Chapter Three

The next morning everyone was surprisingly ready for Darcy when he arrived. Apparently his promise of something unexpected excited the whole Bakshi family, even Mrs Bakshi. It was evident to Lalita that there would be no last minute excuses to stay home, which left her oddly disappointed.

"You think he's taking us to Hollywood?" Lakhi wondered. Lalita certainly hoped Darcy had more imagination than that.

Darcy drove up, this time in an SUV, which offered plenty of room for them all to fit comfortably. When Mrs. Bakshi took the front passenger seat, Lalita was momentarily caught off guard. In the back of her mind she had envisioned sitting up front with Darcy. She felt a little let down as she got into the back.

"So where are you taking us?" Lakhi asked, not wanting to wait any longer.

Darcy chuckled. "I thought I'd take you to the zoo."

"The zoo?" Mrs. Bakshi answered, sounding as disappointed as Lakhi looked. Lalita made eye contact with Darcy through the rear mirror on the dashboard. A quick wink to her made it quite clear he was teasing. Lalita smiled at him.

Several minutes into the drive it was clear he was not taking them to the zoo. Again, the youngest and oldest Bakshi members tried to pump Darcy for answers, but he wasn't spilling.

Eventually he took them out of the city. When they arrived at their destination, it was evident what was going to happen.

"A helicopter!" Jaya exclaimed. "Oh, I've always wanted to go on one!"

"Me too!" Lakhi said, waiting for the car to stop before getting out, all thoughts of Hollywood were forgotten.

Darcy walked to the other side of the car, where Lalita sat. His look was anxious, seeking approval. "What do you think? Is this different enough?"

Beaming, Lalita nodded. "I hardly know what to say."

Mrs. Bakshi pointed in the direction of the main office. "I think we go in here, that sign says something about starting line on tours."

"Sorry, no," Darcy said, stopping the older woman. "We're going to, um, get a little different tour. We just walk around here."

They followed Darcy around the building to a more private area. Someone was waving at them, and Darcy waved back.

The man was in his forties with a deep tan. His smile to Darcy was genuine and big. They reached out and grasped each other's hands. Darcy made introductions, and Lalita learned this was Brad Wright. He had been friends with Darcy's father a long time ago and still kept in contact as much as he can. He owned the helicopter touring business.

"When Will asked me if I could possibly find a free chopper today to fly you guys around, I said on one condition! That I do the flying." Everyone laughed.

Brad took them to a flight of stairs; apparently their copter was on a raised platform. As it emerged before their eyes, Lalita felt like she was dreaming. She had never thought in a million years she would ever get to do something like this.

"You okay?" Darcy noticed she hadn't said much.

"Yes, I still can't believe this. Honestly, how can we ever repay you for something…"

He stopped her by touching her arm, "Please, I want to do this. Besides, Brad is a friend and was more generous than I expected."

A silence fell on them as they gazed at each other. Neither noticed that the rest of the family was getting buckled in. Finally, Brad interrupted the moment when he slapped Darcy on the back, breaking the spell. "So, Lalita, I must tell you, that I've known this guy since he was born. And there isn't enough money in the world to stop me from telling some stories about him."

"Brad," Darcy said through clenched teeth.

Lalita answered, "There isn't enough money in the world to stop me from listening."

"Great," she heard Darcy mutter, making her giggle.

The flight went all over the city, taking much longer than the normal one hour tours. They saw beaches, canyons, downtown LA, and to Lakhi's delight a distant Hollywood with some celebrity homes thrown in. But what Lalita enjoyed the most was Brad's stories of Darcy. She heard a variety of them: when he was very little and would dance naked out by the pool; When he got his diploma at Oxford, he tripped going up the steps , knocking the microphone down. By the time Brad set the helicopter down on a private beach, Darcy looked as if he had wanted to bury himself in the sand.

Brad walked to the back and began unloading things from the chopper. Jaya asked what was going on now.

"Well," Brad answered, "I'm sure you are hungry so I have lunch for us. You can't come to Southern LA and not picnic at the beach."

Again, everyone was shocked and glanced at Darcy who still hadn't recovered from Brad's stories of him. "Well, I thought we better eat and we could hardly go through a drive thru window."

