“How can I do that?” Mom asks, as if that’s the most absurd suggestion in the world.

“Ugh, I don’t even know why I try.” Suhani shakes her head.

Mom and Natasha can never keep their emotions to themselves. Suhani, on the other hand, might be wounded—broken—on the inside, but even her husband won’t always be able to tell.

Her husband. Husband. She’s still getting used to the word. It’s so adult. So real.

Five years ago, Suhani didn’t know what a healthy relationship even looked like, and now she has a husband. On their first date, set up by mutual friends during her fourth year of med school, Suhani couldn’t pinpoint why exactly she was attracted to Zack. He was the first white guy she’d ever been with, so a part of her was worried it had to do with his novelty. But over time, she saw that it all boiled down to the content, self-assured way he carried himself. How he smiled at strangers and made small talk with Uber drivers. His dapper but relaxed style. His dad jokes and pride in not just calling himself a feminist but also acting like one.

And despite everyone’s warnings about how marriage was hard work and the first year was the most difficult, theirs so far is like the rest of their relationship. Effortless. Fun. Tender. From the beginning, they split housework equally, which was so different from what Suhani saw with Mom and Dad. Zack made it clear that Suhani’s career was as important as his own.

Whenever she’s taking a break at work between writing patient notes or calling insurance companies, she finds herself daydreaming about the day-to-day details of their life more than she thought was possible. Everything about it seems special, even the mundane parts: the buzz of their electric toothbrushes, colorful stacks of Zack’s boxer briefs and bow ties in their tiny dresser (their first non-IKEA piece of furniture), John Legend’s latest album blasting through their speakers, Zack’s natural, citrusy scent on their plush sheets.

Suhani’s thoughts are interrupted by Mom’s rambling. There’s no point in trying to stop her.

She’s on a roll, Suhani’s best friend and co-resident, Vanessa, would say. Vanessa, an only child whose parents got divorced when she was ten years old, loves hearing about the never-ending Joshi family drama. Tell me the latest thing your mom said, she often asks Suhani during hospital rounds. Give me the updates on Natasha’s exciting life.

“She’s never going to learn.” Mom shakes her head in disbelief. “I must have gone wrong somewhere. Really. I’ve always told you that and now I’m convinced of it.”