All I Want To Do...

... Is to make a good impression

"Do you do any extracurricular activities in school, Jaya?" Prashant asks.

"I'm the leader of the tutoring club," Jaya says. "I want to go Harvard, Yale, of Arizona State University and I want a doctorate. I'd love to become either a college professor or a professional tutor for rich kids or poor kids or uneducated adults - whoever needs a tutor, or I might go to medical school and open my own clinic like my mom did."

"Very ambitious," Prashant comments. "What does your mother do?"

"She was a doctor for the ones who couldn't afford insurance," Jaya says. "She died. I was an orphan so my Auntie Nalini let me stay with her."

"That's very familia oriented," Prashant says. "I like that. I'm sorry about your mother, Jaya."

"Thank you," Jaya says with a smile. "She was sick for a while. She's not suffering anymore and she's at peace."

"Where did you spread her ashes?"

"In the river in Guthrie, Oklahoma," Jaya says. "She liked the water. My father's was spread in India."

Prashant offers her a kind smile before looking at Nalini. "So, Uncle tells me you're a dermatologist, Auntie."

"Oh, she is," Aravind says. "We have a lot of doctors in the family. Cousin Manju started her cardiology residency at eighteen. Devi, you have some catching up to do."

"Well, Cousin Manju is also a twenty-eight year old virgin," Devi says. "So, I'm good."

Prashant can't help but laugh, he covers his mouth with his first and laughs. Nalini also laughs. Jaya smiles a little. She uses her fingers to mix some of her rice into her curry sauce before putting it into her mouth and grabs her chicken.

"So Devi, what are you into?" Prashant asks since he's done spoken to Jaya, who seems like a very good girl and seems to be holding it together very well for an orphan left with her uncle's wife.

"Oh, this young lady is a very talented musician," Aravind says. "Devi. Why don't you play something on your harp?"

Jaya was here when Mohan died. Nalini was the one to go pick her up after Saavani died. Jaya was at Devi's concern when Mohan had his heart attack and died. Nalini just kept her. Jaya is technically her ward but she was only Mohan's because after her miscarriage when Devi was two, Nalini didn't want to raise another kid as her own, no one but Devi. But she's willing to shape her nieces up to be respectable Indian ladies.

So Jaya knows that Devi hasn't played the harp since Mohan died. Jay watches as Devi zones out, probably remembering the horrible memory of that night.

"Devi? He-lllo.?" Aravind muses. "Don't leave us music lovers waiting."

"Devi is, uh, actually taking a little break from the harp right now," Nalini claims. "Kanna, why don't you just help me clear the table?"

Jaya goes outside to grab some air. Jay goes inside after a moment and she sees Prashant.

"Hi," she greets.

"Needed some air, huh?"

"Yeah," Jaya says. "My uncle Mohan was still alive when my mother died. I was legally his ward, his responsibility."

Devi go as downstairs and they move to the living room. Devi is going to play her harp again.

"Did Nalini take you in?"

"Only because she had to when Uncle Mohan died," Jaya says as Devi starts to play beautifully for the first time since that night. "She's still responsible for me, but... she didn't want to raise someone else."

"Jaya," Nalini says as she and Kamala come inside. "You have a guest outside."

"Okay." Jaya stands up and she goes out. She smiles when she sees Paxton and Jason. Jay pulls Paxton to the blind spot again because she knows how Nalini can be - as Nalini pulls Devi out for Jason. "What's up?"

"I brought Jason here to give Devi her dress back," Paxton says. "I just wanted to see you, so I offered to drive you."

"And now Jason is probably telling Auntie Nalini about the party and her kiss with him," Jaya says and Paxton smirks. "And Nalini is probably belittling Jason, so you should go save him."

"Yeah." Paxton turns and he jogs over to Jason. "Hey, man, let's go," he says, interrupting Nalini's belittling. "See you at school, Jaya."
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"Now I see why you bring Paxton to the blind spot every time he comes over, whenever he does," Devi says to her cousin.

"I know how Auntie Nelini be, even if she never wanted to be responsible for me," Jaya says. "I'm only here still because Uncle Mohan wanted me here."

"What do you feel about the India move?"

"I'm not going." Jaya shrugs. "I called my mom and Uncle Mohan's triplet brother here in Sherman Oaks, Indra. He said I can stay with him. He's been alone since Parvati left him for a white man. I'm not going to India. It's not like Auntie Nalini wants me."

"I understand," Devi says.

The two lay together.