“Yes! Take me in there with you and let me be a part of the type of meeting only you, Bina Joshi, can lead.”

Bina pours chai into her favorite teacup, bone china adorned with a giant pink rose and a gilded rim. Queen Elizabeth’s face is on the inside. The tea set is the only thing Bina took from Ma’s house after she passed away.

“I just heard about the Samachar in America piece! We have to put a stop to this. Bipin Bhai is out of control!” Mira comes marching into the kitchen as though she’s preparing to go to war. “Who does he think he is?”

“He’s a very respected person in our community. And on the board of the biggest newspaper for South Asians in America,” Bina says. “Remember all that?”

“He still needs to be put in his place.” Mira raises a clenched fist in the air. Her giant emerald ring catches a glint of light.

“I agree with you,” Bina says. “But let’s have our meeting first and then we can figure out Bipin’s takedown.”

“Okay, fine.” Mira nods as if Bina suggested Mira grab some more crackers, not plot a friend’s demise. Mira shoves her hands into the pockets of her cashmere leopard-print cardigan, something she definitely bought after it was featured on Pooja’s Instagram page. She can complain all she wants about Pooja’s posts, but it’s obvious to everyone that she’s obsessed with everything Pooja puts out there.

They go back into the living room. Thirty women are sitting on the couches and floor. Thirty! Maybe Bipin inadvertently helped her spread the word about this. Oh, the irony! Even though Bina had told Mira and Mona it was fine to bring anyone interested in attending the meeting, she didn’t realize there would be this many women here today. She barely made enough food and makes a mental note to stick to her rule about only serving chai. A woman Bina doesn’t even recognize has two plates stacked with spicy paneer tacos and pesto, mozzarella, and artichoke naan pizzas.

The naan pizzas make Bina ache for the kids. Whenever Deepak had weekend calls, Bina made those for dinner. It was the only meal she allowed them to eat while watching a movie. Natasha usually got upset that she didn’t pick the movie, Anuj sulked with his pizza, and Suhani told them both to get over it. Bina would scarf down her own pizza and then mediate the kids’ fights for a solid hour. She used to fantasize about the moment she’d finally have weekends to herself, but now she’d give anything for one of those rambunctious nights.