “Are you telling me not to accept the job?”
“There has to be a company here.”
“That I want to be with? In a management position? With better pay? No. There isn’t.”
“You’re running away from me again.”
“Jay. You’re not hearing me. I am not running away. This is the type of job I’ve worked very hard for over several years, at a company that I’ve tried to get into before, a company that I really want to work at and a position I believe I’ll thrive in.”
“In Dallas!”
“What should I do, then?” she growled. “Stay here, work at a place that I hate if I can even get a job here? Play housewife and go to mandir and deal with those idiots who I hate?”
I rubbed my eyes. “Are we fighting again?”
“Sounds like it.” She pushed away from the table and stood. “Now you’re pissed at me. It’s not the situation I want, either.”
I shot to my feet and went out the door, Liya right on my heels. “Tell me when you got things figured out.”
“I already do. I’m taking the job, Jay.”
She reached for my hand when I pulled out my car keys. “This is not the end of us,” she said softly.
“I can’t leave my family. You won’t stay here. That sounds like the end of us.”
“Jay—”