Chapter 107: A Simple Request

Saturday, April 9, 1983 (continued)

I started getting ready for Sadie Hawkins around four. Angie was bustling around getting ready, too, but not for Sadie Hawkins. A little bird had told me there was indeed an alternative dance planned, or at least a party. That little bird wasn’t Angie, either. Cammie mentioned it with some regret. She’d be at Sadie Hawkins escorting a friend of Cal’s. More cover was always a good thing, after all. Mel would be there, too, for much the same reasons.

I changed into my suit and black shirt. After double-checking everything in the mirror, then went to say goodbye to Mom and Dad. I found Mom first. She was looking through recipes in the kitchen.

Mom looked me up and down. “Isn’t that a bit ... somber ... for a dance?” she said, smiling.

I shrugged. “Jaya specifically requested it. I believe she’ll have a tie for me which might brighten things up. Perhaps other accessories, too. She’s been tight-lipped about the specifics.”

Mom chuckled a bit. “And you’re someone who’d go along with it without asking too many questions.”

“This dance is for her, after all. Not that I won’t enjoy myself, but it’s her party.”

“I hope the two of you have fun! It feels strange, now, you taking a freshman to a dance.”

I nodded. “I don’t know if I’d say strange, but it’s different. Jaya’s hardly the usual freshman, though.”

“She couldn’t be, to have asked you out.”

“We do see each other almost every day. Familiarity breeds ... comfort.”

She chuckled a bit more. “It certainly can.”

I gave her a hug. “You and Dad have fun!” They were heading out to dinner. Another change from my first life: Mom and Dad went out considerably more often this time than my first go-round. Two self-sufficient kids and a bit more impending ‘empty nest syndrome’ will do that, I suppose. I was perfectly self-sufficient my first go-round, but I was home a lot more, and I doubt it felt quite so much like I’d be gone any day now.

“We will, thanks, honey,” she said, smiling.

Dad was at his desk poring over an investment guide. He looked up as I came in.

“I don’t think I could’ve worn something like that to a dance!” he said.

“Jaya asked me to wear this. I think she’ll add some things to it.”

“Ah! That makes sense!”

“You and Mom have fun.”

“We will! You have fun, too, son.”

“I’m sure I will. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

We hugged, too. That was normal by now, but still something where I saw the difference from my first life.

I arrived at Jaya’s house right on time. Jaya’s dad opened the door after I’d knocked. I’d seen him a few times before, but didn’t know him very well.

“Hello, Steve,” he said, offering his hand. “Samir Kothari. Jaya is still getting ready.”

I shook hands and smiled. “I’ve heard that phrase a time or two before when arriving for a date, Mister Kothari.”

“It is always the way,” he said, chuckling.

“I heard that!” a voice floated from the kitchen. I presumed it was from Jaya’s mom.

“Of course you did, Gita!” he called back. “And it’s true.”

“We have to keep you men on your toes!”

“She does, too,” he said, ushering me in. “Both of them!”

“I heard that, too!”

“Also true!”

I smiled as he ushered me into the living room. The house was the sort of hybrid I’d become used to in the future: Indian motifs everywhere, with a Ganesha statue prominently displayed, a few tapestries, a display case with some obviously Indian artwork, and so forth, while everything else looked perfectly at home in suburban 1980s America. I gave a little nod to Ganesha, which Mr. Kothari (predictably, perhaps) misinterpreted.

He gave a little shrug. “We enjoy honoring Ganesha, but he does look a bit strange to Western eyes, I know.”

I smiled. “I can always use a bit of prosperity and wisdom. Can’t everyone?”

That got a bigger smile. “Both Jaya and Amit have told me you are a man of surprising depth.”

“At best I have a very slight understanding of a tiny bit of Hinduism, but I know enough to respect Ganesha.”

He beckoned to the couch, then sat in a chair. I sat on the couch.

“We are not so observant ourselves, but ... we also know enough to respect Ganesha,” he said, grinning.

“Amit did once mention that cows are sacred,” I said.

He laughed. “He was pulling your leg, or at least, he was for our family.”

“Sheila called him out on it almost immediately.”

“I like her quite a bit. She is good for my son.”

“I’m glad. That’s certainly the impression I have.”

