When the door opened, they were met by the scent of curry and the sound of
laughter. Rajiv greeted Robert with a hug, and a warm "Hello, my brother!"
kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and then kneeled down to talk to Ella. "What
have you got there? For me?" he teased, pretending to take the giftwrapped
box from her. Ella shook her head sternly, "For Sanjay," she insisted,
hugging the box to her possessively. "I see," Rajiv nodded. "You're
making me very jealous, Miss Ella. You come to my house with a gift for my
son but not even a kiss for me," he pouted dramatically, sticking out his
lower lip. Ella giggled at Rajiv's exagerrated expression playing peekabo
with her host over the ribbons on the present before giving in and giving
him a kiss.
"Alright, you may come in. Oh, you too, Robert, Elizabeth," he beckoned with a laugh. "Rajiv!" his wife admonished from behind him from somewhere inside.
Ella followed Rashmi's voice into the living room filled with families: children climbing over chairs, adults eating and talking. Rashmi greeted Ella with a kiss and took the box from her hands. "Let's put this in the bedroom for now," she began, prying the box from Ella's grip. "When it's time for presents, you can give it to Sanjay yourself." Ella relinquished the box reluctantly as Elizabeth stifled a smile. Her daughter had only played with Rajiv's children twice before, but she had already developed a little crush on his oldest son, the birthday boy.
"Ella!" cried Lakshmi, one of Rajiv's two daughters. "Come watch the movie!" And Ella was off to play with the other children without even so much as a goodbye to Elizabeth and Robert.
***
The only white woman in the room, a head taller than the others, red curls flying, Elizabeth felt slightly out of place at the party. But then she looked over at Robert talking to Rajiv on the couch. Both short and bald, they looked like brothers, except that Rajiv was just a browner and jollier version of Robert. Actually, with his friend, Robert laughed quite a lot. Talking to Rajiv, he relaxed, opened up in a way that Elizabeth had rarely seen him do. Seeing him so himself, a self that he most often hid from others, was worth any sort of awkwardness Elizabeth might feel as an outsider in this family group. And of course, Rashmi's amazing cooking made up for a lot as well, she thought as she accepted another heaping plate of Indian delicacies from one of the her hostess's sisters.
***
As he and Rajiv talked -- medicine, politics, music -- Robert lost track of the time, but he looked up when he heard among the oohs and ahhs (some new birthday toy?) Ella's little voice calling "Mommy! Mommy!" Elizabeth had emerged from the bedroom with Rashmi and her sister who had finally figured out how to help her fit in. They had dressed her in a gorgeous ivory- colored sari with a purple sash, topped off with gold bracelets and glittering gold candelabra style earrings. Robert broke into a broad grin. When her eyes met his, Elizabeth's smile turned into a laugh.
"Well, well!" Rajiv commented. "Indeed!" Robert nodded.
Suddenly, Elizabeth was surrounded by all of the women in the room, commenting on her new look, adjusting a fold of fabric, adding a bracelet, offering another pair of earrings. Robert could barely see her and shrugged his defeat. He was not about to get in the middle of this makeover. Ella toddled over to him a bit confused by all of the fuss around her mother. He picked her up, but even so neither could see Elizabeth over the crowd around her. "What do you think of Mommy's new dress?" he asked with a smile and a wink. "Pretty!" Ella piped. "Purple!" "That's my girl," Robert kissed her proudly.
"Alright!" Rashmi announced in an effort to save Elizabeth from the suffocating attention of her new friends. "Time for presents and cake!"
Ella wriggled out of Robert's arms to get her gift ready for Sanjay and Robert made his way to Elizabeth, circling her waist with his arm and pulling her into a corner. "You look outrageously beautiful right now," he confided, kissing her lips very softly so as not smudge the fresh coat of lipstick Rashmi had applied. Elizabeth laughed, wiping a trace of red from Robert's lower lip. He nipped playfully at her finger and she giggled.
