“Happy last day of school!” Tania raised a celebratory cup and placed it on my desk, the condensation from the ice creating a circular ring on the wooden surface. “I just thought you could use a break,” she said, pulling up a chair next to me.

“Great!” I pushed my laptop in her direction. “I was just thinking about getting a cat. What do you think of this one?” I asked, clicking on a picture of an orange tabby from the local shelter. “I’m wondering, does this face scream ‘cat lady’ or whisper it, because you know how I prefer subtlety,” I said, taking a sip of my drink.

“Stop.” She rolled her eyes and jabbed me with her elbow.

“Ouch!”

She laughed, elbowing me again. Her usually reserved disposition was much more sprightly these days.

“So what’s new with you, Ms. Sunshine?”

Tania shrugged. “Nothing.” She said with a playful smile.

“How are things with you and Zeeshan?”

“They’re good,” she said, her cheeks turning the same hue as the roses on her blouse. “We went out for dinner again last night.”

“And?” I leaned in, prying inquisitively. From what I had heard, the two of them had either met or spoken to each other every day since the speed dating event last weekend. It sounded like things were getting serious fairly quickly.

“And, he’s great.” She beamed.

“Tania!” I cried. “This is so exciting! Do you think he might be . . . you know? The one?”

“I mean, it’s too soon to tell but—I really like him.” She sighed.

“That’s great news . . . right?”

“It’s just we haven’t exactly had the talk yet.”

“Ohhhh.” I leaned back in my chair.

We both knew how judgmental the South Asian community was. Particularly toward divorced women. Once a woman had that stigma attached to her, regardless of the circumstances, it was almost impossible to change people’s opinions of her, especially as a prospect for marriage. As tough as it was for me to find a husband at the “ripe” age of twenty-six, I knew that Tania’s situation was even tougher because of her past.

“Maybe you shouldn’t say anything yet,” I finally said. “It’s only been a week. Get to know him a little more, and when you feel comfortable, then you should let him know. If he’s as great as you say he is, it might not even be a problem.”

“You think?” She bit her bottom lip. I could tell she really wanted to believe me, but the tone of her voice indicated that she wasn’t quite convinced. “You know, I actually came here for another reason. I wanted to talk to you about something before we met up with Hannah and Liv.”

“Oh?” I looked at her quizzically. “Did you rob a bank? Are you looking for an alibi? Do you need to flee the country? Because with everything going on around here, I might not be opposed to it.”

She shook her head. “Leila, I wanted to talk to you about your situation.”