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34. CONSPIRACY DINNER

❤︎ Anjali ❤︎

After returning from San Francisco, I am quite busy writing a complete report on what we learned at the Heart Foundation. Dr. Waxman gave me one month to finish the report; therefore, I am putting in several hours a day after my classes. So I go home quite late in the evening. Still, it isn't a burden for me as the subjects we learned about are the cutting-edge knowledge of today's science for the heart's functioning.

One evening when I come home late from school, my mother tells me about a dinner we will have for the next Saturday.

"Anjali! We are having dinner with our old friends from New Jersey. We haven't seen them for the longest time. You have to help me to cook on Saturday, so don't make any plans! I know you are quite busy with school, but you can at least take one day off from your research."

I don't know the family that she is inviting for dinner. I also need a break since I have been working very intensely since coming back from San Francisco.

On Saturday morning, I went grocery shopping at Patel Brothers with my mother. Every time she picks up a vegetable, she tells me what it is good for and how to cook it. I feel like I am taking an intensive Indian cooking course, and she will give me a strict exam later on. In the afternoon, I become an assistant to a gourmet cook.

"Anjali, dice two onions in small portions for the vegetable Korma. I need you to clean those shrimp on the table next to the curry. Don't cook the okra for too long. Fifteen minutes is enough."

She commands me like a military captain. She knows exactly what to prepare. By the time we finish preparing for the entire dinner, we have only thirty minutes until the guests arrive. So I quickly go to the bathroom to take a shower and get myself dressed.

By the time I finish drying my long hair, the doorbell rings. My mother tells me to open the door for them, so I turn the knob and open the door to greet them. To my surprise, there are three people. My mother didn't mention the third person, who is their son.

I welcome them and invite them to our living room, where my father is waiting for their arrival. As soon as the couple walks in, my father embraces them as if they are old friends from India. My mother comes out of the kitchen and starts to join their conversation. She halts the conversation for a moment and introduces me to the guests with pride.

"This is our only daughter, Anjali. Now she is studying medical science at Colombia University."

The couple seems to be very impressed, and the female guest compliments me.

"You are already fortunate, being so pretty. On top of that, you are smart as well."

They introduce me to their son.

"He is our oldest son, Amit. He is in his last year at law school at New York University."

Amit nods very timidly. He is frail-looking and wears a pair of dark-framed glasses. He doesn't leave much of an impression on me.

My mother asks them to sit on the couch, and she asks me to serve some drinks for them. So I bring six glasses of Champagne and hand them to each person one by one. When I look for a place to sit, my mother tells me.

"Anjali, why don't you sit right next to Amit so the two of you can talk about school?"

I was a little surprised by her response, but at that moment, I didn't think twice about it. So I sit right next to Amit and wait for him to start a conversation. But he is simply sitting there listening to our parents' conversation. So, in the end, I decided to start instead.