"Hey you two!" Rajiv called. "Cut it out!" And as her new friends, including Rajiv's seventy-year-old mother, stared at Elizabeth, she blushed almost as purple as her sash. "Rajiv," Rashmi scolded again. "Mommy!" Ella called impatiently. In the crush of cousins, all louder and taller than she, Ella was having trouble attracting Sanjay's attention to her present.
Elizabeth went over to the children and sat down, pulling a frustrated and probably over-tired Ella onto her lap. "He's just saving the best for last," she whispered into Ella's ear, stroking her soft blonde hair reassuringly.
And indeed, unfailingly sweet, Sanjay came over to them. "So Ella," he said softly, "is that for me?" Ella blushed like her mother had and nodded, speechless with infatuation for this quiet eight-year-old. She thrust the box to him and he unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a baseball signed by one of the Cubs' most promising rookies. Robert had called Rajiv a few weeks before to decide what to get for Sanjay, and this gift had given the two friends a good excuse to spend the afternoon at a baseball game. Sanjay carefully read the signature, smiled, and said graciously to Ella, "Thanks Ella. He's my favorite Cub. Who do you like?" Ella just looked at him in awe as Elizabeth tried to control her smile at the serious little interchange. Before Ella melted into a puddle of admiration, Sonia, another sister, announced cake and Sanjay dropped the ball back into the box, grabbed Ella's hand, and pulled her from Elizabeth's lap and back to the crowd of kids.
Once the candles were blown out, songs were sung, and everyone was served their slice of cake, the grownups retired to the dining room for coffee. Rashmi handed Elizabeth a cup with a knowing look, adding, "It's decaf." Before Elizabeth could ask any questions, the oldest daughter came in to talk to whisper something into her mother's ear. "Okay," Rashmi agreed with a smile.
"Lakshmi likes to play mommy to the little ones. She's putting the sleepier kids down for a nap in her room," she explained to Elizabeth. Elizabeth wasn't sure how Ella would react to a nap in a strange bed and frowning a little she got up to check on the situation. When she found the right bedroom, Ella was already fast asleep, snuggled under a blanket on a big canopy bed between two other kids, her blonde head gleaming against their shiny brown ones. Elizabeth smiled. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Rajiv. "She'll be happy to have a little brother to play with," he grinned.
"Alright, you may come in. Oh, you too, Robert, Elizabeth," he beckoned with a laugh. "Rajiv!" his wife admonished from behind him from somewhere inside.
Ella followed Rashmi's voice into the living room filled with families: children climbing over chairs, adults eating and talking. Rashmi greeted Ella with a kiss and took the box from her hands. "Let's put this in the bedroom for now," she began, prying the box from Ella's grip. "When it's time for presents, you can give it to Sanjay yourself." Ella relinquished the box reluctantly as Elizabeth stifled a smile. Her daughter had only played with Rajiv's children twice before, but she had already developed a little crush on his oldest son, the birthday boy.
"Ella!" cried Lakshmi, one of Rajiv's two daughters. "Come watch the movie!" And Ella was off to play with the other children without even so much as a goodbye to Elizabeth and Robert.
***
The only white woman in the room, a head taller than the others, red curls flying, Elizabeth felt slightly out of place at the party. But then she looked over at Robert talking to Rajiv on the couch. Both short and bald, they looked like brothers, except that Rajiv was just a browner and jollier version of Robert. Actually, with his friend, Robert laughed quite a lot. Talking to Rajiv, he relaxed, opened up in a way that Elizabeth had rarely seen him do. Seeing him so himself, a self that he most often hid from others, was worth any sort of awkwardness Elizabeth might feel as an outsider in this family group. And of course, Rashmi's amazing cooking made up for a lot as well, she thought as she accepted another heaping plate of Indian delicacies from one of the her hostess's sisters.
