Interlude

Chapter 9

- Back then -

Aspen Gardens was a quiet suburb tucked away in the south of Edmonton, Alberta. Daniel Barnes had inherited his father's construction business and had made a reputable name for himself. He married a bright, young interior designer and when they're daughter Rose was born, he expanded his small family home into a stunning suburban mansion.

Across from them resided an Indian family in a modest home. Diljeet and Ranjeet Malhotra, newly arrive immigrants lived with their families. With an exorbitant amount of hard work, they had set up their own small but respectable construction business. The Malhotra family was, in a word - guarded. They lived peacefully, respectfully but kept themselves largely discreet. As first generation immigrants, their sense of social bonding was overtly cautious, especially when it came to their children.

It was Rose's mother, Catherine, who had first walked up to their house, her twelve-year-old daughter in tow. She found an unexpected bond with Ranjeet's wife, Anjali. They were closer in age, their first burns in the same grade and both had an avid interest in interior design. The affection flowed naturally to their children. Friday evenings Rose had samosas at the Malhotras and Saturday mornings Dev and his younger sister, Anandita - 'Annie' - sat with the Barnes for pancakes.

It was common amongst Indian families to refer to a friend's mother as 'Auntie' even if they weren't directly related. It was a sign of respect and familial affection. And so the mothers became Cathy Auntie and Anjee Auntie to each others kids. It was these small, simple, routine things that solidified the bond between the mothers and their children.

Rose and Dev became two names that were no longer pronounced separately.

"Rose and Dev are going to the park."

"Rose and Dev are on their way to school"

"Rose and Dev are always late."

"Rose, Dev is here..."

"Dev, Rose is waiting..."

"Rose and Dev..."

It was always ever Rose and Dev. One never without the other.

Dev's upbringing in India had been filled with comfort and luxury. He went to the best schools and grew up with an army of cousins and friends. But suddenly finding himself in a different country, the twelve-year old boy's confidence dwindled. He was terrified on his first day at his new school. There were very few students of color at that time. Everyone was different and they all knew each other in some capacity.

Rose walked right beside him, each step of the way. She held his hand, sometimes quite literally, and helped him navigate the complicated school rules and subtle nuances social interaction. She introduced him to all her friends, signed him up for events and pushed him to take talk to other boys. Slowly, he relaxed. He got into the football team and began to smile a little.

Within months most of his classmates and teachers realized that Dev was actually very intelligent. Rose's own math accomplishments were just average. Dev was expert! Especially at calculus and physics. He found history and literature difficult but he was eager to learn and had no qualms about admitting his lack of knowledge. Rose liked that best about him. He tutored her rigorously to improve her calculus but never once made her feel like she wasn't as good as he was. He simply asked her to help him with history.

With good grades and stellar performance for the football team, Dev began to find his place and made his own friends too. But through it all, Rose was always the first person he turned to, the first person he wanted to talk to. She was like no one he'd ever known. Her spirit was extravagant. Everything she liked had to be amazing, phenomenal and out of the ordinary. She always wanted to try something new - the new movie, the new ice cream, the new sneakers, the new everything. Beneath all the energy, lay a soft girl with a kind and generous heart. She rescued stray animals and participated in city wide recycling drives. She was always a bit more polite to girls younger than her. More than once, she had come to Annie's rescue at school, when the younger girl had found herself in stressful situations.