“So ... I should be the overly concerned father, wondering what you intend with my daughter. But I know this is just the Sadie Hawkins dance and that she invited you, and I also know that she knows you very well, as does Amit. Both of them swear you are nothing but an honorable man, so I must believe it.”

“I have nothing but respect for your daughter,” I said. “And for Amit as well, of course. I’m very glad she decided to join our merry band of troublemakers.”

“I am, too,” he said. “It will serve her well in the long term. Both of them, I should say.”

“Going back to your question, my intention is simply to escort her to dinner, then to the dance, and then home. I do already have a girlfriend, after all.”

“You do, but I’ve also heard that you dated, or ... somewhat ... the girl who did not take you to Sadie Hawkins last year.”

“I did, and we’re close friends. Of course, the girl who did take me is...”

“A mutual friend. I am aware. That is one thing I very much like. Everyone seems to be friends with everyone else, at least in the circles Amit and Jaya are in. It is a credit to all of you.”

“We’re a team. Or, perhaps, several teams, but not teams that struggle with each other. Teams should support each other, not fight amongst each other. Healthy competition in practice, yes, but once that’s done, all for one and one for all.”

From the hallway floated, “Are you done interrogating my date yet, Dad?”

He chuckled. “She takes after her mother.”

From both sides came “Good!”

He leaned in and softly said, “It is good.”

Jaya came in, wearing something that ... well. It hardly challenged Jasmine’s ao dai, but at the same time, it was a stunning example of honoring her heritage in a way that would both stand out and fit in. She was wearing a teal sari with extensive gold embroidery. My guess was that she, or her mother, or both of them together were making something of a statement of her maturity ... but, then, it might just be a pretty dress.

“Breathtaking,” Mr. Kothari said.

I nodded. “Very lovely. The sari, as well.”

She grinned, dimples and all.

“Thank you, Sirs. I have this for you, Mister Marshall,” she said, handing me a tie that was clearly selected to match her sari.

I stood, putting it in quickly. All that knot-tying practice does come in handy!

“I shall need to take pictures,” Mr. Kothari said, rising.

“Yes, you will!” said Mrs. Kothari, coming in from the kitchen. She was an attractive woman, not quite as short as I might have expected. Perhaps Jaya had more growing to do than I’d expected. Mr. Kothari was shorter than me, but not short, after all.

“A pleasure to meet you,” I said, offering my hand to her mother. She opted to hug me instead, so I hugged back, lightly of course.

The two of them arranged Jaya and me, taking several photographs in different poses. Then we were sent on our way. I offered my arm and she took it, and I walked her to the car.

“You did wind up with a new ride!” she said.

“I did,” I said, opening the door for her and helping her in.

“It’s very nice,” she said. “I’m looking forward to driving. Amit is happy enough with everyone else driving him around, but I want to be able to go where I want to go, when I want to go there.”

“Angie feels about the same way, while Jasmine is much more on Amit’s wavelength,” I said.

“So...” she said. “Are we going out for lobster?” There was mischief in her eyes, which told me she’d likely been talking to a certain cheerleader a bit.

“We are not,” I said. “I think you’ll like it, though.”

She harrumphed a little, then grinned. “I’m sure I will.”

I changed the subject as I drove, asking her a few questions about her other classes and then her thoughts on college. She was about as focused as I expected, with law as a top choice and business in second. I’d pretty much known that, but we hadn’t directly discussed it in quite a while. She was amused that I was still struggling to select a major.

Eventually, I pulled up to a restaurant and parked. She looked out the window and then gave me a puzzled look. “Middle Eastern food?”

I smiled. “I think you’ll like it, and it’s — metaphorically, at least — a way to meet in the middle.”

She grinned. “Metaphorically. Factually, it’d be more North Atlantic seafood, given how long my branch of the family has been in England, or Tex-Mex given where I was born, but ... I still like it. I’ve never actually had much Middle Eastern food.”

“It made more sense than going with typical American food — we’ve had a lot of that together — or Indian food. You’d probably poke fun at that.”

“I love Indian restaurants! Houston has far too few. When we visit England, Indian food is everywhere.”

“I’ve heard that, but never experienced it. I like Indian food, too, or what I know of it, anyway.”

We headed in. Jaya looked over the menu and eventually decided on a plate with a chicken skewer, hummus, falafel, and a salad. That sounded good to me, so I ordered the same thing.