***
As he and Rajiv talked -- medicine, politics, music -- Robert lost track of the time, but he looked up when he heard among the oohs and ahhs (some new birthday toy?) Ella's little voice calling "Mommy! Mommy!" Elizabeth had emerged from the bedroom with Rashmi and her sister who had finally figured out how to help her fit in. They had dressed her in a gorgeous ivory- colored sari with a purple sash, topped off with gold bracelets and glittering gold candelabra style earrings. Robert broke into a broad grin. When her eyes met his, Elizabeth's smile turned into a laugh.
"Well, well!" Rajiv commented. "Indeed!" Robert nodded.
Suddenly, Elizabeth was surrounded by all of the women in the room, commenting on her new look, adjusting a fold of fabric, adding a bracelet, offering another pair of earrings. Robert could barely see her and shrugged his defeat. He was not about to get in the middle of this makeover. Ella toddled over to him a bit confused by all of the fuss around her mother. He picked her up, but even so neither could see Elizabeth over the crowd around her. "What do you think of Mommy's new dress?" he asked with a smile and a wink. "Pretty!" Ella piped. "Purple!" "That's my girl," Robert kissed her proudly.
"Alright!" Rashmi announced in an effort to save Elizabeth from the suffocating attention of her new friends. "Time for presents and cake!"
Ella wriggled out of Robert's arms to get her gift ready for Sanjay and Robert made his way to Elizabeth, circling her waist with his arm and pulling her into a corner. "You look outrageously beautiful right now," he confided, kissing her lips very softly so as not smudge the fresh coat of lipstick Rashmi had applied. Elizabeth laughed, wiping a trace of red from Robert's lower lip. He nipped playfully at her finger and she giggled.
"Hey you two!" Rajiv called. "Cut it out!" And as her new friends, including Rajiv's seventy-year-old mother, stared at Elizabeth, she blushed almost as purple as her sash. "Rajiv," Rashmi scolded again. "Mommy!" Ella called impatiently. In the crush of cousins, all louder and taller than she, Ella was having trouble attracting Sanjay's attention to her present.
Elizabeth went over to the children and sat down, pulling a frustrated and probably over-tired Ella onto her lap. "He's just saving the best for last," she whispered into Ella's ear, stroking her soft blonde hair reassuringly.
And indeed, unfailingly sweet, Sanjay came over to them. "So Ella," he said softly, "is that for me?" Ella blushed like her mother had and nodded, speechless with infatuation for this quiet eight-year-old. She thrust the box to him and he unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a baseball signed by one of the Cubs' most promising rookies. Robert had called Rajiv a few weeks before to decide what to get for Sanjay, and this gift had given the two friends a good excuse to spend the afternoon at a baseball game. Sanjay carefully read the signature, smiled, and said graciously to Ella, "Thanks Ella. He's my favorite Cub. Who do you like?" Ella just looked at him in awe as Elizabeth tried to control her smile at the serious little interchange. Before Ella melted into a puddle of admiration, Sonia, another sister, announced cake and Sanjay dropped the ball back into the box, grabbed Ella's hand, and pulled her from Elizabeth's lap and back to the crowd of kids.
Once the candles were blown out, songs were sung, and everyone was served their slice of cake, the grownups retired to the dining room for coffee. Rashmi handed Elizabeth a cup with a knowing look, adding, "It's decaf." Before Elizabeth could ask any questions, the oldest daughter came in to talk to whisper something into her mother's ear. "Okay," Rashmi agreed with a smile.
"Lakshmi likes to play mommy to the little ones. She's putting the sleepier kids down for a nap in her room," she explained to Elizabeth. Elizabeth wasn't sure how Ella would react to a nap in a strange bed and frowning a little she got up to check on the situation. When she found the right bedroom, Ella was already fast asleep, snuggled under a blanket on a big canopy bed between two other kids, her blonde head gleaming against their shiny brown ones. Elizabeth smiled. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Rajiv. "She'll be happy to have a little brother to play with," he grinned.