Disclaimer: This story is kind of a cross between The Outsiders, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Namesake, Born Confused and my own wacky imagination. Enjoy!
Chapter One: She Who Is Golden
Sonali, or Sonia, as she preferred, the latter sounding more American, was sitting in U.S. History. It was a chilly January day in Philadelphia, but despite the cold, Sonia would rather have been outside.
The class groaned simultaneously as Mr. Nomme sprang a pop quiz on the class. Great. Just what I needed. A pop quiz, on my birthday, Sonia groused to herself.
Someone knocked on the door. Mr. Nomme took his time handing out the quizzes before he answered it. He blocked the doorway as he and whoever it was on the other spoke in hushed tones for a while.
Finally he stepped back from the doorway, cleared his throat and boomed across the classroom, "Sonia, a word, if you please?"
The class "ooh"-ed menacingly all at once. Mr. Nomme quieted them down as Sonia slowly stood up, dread filling her, and trudged to the door. A paramedic was on the other side. Immediately Sonia feared the worst, and it was the worst that came out of the paramedic's mouth:
"Sonali Ganguli, your mother was involved in a three car crash on Madison Street this morning. I'm afraid there was nothing we could do. Your mother is dead."
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Ever since she was a small child, Sonia had depended on her mother for everything. Her mother, an immigrant from the state of Bengal in India, had crossed an ocean alone to make a new life for herself after both her parents had perished in an automobile wreck. It was funny how history repeated itself.
Arriving alone in a strange country, Ashima Ganguli had met, fallen in love with and married Seamus Sullivan, a businessman with high hopes and big dreams. As it turned out, that's all they were: dreams.
In her third year of marriage and sixth month of pregnancy, Ashima kicked her husband, now a compulsive gambler, out of their house in Philadelphia. She refused to have her life ruined by someone who couldn't take care of himself, let alone a family.
She had gotten a job and worked two shifts overtime, even when the doctor advised her not to do so, to pay for everything. It got even harder when she had her baby. But she refused to give up, and struggled even harder for her child. Sonali, she had named the newborn, meaning "she who is golden," for Sonia had been, as she had liked to tell Sonia whenever she was down and out, "the only thing golden in my life."
She had raised Sonia as a single mother, looked down upon by society in general for not having settled down. Sonia had always known and never fully appreciated how strong her mother had been.
And now, it seemed, she was an orphan.
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"Mom, I couldn't be happier for you!" Anne, Two-Bit's little sister, practically squeaked.
Two-Bit cracked a grin at his sister's attitude. "Oh, momma, I'm so thrilled!" he put on a high pitched voice and threw his arm around their mother.
"I couldn't be happier either, darling," their mother beamed. "I'm so happy to be marrying Seamus, I think I'll burst!"
"How did he propose?" Anne pressed. "Was it romantic?"
"Wait till I leave the room," Two-Bit said, untangling himself from his mother. "Spare me the gory details."
"Oh, Two-Bit," his mother admonished, but she was laughing. "Can you be serious for one minute of your life?"
"Nope," Two-Bit said, already swaggering out of the room. "I'm happy for you getting married again and everything, mom, but save the gushy stuff for your female friends."
Sodapop and Steve had hooted incredulously at the news. Darry was happy enough before he ran off to his second shift, and Ponyboy told him how great that was. And it was great, too. His mother had never been happier since his father had left them all those years ago. Two-Bit couldn't remember it, but he didn't like to think about it either.
Two-Bit ambled down Tulsa's broken streets. He tried to think of something else to do. Anything. But no matter what he did, he couldn't get his mother's engagement off his mind.
And why not? It was a big part of all their lives. From the looks of the boulder on her finger, he was a big-time Soc. A businessman, according to her.
Two-Bit wondered how this was going to affect his life, if he would have to move away. He couldn't stand to be away from Tulsa and his friends.
What am I saying? he realized with a start. I'm eighteen, I can move out! But I'd have to get a job…on second thought, I'll move with them if they move to Mars.
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The social worker had told it to her straight. There was nowhere else she could go, except to her biological father who had rights to her.
"What if he doesn't want me?" Sonia had asked, barely able to hold back her tears even after three days.
"We've already contacted him," the social worker told her. "He is currently a businessman in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has agreed to take custody of you."
"But he doesn't even know me," Sonia protested.
"He wants to," the social worker told Sonia, and for a moment, sympathy appeared on her strict face. It disappeared as quickly as it had come as come as she went on: "Someone will come to pick you up tomorrow afternoon at one to take you to the airport. From there you will fly to Tulsa and will be received by your father, Seamus Sullivan."
Seamus Sullivan. Sonia wondered if she would have to change her last name, Ganguli, her mother's, to his. She hoped not. Gangrene jokes nonetheless, she liked the reminder of her Bengali heritage.
She wondered if he'd changed, or if her mother had just been exaggerating all these years about how he was no good.
She wondered if he'd love her, if he'd even like her. She knew she probably wouldn't make a good first impression: she was just over five feet, which may have been normal height for anyone in India but was tiny compared to everyone in America, and had a long, thin face with a pointed nose and chin. Her skin was almost fair because of her Irish heritage, which probably also accounted for her mahogany curls.
One thing was for sure: nothing would ever be the same.
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Whaddya think? Review, please?