Chapters (40)
- Cover
- Also by Saumya Dave
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Acknowledgments
- Readers Guide
- Discussion Questions
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
“Beta, is everything okay with you and Zack?” Bina asks.
“Of course.” Suhani flashes a tight smile. “I think we’re all just worried because of this situation.”
To anyone else, this explanation would be enough. But Bina takes note of the high pitch in Suhani’s voice, the tension in her shoulders. Suhani may be better at lying than Natasha, but there’s always a brief moment that exposes her.
“Are you sure?” Bina presses. “Because it seems—”
“That’s weird,” Suhani interrupts as she pulls out her phone. “I have texts from Mira Auntie asking if you’re free. She says she’s been trying to reach you.”
“Oh! Right.” Bina digs through her handbag, which is packed with way too many snacks. Her phone now has fifty WhatsApp messages.
“What the heck is going on?” she mutters as she scrolls through the endless threads with her friends. Usually they’re filled with sassy memes or recipes or fun videos or Ayurvedic remedies. But today there’s just a flurry of words. First, a slew from Mira:
3:00 p.m.: Have you heard from Kavita?
4:24 p.m.: She’s not picking up her phone.
7:30 p.m.: It’s been three hours and still no answer.
8:55 p.m.: Bina, any luck? I’m getting very worried.
9:30 p.m.: YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!
The last message is followed by a link to Samachar in America, the online Gujarati newspaper Bina, Deepak, and all their friends have been reading for years. Bina clicks the link. She gasps when the article fills her screen.
Local Women’s Group Threatens Cultural Integrity
A women’s group started in Atlanta by Bina Joshi, wife of Dr. Deepak Joshi, is spreading dangerous ideas that threaten the integrity of South Asian culture. Joshi named the group Chats Over Chai in an attempt to make it seem innocuous. However, Dr. Bipin Patel has stated that this group is spreading unhelpful messages within their community.
“I’m very concerned,” Dr. Patel said in an exclusive interview. Patel’s wife, Kavita, was a former participant in the group.
Bina stops reading. A flash of rage swallows her whole. She scrolls through her contacts and calls the only person who will know what to do.
Twenty-Two
Natasha
Ireally don’t need this. I can walk.” Natasha leans back in her wheelchair.
Shelly, the same nurse who took Natasha’s vitals in the ER, pats Natasha’s shoulders. “It’s protocol, sweetheart. I know it’s not fun.”