“You should’ve gotten the beef,” she said, grinning. “I could blame religion, after all.”

“But you’d have wanted to taste mine,” I said. “I’m keeping you from temptation.”

“Not so much,” she said, winking. That set off some alarm bells, but ... well. Jaya had some reason for this date, after all. ‘Temptation’ might be one of them.

Instead of forcing the issue now, I switched subjects back to Indian food. Between that and discussing our dinners, that pretty much took care of dinner conversation.

I walked her back to the car after dinner, then took off towards Memorial.

Jaya’s next comment both surprised me, and also ... didn’t. She was, after all, unusually mature herself.

“It’s going to be strange next year with Janet and Lizzie gone. Even stranger in two years, with all of you juniors gone. Including my brother, of course!”

I nodded. “And a couple of years from now, someone will likely be saying, ‘It’s going to be strange next year with Megan and Anne gone, and even stranger with Jaya and the others gone.”

She chuckled. “You think I’m in Debate forever, then?”

“I think you’re in as long as you want to be. Hopefully that’s ‘forever.’ The team can definitely use you.”

“It won’t be the same. I’m not sure either Jeff or Stacey are going to stick it out.”

“It doesn’t have to be the same. I started halfway through Freshman year. Cammie and Janice were already there, but Sue, Gene, Angie, and Amit all joined later. Of course, so did Eric, Linda, Darla, Jasmine, Lexi, and Sheila.”

She nodded slowly. “I hadn’t put it together that way. It felt like perhaps it wasn’t the strongest group of freshmen.”

“You’re better right now than Cammie and I were starting sophomore year. The big question is who joins next year, and the answer is ... I have no idea. Talk to your smart friends.”

“Most of my smart friends ... which is all of my friends,” she said, grinning, “won’t take it because of the grade point hit.”

“It depends on their target schools. If the Ivies are in their future, it might matter. On the other hand, the Ivies want extracurriculars, too. Aside from that, most other schools are going to care less about whether you finished tenth or fortieth than what you did during high school. Valedictorian is the obvious exception to the rule, but there’ll be three or four kids, at most, with a legitimate shot at valedictorian.”

“Still...”

“It’s on the Student Council agenda. Whether we can move mountains ... who knows? We’ll probably need help from the School Board, and they don’t love me right now. Tolerate, maybe.”

“I heard about that. It was very good of you to stand up for Lizzie.”

“I’d say it was an obligation, both as a friend and as a ... moral statement ... I suppose, though the Bible-thumpers might not like it.”

She giggled. “I like that phrase! It so fits them!”

“They lost, but they’ll come back. And ... that’s fine, as far as it goes. I want them to have all of the same freedoms everyone else has. No more, no less.”

“That fits,” she said. “I agree with that. Of course, I’m never going to be a Bible-thumper!”

“Veda-thumper?”

She giggled again. “Um ... no ... but it would be funny!”

I parked at Memorial and got out, then offered her my arm. We walked in, stopping to chat with friends and acquaintances, hers as well as mine. She had a surprising (or perhaps not) number. Plenty of freshmen were here, clearly.

As for me, it was at events like this where I realized I had a surprising number, too. Cheerleaders, athletes, a number of socialites, ‘brains’, ‘nerds’ ... I knew people across the school. Some just their name and maybe a tiny bit more, others ... well, more than I’d have guessed before being reminded of it.

Some, of course, was the residual effect of my month (or two, or more) of ‘celebrity’ status. Some was being friends with Jessica, Cal and Andy, Megan and Calvin, Tony, and Troy. Between them, I had contacts in all sorts of places.

Our outfits drew the expected oohs and ahhs. Hers much more than mine, of course, but the complementing look was popular.

Once we were in the dance, the focus shifted. We were there for dancing (and, perhaps, a little romancing, too).

Dance we did. As always, I danced with a number of friends (and I had so many!) but well over half the dances were with Jaya. If some friends were left out, so be it.

Of course, neither Cammie nor Mel was left out, and neither was Jasmine. Those were mandatory. Jasmine got two dances, which seemed perfectly fitting to everyone.

During the second, she gave me a grin. “So ... how’s it going?”

“It’s going well,” I said. “How about your date?”

She grinned. “If Charles was interested, I still wouldn’t, but he’s not. He’s a good guy, though, and we’re having a blast.”