I sucked up the last of my juice and set my glass to the side. “When your own mother suffocates you, a breeze from the jungle might feel good.”

“It’s difficult enough for me without you arguing with her and about her. Believe me, if the next person I meet is halfway decent, you’ll be next. Then you can do whatever pleases you,” she said, swirling her glass and looking at the last of the sweet, brownish juice.

I wanted to say so much to her, but I didn’t know where to begin.

ten

IN JANUARY, Foi came to stay with us for a month to help prepare for Mohini’s wedding with Anoop. Even though Anoop was not a magistrate’s son, he’d come from America, and Mummy had read about him in the matrimonial column. The only thing we knew about his family was that Anoop’s mother had passed away a year ago and that his father was a bank officer who was going to retire in a year and then go live with his son in America.

I suppose before Anoop’s father could go to America he needed a good bahu, a wife for Anoop, who could cook, clean, and keep his name going.

After meeting Mohini only once, Anoop said he was interested. The next day he canceled his appointment to meet another girl and took Mohini out instead.

Things moved faster than any of us could’ve imagined. The pundit read Mohini’s and Anoop’s horoscopes and said that they matched well. He also gave us a few auspicious dates for the marriage ceremony. Anoop’s father said yes, too, and so Mohini had to decide right away. I knew she wanted more time with Anoop and also more time before she made her decision, but it never happened. Mummy was not going to let such a fine young man get away.

“Once you let go of the matter, he might go and see other girls, and then where will you be? If you don’t have anything against him then let’s have an instant engagement and a quick wedding,” Mummy told Mohini one morning while she, Pappa, and Foi were having their second cup of tea.

“But we hardly know anything about Anoop. How do we know he’s the right person?” I asked.

“We know enough about him,” Mummy said. “He’s from our caste, he’s educated, and he lives in America. Mohini will have a good life with him.”

“Anoop seems like the right match for Mohini,” Foi said. “I wish we had more time, but when a boy comes for a short while from far away, we have to decide fast.”

“Anoop is a stranger. None of our relatives or friends even know him. What if he makes Mohini miserable?”