As everyone helped to set things up, Brad walked up behind Lalita. "So, are you enjoying the stories of Will?"

She laughed, "Very much so. You have more to share?"

Brad glanced at Darcy who was helping take out some food and set up with Jaya and Lakhi. "I do, but he might go into cardiac arrest if I tell anymore."

"I am sure he will live. Besides he owes you for all of this trouble."

"Actually I owe him," Brad said, suddenly becoming serious. "A few years ago my business fell on hard times and I was going to have to fold. Will heard about it and insisted on helping me out, not just with money but overlooking my books to find out what exactly happened before. To this day he still won't let me pay him back."

The affection in Brad's voice was clear. Lalita let her eyes glide over to Darcy, now placating her mother by trying to remove the sand from the blankets they were using to sit on. Brad walked away but Lalita remained standing in place. Was this the same man who had insulted her country and traditions just a mere six weeks earlier? She had taken him to be a thoughtless and offensive man whose pride gave him an exalted sense of self worth. But every moment gave her new evidence that chipped away at the impression, that image.

"Lalita, you coming to eat?" Mrs. Bakshi asked.

"Yes." Lalita choked out.

Darcy sat finishing his lunch. Lalita had grown quiet again. Brad had spent the entire meal talking, though thankfully about himself and the area this time. He had a knack for telling stories and as long as they weren't about him, Darcy could relax and enjoy spending time with Lalita's family.

Lalita kept sneaking glances at him. Of course, he was sneaking glances at her. But this time it seemed different. She was in thought, as if considering something. While he had been wrong before, he had a gut feeling this was a good thing. Maybe she was finally realizing that he wasn't as bad as her first impression led her to believe.

Jaya broke into his thoughts, "We really can't begin to thank you, both of you, for this wonderful day."

Everyone agreed and it was time to start cleaning up. Darcy found Lalita rushed to help him gather the blankets. As they folded them, they walked towards each other and eventually came face to face. Darcy knew he could never get tired gazing into her eyes.

"Jaya is right, today was wonderful and you really outdid yourself."

Blushing, Darcy didn't think he could take all the credit. "Well, Brad did most of the work. He got the chopper ready, prepared and brought the food, and flew us here. I just came along for the ride."

"You did more than that." Her voice was a whisper. Darcy's eyes fell on her lips. They were just inches away.

Before he could do anything about it, Lakhi interrupted. "Lalita, we need those blankets!"

Lalita rushed away so quickly Darcy wondered if he had imagined the moment.

The flight back was quiet for everyone, even Brad. Still, the novelty of flying had not worn off Jaya, Lakhi and Mrs. Bakshi. They had their eyes fixed to the ground trying to see spot known landmarks or celebrities. Lalita and Darcy, who were facing one another, kept their eyes trained on each other as if there was nothing else to look to.

After they landed, Darcy tried to talk payment but Brad wouldn't hear of it. He kept winking at Lakhi who was giggling at him. "Just spending time with pretty women is payment enough."

This gave Mrs. Bakshi an opportunity for the sake of Jaya who she wanted married first. "Oh, now did you know my eldest Jaya is not seeing anyone, and if you would like to come by the house later…"

Immediately Lalita and Jaya yelled at their mother to stop, mortified. Darcy laughed, wondering if Mrs. Bakshi would ever give up in trying to marry off her daughters.

Darcy had phone signal now and realized he had a few messages and had only enough time to drive the women back and head to the office. Though they loved the day, it was obvious they were worn out and welcomed to go back home. Darcy also noticed how sad Lalita looked. This fueled his courage to pull her to the side as everyone was getting in the car.

"Lalita, um, would you like to get together tonight?" She wasn't quite facing him and he wondered if he had misread her. Quickly he added, "I'd like to take you ice skating."

The look on her face told Darcy that the suggestion was not what she expected. "Ice skating? You skate?"

"Well, um, about as well as I dance but I think it might be fun and if you were up to it…"

"Are we going?" Lakhi asked impatient as always.

Darcy pulled out his keys, nodding in her direction. He started to walk away, when Lalita grabbed his arm, "Wait, yes. I'd love to go skating tonight."

Inwardly Darcy did a jump in the air screaming thank you. On the outside, he smiled politely and said, "Great. Pick you up at eight."