Disclaimer: ... What?... If owned Bend it Like Beckham somehow I don't think I would be posting fanfiction... I would be making its sequel! Maybe I can pitch this idea to Gurinder Chadha, she just might take pity on me and have it made... hmmm... The possibilities ...
Author's Note: I'm baaack! And have no fear I have brought chapter cuatro conmigo (I know, my Spanish is really bad, feel free to correct me)... okay you may all join in with me for a celebration at Cheers tonight around eight. Just bring your own money, sorry but I'm not paying. Got to love Cheers, where everybody knows your name. But we have to wrap it up by ten... my bedtime is at ten-thirty. =(^-^)=
Dude I got reviews!
P.S.: Thanks Charlie, organized-chaos (I told ya Jess was happy in her own way, she's just a bit of a worry-wort at times), clovergrl, RoxyAngel (In the movie they don't give Joe a last name, and I've decided his last name should be Richard. He looks like a Richard doesn't he... but he also looks like a Richardson, oh the wonders of the invisible world), Shadow, Loreta (thanks for the sites, I've checked them out... but I haven't got around to posting... Pixy2 can be a lazy bum sometimes... okay a lot of the times), weaslypotter, and XxEternityxX for the encouraging reviews. I'm honored that people take the time to read my story and review, I just don't know what to say. *Wipes the tears from her eyes* I guess I just have to say thank to all the people who have supported and kept me grounded *Pixy2 holds up her Bob statuette to the crowd, and the crowd goes wild with loud cheering and clapping. Pixy2 sniffs before the orchestra music starts and she is escorted off the stage by her two of favorite fanfic writers* Thank you.
P.S.S.: Actually weaslypotter, I'm not Indian but I am West Indian... does that count? The names well I'll let you (and anyone else who reads this) in on a secret. Many of the names (with exception of Megana and Ameet, which are taken from people I know) are from the actresses and actors in BiLB. Like the actor who plays Mr. Bhamra is actually named Anupam, and the same with Mrs. Bhamra, her name is actually Shaheen. I also named Joe's father after Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (the actor who plays Joe) but I changed the spelling of his name.
P.S.S.S.: IS Jess and Jules' College called Saint Clara's, Saint Clara, Santa Clara's, or Santa Clara? I'm so confused.*A loud sigh* Now that I've got that off my chest... let's get this chapter started.
Hope I to see everyone at Cheers! And don't be late, we can't forget about the bedtime.
Summary: Sometimes, off the field life isn't as easy as it should be, and during those trying times of the "heart" and "spirit", you wake up and realize something. You've just got to get over it and just bend it!
Just Bend It
Chapter Four: A Parent's Real Nightmare
"I can't believe it!" Shaheen Bhamra exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen brandishing a pink envelope and invitation in her hands. Pinky looked up from the pot she was stirring and looked at her mother questioningly. Meanwhile, Jess concentrated on cutting the cabbage correctly, she didn't need the 'Being-In-America-Has-Made-You-Forget-How-To-Cook-Properly Speech' again, it was quite tiring and annoying after hearing it for three years straight.
"What's wrong mom?"
Shaheen looked at the pink invitation in her hands in disgust. "Look at this!" Shaheen shoved the invitation underneath Pinky's nose. Prying the card from Shaheen's hands, Pinky slowly began to read the invitation. It wasn't long before she joined her mother in the hysteria.
"I can't believe this!" Pinky looked unbelievably at the invitation before she sniffed the card and smelt the sweet smell of perfume on the card."She–she–she stole my idea!" Pinky looked just about ready to stomp, rip up, and burn the card and its envelope.
Sick and tired of being in the dark, Jess turned from her sweat breaking hard work and looked at her mother and sister. "What's wrong?"
Pinky basically, not too politely either, shoved the card into Jess' hands. "Blah... blah... blah... You are cordially invited to the conjoining of Bubbly Virk and Tazul Farley... hey, I always knew Taz wasn't his full name!"
Shaheen waved her hands in the air out of exasperation. "That is not important Jessminder. Look at the location!"
"Okay, this wonderful event will take place in Cedar Hall on June twenty-second. What exactly is wrong with this? Because I know that I'm definitely not seeing what you two are seeing."
"Argh! Sometimes Jess you can be so dunce! Cedar Hall? Does that ring any bell at all? Rich, ritzy, over the top hall? Tell me when any of this is sinking through?"
" Pinky, I know what Cedar Hall is, but I don't get what is the problem with–" She paused waving the invitation in Pinky's face. "–this."
"You don't see it?" Jess looked at her mother blankly. "Jessminder, the Virk's are just trying to flaunt their money in our faces!"
"Yea, they're just trying to out do my wedding. And Bubbly stole my idea of scented wedding invitations!"
