One Life ✓

Surprise Flashback!

I got more of that flashback stuff right here, if you guys want it come get it! Scroll down and get ready to feel the burn of 2k08? Was that not a thing yet?
Above: some Bollywood rangoli!

a  v e r y  m e r r y  d i w a l i
t c

As a third year med student, free time was a luxury we couldn't often snag. For example, Grace had been trying for the past month to get her Diwali and Indian New Years off of rounds. The residents' answers? That was one person.

Grace, not one to back off, created a petition for extra days off (no one cared what the holiday was as long as they got two days without misery). With two-hundred approaching three-hundred signatures, from attendings and residents alike, she presented her petition to the Ethics board. They begrudgingly accepted it and gave us two days off for the holidays.

"No school or rounds Diwali and New Years," sighed Grace. "Perfect. I think this would be the best opportunity for you to meet my parents."

"Your what?" My face burned red.

"My parents. Aren't you excited?" Grace looked positively joyful, but I got the feeling my expression was far from.

"Yeah," I said, mouth dry.

She crossed her arms. "You don't look excited. What's up?"

"Sure I'm excited," I retorted, putting on a happy face.

"Whatever you say." Grace rolled her eyes.

***

I went to visit Grace at her apartment the day before Diwali, but she was sitting outside at the doorstep, spreading colored sand in a beautiful pattern.

"What you doing?" I gestured to the sand.

She yelped. Blue sand flitted from her hand to my feet. "You scared me! And my rangoli...it's got blue all over it."

"Sorry," I apologized, sitting down next to her. "That's amazing."

"It's a Diwali tradition to invite light into your home," she explained. "We did it in India because my dad's Hindu. It's just comforting to do on my own, too. And it's fun."

"It's definitely got my attention."

She smiled. "You're talking about the rangoli and looking at me."

I reached for the red and let the soft powder sprinkle down from my fingers. "Who said I was talking about the rangoli?"

Suddenly, droplets fell on our shoulders, our heads.

"It's raining!" Grace exclaimed. "Quick, get me the tarp to cover this!"

Before we knew it, there was a downpour, soaking through my dress shirt and slacks from school, Grace's gentle white tunic and billowing red pants.

"Oh, shit, Grace, your top's white, you get inside and I'll save the rangoli. Go!" I hunched myself kind of awkwardly over her design and grabbed the tarp. But it was clearly too late. My shirt and cheeks were covered in various bright stains from the dead rangoli, which lay smudged beneath me.

I walked into her apartment awkwardly. "It smeared."

"Awww." Grace didn't look too sad. In fact, a smile crept across her face. "I think the rangoli is attracted to you."

"Bet." I squeezed colored water out of my shirt, crafting a pond on the ground. "Hey, don't swim in that, okay?"

"Why would I?" She grabbed a towel and dried off her hair. "Hey, my parents are usually on now if you wanna Skype them."

"Yeah, it's just..." I ran a hand through my damp hair. "I'm—I kinda don't know if they'd like me. You've told me so much, I...I don't know."

"I'm sorry," she said. "If I'm rushing you into it, we don't have to."

"No, it's seriously okay," I argued. "I want to get to know them. We're just kind of soaked all the way through right now and I don't know what kind of impression that would give your parents."

Grace laughed. "Not a good one, that's for sure." She set the towel on the couch. "You gotta take a shower. You look like a mess."

"You too." I took her hand in mine. "Your palms are all blue and pink."

"That's why we have sinks," she said matter of factly. "Nice try but no bueno."

"Hey, where's the shower again?"

Grace sticks her tongue out at me. "Almost two years and you're asking where my shower is? Second door down."

"Okay then."

"Wait—where's my pager?" Grace ran to her room then back out, no pager in hand.

I grinned and waved the bedazzled thing in the air. It was decorated to look like the Sparkle Pager from Grey's Anatomy by a few of Grace's friends, a gift for her birthday. "Come'n get it."

"No you didn't," she gasped. "I will pry that from your fingers if I have to—think fast!"

She snatched her pager and tried to hold it above her head so I couldn't get it.

However, being half a head shorter than me, she stood no chance. The pager was back in my hands sooner rather than later.

"No work," I proclaimed. "You're the intern that got everyone two days off this week. We're gonna get this rangoli off of us and watch The Lion King. Deal."

Grace sighed. "I do love The Lion King. It's a deal. But you can't even touch the watermelon soap or the Wonder Woman loofah again."

"Once is better than never," I shrug. "The look on your face when you saw that I left the soap open."

"Hmm." She gave me a nasty face. "Don't even think about it. Be gone."

***

Next morning, I woke up like I always did, before Grace. Slowly lifting myself from the couch, I went to the kitchen and made toast, the only thing I knew how to. Then I set it on the coffee table and prepared to wake the beast.

"Good morning," I whispered into her ear.

"Merry Diwali," Grace mumbled. "Ooh, I smell toast."

As we ate our breakfast, she spoke. "Do you think we could possibly talk to my parents now? I don't know how to explain it...I want to enjoy the day off and just get this over with ASAP."

"Well, yeah. Sure." I steeled myself. "We can freshen up and then start."

A good hour later, Grace's MacBook sat on the table, open to Skype.

"Ready?" she asked. "You're great, you can do this."

"Yup. I love you, Grace."

"Love ya too. I know you got it. Be yourself. They'll adore you as much as I do."

And I reached forward and hit the green call button next to MOM.

***