Silently Falling in Love: Race (THE EDITED VERSION)

Chapter 42 - Kabhi Kabhi

Alex: August 1996

The three of us and Poonam auntie were working at the workshop. Poonam auntie had come to New York because she missed Tarun cha- cha and she was tired of him being away for such lengthy periods.

Everyone worked quietly; Poonam auntie had cooked and brought us dinner. The delicious homemade food had us all in a coma.

Auntie hummed a tune, causing me to look up at her. She was in her fifties and still looked beautiful; she didn't fit the stereotype of the nagging older Indian auntie.

I smiled; her pleasant mood was probably the result of being in the same town as cha-cha. They never could have children of their own, so Arjun and I were their surrogate sons. Arjun and I thought of cha-cha and auntie as our second set of parents. Sometimes it felt like it was easier to speak to them than my own parents.

Because they didn't have their own children and cha-cha had done well for himself, they supported several orphanages and causes related to children. Poonam auntie had made it a point to make sure the kids of all of her staff went to school and received an education. Auntie always carried a positive attitude; she said, had she had her own children she probably wouldn't be as involved in children's causes. And that her being barren was a blessing.

Auntie caught me looking at her and smiled back. "You okay? Do you need chai?"

"Thank you, auntie, I'm good."

"Because I have a thermos full of chai if you need some," auntie said as she pulled out a thermos from her food bag.

"Poonam, you need to stop spoiling Amar like this. If you keep feeding him and granting his every wish, he will never get married. It's his future wife's job to do this, not yours!" Tarun cha-cha grumpily interrupted us.

"Are you jealous, Tarun? Don't worry, I brought enough chai for everyone. Anjali beti, do you need some?" Auntie asked as she ran her hand down Anjali's back.

"No auntie, thank you though. If I drink chai at this hour, I will never go to sleep."

"Fine, if all of you will be shy, I will have some," auntie said laughing as she poured herself a cup.

"I never said no to chai," Tarun cha-cha whined.

Even after being married for so many years, they still seemed in love with each other. They teased each other constantly, but in reality, it was their way of showing affection. Neither of them enjoyed spending time apart from each other. Half the time Tarun cha-cha was grumpy I attributed it to auntie not being in New York.

Auntie smiled at cha-cha and poured him a large mug filled with steaming chai.

"Tarun did you give the kids their tickets?"

"Poonam they're in the top drawer can you give the tickets to them."

"Anjali beti make sure you bring Raj, I still haven't met him. And Amar beta make sure Anna comes too. Since it's a classical music concert, language shouldn't be a problem."

"Yes, bring Raj, even I haven't met him," Tarun cha-cha added, "and I've asked Arjun to bring Kavita, hope that's not a problem for either of you?"

Anjali and I both looked at Tarun cha-cha, "No, why would it be a problem?"

"Anjali do you think Katherine and Andrew would like to come? I think they'd love it, especially since it's classical music so they can appreciate it without speaking Hindi. Tarun Jewelers is the main sponsor, so they'll have amazing seats."

"I'm sure they would love to come," Anjali said.

"Good," auntie said, completely satisfied.

"I need all of you there since we're the main sponsor," Tarun cha-cha countered in a sterner voice. I couldn't help but notice how different their styles were. They both wanted everyone to attend the musical concert but approached it so differently.