“They what?” Bina grabs Mira’s phone. There’s a caption under her photo: Our mom is a true inspiration. Many people know her for her warmth and ease with people, how she can become friends with anyone. Others know how she’s always giving back to our community. But above all, our mom is a creator. And with her newest initiative, Chats Over Chai, she’s creating a safe space for women to come together every month and connect on the various things going on in their lives. The first meeting is next weekend. DM if you’d like to be added to the waitlist!

“I, uh, don’t know what to say. . . .” Bina scrolls through the dozens of comments. Why would the kids do this without telling her?

“Say I’m off of the waitlist!” Mira yelps.

“Sure,” Bina says. Mira motions to Kavita.

“What’s going on?” Bipin, Kavita’s husband, asks.

Everyone at their table faces Bina. “I’ve had this idea for us ladies to get together and talk about the things that are bothering us, really talk.”

“Don’t you all talk all the time anyway?” Bipin asks.

“Sure, we socialize. But I want us to dig deep into certain issues that are affecting all of us. We all have this need to make things look so polished and perfect on the surface. And I’m learning that it’s really unhealthy. We have to start learning to be honest and open about the things we sweep under the rug.”

“I don’t know if we need to just air out our private lives for everyone,” Anita says. Even though her lips are stretched into a smile, Bina notices a tightness in her friend’s jaw.

“Actually, I think we sometimes do,” Bina says.

“LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE!” the deejay booms into the microphone. Everyone claps and cheers.

Before the next speech, Bina lowers her voice and says, “When I was growing up, all I knew was that I was supposed to sacrifice and take care of others, that that was my role. The first time Suhani told me about boundaries, I asked her, ‘What do you mean by boundaries?’ Nobody in India teaches girls about boundaries. And it occurred to me, as Deepak and I were driving here, that if we can talk to each other, all of us, we can learn. We can learn from our kids’ lessons, their mistakes, and, you know, from each other. . . .”

She trails off as she sees Mira and Kavita nod with interest.

But Kavita’s husband, Bipin, frowns. “There’s no need for something like that.”

“Well, it’d just be a women’s group,” Bina says. “And actually, Bipin, I was going to ask you if there’s a way we can get a story about it in Samachar in America.”

“I think it sounds great,” Deepak chimes in.