Realization dawned on Jess like the rising of the sun over the horizon. "Oh, is that all?"
"Is that all! Jessminder sometimes I wonder where you're head is at times! This an insult to our family. I never did like Paven Virk. Not even when we we're both back in highschool and she wasn't a Virk then. She has always been a show-off, showy, and supercilious."
"But mom, didn't you, her, Mr. Virk, and dad move to England together?"
"Yes, but she wasn't as much as a show-off back then." Jess rolled her eyes.
"I can't stand Bubbly, and she is just as much as a show-off as Mrs. Virk. And she's even more of a stuck up bitchy heifer." Jess waited for her mother to reprimand Pinky for cursing in the house and was shocked to see her mother nod in agreement with Pinky. Both frowned at the offending card, that was now placed on the counter between both of the glaring ladies thanks to Jess.
Jess watched this scene in amusement from the sideline. 'Like mother, like daughter. I guess they bond over complaining about people. I wonder if this is how mom was with grandma.... does this mean in a few years Pinky will turn into mum...' Jess looked at her mother then sister then back to her mother again before returning to Pinky. She did this a few times before she shook her head clear of a oncoming headache that was bound to attack her. Jess made her way to the backdoor in the hopes that fresh air, at least the freshest air you can find, would clear her mind.
"And where are you going Jessminder, have you finished cutting up the cabbage properly. I hope so because ever since you have been America your cooking hasn't been up to par, I don't know wh–"
Realizing the potential of a speech ready to be spouted out of her mother's mouth, Jess decided to cut in. "Yes, mom. I just want to go outside and see what Megana is up to."
"Oh, okay." Shaheen turned her attention from her younger daughter back to her older daughter and The Invitation.
Jess walked out the open doors to the small backyard. She spotted an abandoned soccer ball on the floor and Jess began to volley the ball around with her legs.
Jess was about to punt the soccer ball when she felt something tugged on her loose t-shirt. "Watcha doing?"
Jess turned around to see the pixie face of the two-year-old Megana smiling up at her, with both of her two front teeth absent from her wide playful grin. "Nothing much, just playing with the soccer ball."
The absence of her two front teeth gave Megana a slight accent."Oh. I can't play wif da soccer ball."
Jess knew the exact reason why Megan couldn't, but because she knew her niece wanted some attention she asked her why.
" 'Cause Grandma says that a young lady shouldn't go around wearin' short shorts showin' off her legs for all the world to see 'nd she says that young ladies shouldn't play this game to begin wif."
Jess picked the ball of the ground and tucked it under her arms, all the while avoiding eye contact with her niece. "Really?"
"Yea, and mommy won't let me play any games wif Mr. Joe if it has a soccer ball in it. 'Nd Grandma always starts screamin' about dis lady called Imani, 'nd you, 'nd shame on de family if she ever sees me wif a soccer ball."
"Hmmm, I see."
"But you wanna know somethin' Auntie Jess?"
"Sure, what Megana."
Megana crooked one of her chubby fingers and beckoned Jess towards her. Jess complied and got down to her knees and leaned her ear to the cherubs mouth. "I like playin' wif da soccer ball when no ones a round. Just don't tell anyone, 'kay?" Megan held out her pinky finger.
"I promise." Jess interlocked her pinky finger with Megana.
A grin broke out on Jess' face, after all, there had to be at least on black sheep per generation, why not have two. Plus, Jess was real curious to know what exactly happens if there are two soccer girls in one family.
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Jess sat in the corner of a small café waiting for Tony to arrive with the mysterious Mr. Ameet. She had already drunk four glasses of water, eaten the lemon slices, and built a pyramid out of the salt, cinnamon, pepper, sugar, paprika, and 'its-not-real-sugar' sugar shakers. She even played eye-spy by herself.
Her boredom was reaching new heights.
"Hiya Jess."
Jess looked up to see Tony standing over her, next to him stood a tall Indian man with wild black locks touching his shoulder, a leather jacket, a white tank, and denim blue jeans. If Jess were not heavily involved with Joe, and Ameet wasn't with Tony (and not to mention bisexual) she would have been interested in him. "Hey Tony." She looked at Ameet with the scrutinizing eyes of a parent looking a potential suitor for their child. But those were a lot of if's. "Hello there, you must be the infamous and mysterious Ameet."
Ameet smile down devilishly. "That depends."
Both Tony and Jess turned to look at Ameet. "On what?" Jess finally asked after a pregnant pause.
"It depends on if Tony has told me only good things about you." Jess nodded a 'yes'.
Ameet's grin become two times as large than his original smile. "Then you have the wrong guy."
Jess laughed, Ameet seemed to be a nice guy.
