“Wow, Bina. Just wow,” Mira says after they’ve all reread Bina’s op-ed. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Really?” Bina smiles. “Because you’ve said a lot.”

Murmurs of agreement come from the other ten women at today’s meeting. They decided to take advantage of the crisp September weather and meet at Piedmont Park. Mira and Mona each brought a friend who was interested in the group, while the other participants reached out to Bina on the new Chats Over Chai Instagram page. An assortment of woven picnic baskets, wine, sparkling-water cans, cheese, crackers, and sliced watermelon is in front of them.

“That’s because the second I finished reading this, I really wanted to whistle. And not some dinky, useless whistle like that Nilay Bhai always does as he looks all proud of himself. I want to teach that man a whistle lesson sometime so he can learn our wedding whistle,” Mira says, referring to the shrill, high-pitched sound she and Bina make during toasts and dance performances at weddings. They always elicit a series of stares, followed by a flurry of cheers. And Bina has definitely seen Nilay Bhai look startled by them.

“By all means, let’s not hold back here!” Bina puts her index finger and thumb in a circle, sticks them in her mouth, and blows. The sound startles some of the women, while others join.

“Can you teach me how to do that?” Namita, who showed up for the first time today, asks Mira. Bina didn’t even know Namita talked, let alone was the type of person who wanted to learn how to whistle. Namita has that quiet smile-and-nod thing that Bina usually associates with people who do a lot of meditation.

“Sure!” Mira says, and points to Bina. “Gloria Steinem over here and I will gladly teach you our ways.”

“Gloria Steinem! I’ll take it!” Bina declares.

Ironically, Gloria Steinem was a frequent source of arguments between Bina and Ma. Ma’s views on Gloria Steinem seemed to shift depending on who was in the room. When it was just her and Bina, she’d laud Gloria’s protests. When it was her with friends, she’d lament that Gloria was breaking traditions they’d all worked so hard to uphold.

Bina thinks back to how Dr. Eze said family wounds can be passed down through generations, taking on different forms. Maybe Ma was also confused about where she stood, about what the line was between who she was and who she wanted to be.

Maybe Anita struggled with the same. Anita would have been perfect for Ma in many ways. Bina wonders if that’s what drew her to Anita in the first place, a compelling cocktail of familiarity and history. The main reason their breakup was so difficult was because of its shock value. A friend isn’t supposed to leave.

She turns to the text message that came to her phone last night.