“Don’t talk to my sister like that. If you didn’t use your package as an eye patch you would’ve seen her coming,” Chiraj said. The man gave us both a stern look and hurriedly walked away.

“Chiraj, I know you mean well. But just because you’re a boy doesn’t mean you have to take care of me. I can defend myself,” I said.

“I know you can. Where do you think I learned to talk like that? From you. Remember how you told Mummy not to pressure Mohini into deciding who she wanted to marry? You always stood up for Mohini, so why can’t I stand up for you?”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, and walked quietly for a while. “Mummy and I disagree about many things. It’s always been that way. You’re older now, so maybe you notice more and think that I talk back to Mummy too much.”

“It’s not always your fault. I don’t blame you.”

Instead of being agitated about what Mummy had said to me, I wondered if Chiraj was worried. Did he suspect something was wrong between Anoop and Mohini? Did he wonder why she had come home so soon?

When Mohini returned from Nimita’s house, we whispered until one of us fell asleep while listening to the other. Mummy slept in a far corner and couldn’t hear what we were saying, but told us, “Stop goos-poos and go to sleep.”

For the first few days after Mohini returned from America, she was happy to be back, but occasionally she wondered if coming back was the right thing to do. Wasn’t an Indian girl supposed to stay with her husband no matter what? Wasn’t running away from trouble the cowardly thing to do? I assured her that no one deserved to be abused. That in coming home she showed a lot more courage than if she had stayed with Anoop.

One night I told Mohini about Neel.

“Last year I wouldn’t have approved of your seeing Neel, but I feel different now. You’re lucky to have found someone so kind and smart. But if Mummy finds out about Neel she’ll be hysterical.”

“It’ll be a nightmare from hell,” I said. I tried to keep my voice calm, but my body turned as stiff as a bamboo pole.

“What will you do?”

“I’ll still find a way to see him.”

“I don’t doubt that. You’ve always done what you thought was right.”

“Shouldn’t I?”

“You should. Because of what happened to me, I feel like I understand you more. Maybe I’ve changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember the time I wondered how Sarina could call light-skinned American girls her sisters? I asked you if they were from her caste or even Indian.”

“Yes.”