After spending twenty minutes with Ameet and Tony, Jess found out they had met on the college's campus and hit it off right away, something Jess did not know. Jess also found out Ameet was the run of the mill Indian family's worse nightmare. He did not cut his hair, had diamond studs in each of his five piercings in his right ear, liked his diamond and gold ring that he bought himself, rode a motorcycle, did not like traditional food, wore too much leather, was a literal wild child, lived as a starving artist, was an inspiring artist, and then there was the fact that he was gay. To Jess, he was the perfect match for Tony. A bit wild, but still perfect for Tony.
"So, now that I've met you, when do I meet your handsome Irish boyfriend." Ameet asked as Jess was finishing off her sixth glass of water. Water escaped Jess' mouth and flew across the table to the unsuspecting Tony, who had just elbowed Ameet in the stomach.
"What?"
Ameet closed his eyes sagely, and leaned back on his chair. "No need to be shy about it."
"You told him?" Jess accused Tony hysterically.
Tony shook his head back and forth. "No."
"Then how–"
"I read one of your letters over his shoulder and he didn't realize I was reading until it was too late. I know he was hiding something but when I found out you had an English boyfriend I almost died right there."
Jess glared at the nonchalant Ameet. "I don't see anything wrong with it."
Ameet opened his dark chocolate eyes to stare at Jess. "Now I know you're lying." Jess was lying, but Ameet didn't need to know that... okay maybe he did.
"So?"
"I know I am a nightmare for a parent, so what does that make you. I guess you're just a bad daydream, a hobgoblin then."
"What do you mean?"
Ameet leaned forward on the table."Well you play soccer, which includes wearing forbid I say it..." Ameet looked dramatically around the café. "Wearing really short shorts. You go to a college in America. You plan on playing soccer professionally. Don't have a nice Indian boyfriend. And dare I say it." Ameet looked around the café once more before he leaned forwards to talk to Jess again. "You have an Irish boyfriend. No not just English, but Irish with a capital 'I'." Ameet looked down at his fingers that he used to count all of Jess offenses. "Hey, what do you know, you qualify to be a nightmare. The last one definitely counts for a least four in my book."
"You think so?"
"I know so. After all I am an expert. Right Tony?" Ameet leaned towards his boyfriend.
All Tony could do was sigh in silent irritation.
Ameet and Jess smirked. "I like you Jess."
"And I like you Ameet." Jess said, and she meant it.
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"So you've met Ameet, what's he like?"
Jess stared at the ceiling of her room. "To put it honestly, he's an Indian parents worse nightmare and he knows it. It's almost as if he wants to be at this 'supreme' level."
Jess could hear Jules snickers over the phone. "You're kidding me."
"Nope, but you'll be honored to know he thinks I'm an Indian parents' worse nightmare too." Jess rolled onto her stomach and began to doodle invisible drawings onto her bed with her finger.
"This guy sounds interesting to me."
"He is. You don't even want to know the details."
"No that you've said that, yes I do."
"Well first off he has a pierced ear. Five in one ear!" Jules gasped dramatically over the phone. "And–"
"Jessminder get down here and set the table. Make an extra setting, Joe is here." Shaheen voice floated through Jess' closed door and danced in Jess' ears.
"So lover boy is there, huh?" Jules drawled.
"Yes."
"Well then, have phone and don't you two do anything bad or else!"
"This is a change, what happened to the Miss. He-Is-Absolutely-Shaggable-I-Think-I'll-Date-Him-Jules?"
Jules groaned. "She met up with Pep-Talking-Careful-About-What-You-Do-Obsessive-Mother-Paula-Paxton."
"Does she know about Liam yet?"
"No, and I bless that fact every single day while I'm. I can't wait to go back to Santa Clara's."
"I wonder why."
"Jessminder, stop talking on the phone and come set the table!"
"Guess that's my cue. See you tomorrow."
"Yup, see you tomorrow. Bye Jules."
"Bye Jess." Jess clicked the 'off' button on the phone and rolled out her bed, wanting to get downstairs before her mother called her again, or better yet, sent Pinky or Megana to get her.
"Jessminder!"
"I'm coming mom." Jess opened her door and headed down the steps. She could see Joe sitting on the couch talking to Teetu about who knows what, knowing them it was probably sports, her father sitting down in a chair reading his newspaper, and Megana crawling around in his lap, occasionally tugging his beard. Joe's silver eyes flicked over to Jess and he gave a small smile that was directed and only noticed by Jess.
Jess winked in return before she ran off into kitchen, bravely facing what no soldier in their right mind would.... An angry and irritated Shaheen Bhamra... At least Jess knew who won this battle, and it definitely wasn't her.
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That's it for this chapter. Reviews? Praise? Critique? Praise the shiny button that lurks at the bottom left hand corner of this page... The button likes to be praised, it also likes comments on it's new outfits, but I'd be careful what you tell it, it might get offended.
Buttons... go figure.