“Well, tomorrow we’re eating out with yours, so she can’t get mad at that,” Suhani says, referring to the Sunday-evening tradition of going out for Chinese food, the same one Zack’s family had growing up.

“Oh, she’ll definitely get mad if she sees our fridge. Let’s make sure to meet her in the lobby,” Zack says.

One Indian mom plus one Jewish mom equals a fridge that’s constantly full of food. Suhani feels a twinge of guilt as she pictures the untouched Pyrex containers full of paneer, chole, babka, and matzoh balls. She’s in awe of how much patience both their moms must have to spend so many hours stirring and sautéing and seasoning. She gives herself a pat on the back for just cutting a pineapple. It takes so much more effort than she realized when she was a kid, just like a lot of things Mom did and Suhani didn’t notice because she was too absorbed in her own life.

While both their moms cook to show love, Barbara’s desire is also partially rooted in a survival instinct. Zack’s dad, a family med doctor with alcoholism, used to come home and break things in a fit of rage. He walked out on them when Zack was six, and since then, Barbara splits her time between working double shifts as an ER nurse and cooking for her children. Ever since he left us, she’s been obsessed with making sure we’re never deprived, Zack told Suhani on their first date. Barbara lives alone in East Cobb and splits her time between Atlanta, New York, and Portland, where Zack’s three older sisters live.

When Suhani first met Barbara, she immediately liked her hot-pink scrubs, silver curls, and I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude. Sure, she guilt trips Zack for not calling enough and gets aggressive about wanting a grandchild, but all in all she’s a great mother-in-law. Everything she does is coated with a consuming and unwavering warmth. Though she has a lot in common with Mom, she also does things Mom would never do, like taking Suhani to dimly lit cocktail bars, sending someone to clean their apartment every month, and cheering Suhani when she kept her name as Suhani Joshi instead of changing it to Suhani Kaplan.

A waitress approaches their table. “Hi, I’m Meg. Can I take your drinks order?”

“I’ll have a coffee and mimosa, thank you,” Suhani says.

“Great.” Meg scribbles the items on a thin notepad. She does a double take at Suhani and Zack. “How about, er, your, uh, how about you?”

“My husband will have a Bloody Mary.” Suhani puts her sparkling engagement and wedding rings on full display. “Thank you so much.”

When Meg walks away, Zack leans forward and rubs Suhani’s hand. “I love how you said ‘husband’ like you were saying ‘Mr. President.’”