“Rule number one: Take care of yourself. I repeat, what do you want for dinner?”

“I’m glad my father is with Sanjay. It won’t be as scary for my brother.”

Donatti looked at her downtrodden face. “I know you miss them both. I’m really hoping we can get everything settled. Then you can see them again.”

“You’d allow me to see my father?”

“Of course, once everything is over. You won’t live with him, of course. You and Sanjay will live here with your mother. But you can visit him in Mumbai … or Goa. I think he’s living in Goa now. And he can visit you. Your father is your father, and he will always be your father.”

“Then we are going to live here?”

“Not here with me, but you’ll live in Nevada with Mommy.”

“Nevada?” She looked puzzled. “Is that a city or a state?”

“It’s a state.”

“Does it have an ocean?”

“No, it’s inland. But it does have mountains and a desert and a big, natural lake called Lake Tahoe where a lot of movie stars have homes. One side of the shore is Nevada and the other side is California. You and Sanjay and Mommy could live there. Or you three might like a bigger city called Reno or maybe a bigger city called Las Vegas. No matter what Mommy chooses, the place will seem tiny compared with Indian cities.”

“I’ve heard of Las Vegas,” she told him. “My father talked about taking a holiday there.”

I bet he did. Donatti said, “Mommy will visit me some weekends, but most of the time it’ll be the three of you. Do you want spaghetti for dinner?”

She nodded. “Spaghetti is fine. Mommy likes spaghetti. Can she even eat spaghetti yet?”

“I don’t know, but Mommy’s having dinner with me tonight. But we’ll make it around eight, eight-thirty, so she can spend time with you.”

“Thank you, Chris.” More tears.

Donatti stared at the girl. “You need to be happy, Juleen. If you’re sad, then Mommy gets sad. And I like a happy Mommy instead of a sad Mommy. A sad Mommy is a pain in the ass.”

She blurted out, “Do you hate me?”

He regarded her face: so earnest it was comical. “No, I don’t hate you. Why would I hate you?”

“I’m not your child.” She looked down. “I feel like a burden.”

“You’re not a burden,” Donatti said. “But the reality is I don’t have much use for you. You take Mommy away from me and you don’t make me money, so from my standpoint you don’t do me much good. But I don’t hate you.”

“But you like Sanjay?”

“I don’t even know Sanjay enough to like or dislike him.”

“But you’re paying money for him.”

“That’s for Mommy. I want her to be happy.”