There's Something About Sweetie(15)

“Sweetie’s birthday—” Amma began in the silence, but Tina auntie cut her off.

“So is Ashish going to his prom, Sunita?” She was smiling so wide, Sweetie was afraid to look directly at her whitened teeth. And jeez, the lady had no game. It was so obvious she wanted Sheena to hook up with Ashish, it was almost like some sitcom situation.

Sunita auntie held up a finger. “I think Vidya was about to tell us something,” she said, and she sounded so much like a teacher telling off an overzealous kindergartner with no manners that Sweetie almost choked on her water.

Amma smiled gratefully. “Oh, yes. Sweetie’s birthday party is coming up in four weeks. We’ve been trying to find her an outfit.”

“I already know what I want,” Sweetie mumbled. She wished she were just a bit braver so she could say it loudly.

“So what kind of outfit are you thinking of?” Sunita auntie asked, leaning forward. “Something Indian or something Western?”

“An Anarkali suit, I think,” Sweetie said. She noticed Tina auntie fidgeting, eager to bring the conversation back around to Sheena and Ashish. “I always like Indian clothes for special occasions.”

“That’s nice,” Sunita auntie said. “I wish Ashish wouldn’t be so opposed to wearing a kurta every now and again.”

“Yes, but the Indian outfits for girls nowadays are becoming so risqué!” Amma said, shaking her head. Sweetie tried not to roll her eyes. “Halter tops and exposed backs …”

“Nothing wrong with halters!” Tina auntie laughed, wiggling her shoulders to show off her own halter top. “But of course, one has to have the body for it, no?” Smiling snidely, she took a sip of her water.

Sweetie felt her face get hot. Here it was, the beginning of Tina auntie’s efforts to show, once again, how amazing she and her offspring were and how damaged Sweetie—and by proxy, Amma—was. Sunita auntie opened her mouth to say something right when their waitress, a college-aged Indian woman, approached.

“Hello!” she said, smiling brightly. “My name is Lakshmi, and I’ll be taking care of you today. Would anyone like some lassi?” She looked at Sweetie.

The yogurt drink was one of Sweetie’s favorites. “Yes, please,” she said. “I’ll have a mango lassi.”

Tina auntie made a noise. “Not for me or Sheena,” she said. “Lassi is one of the fattiest drinks you can get. We’ll stick with water.”

“I’ll have a jal-jeera,” Amma said quietly when it was her turn, and Sweetie’s heart sank. She’d never, ever stood up to Tina auntie for her. Not once.

“I think I’ll have a namkeen lassi,” Sunita auntie said. She smiled at Sweetie. “After all, what’s the point of coming to Taj and not trying their famous lassi?”

Sweetie smiled weakly. She got what Sunita auntie was trying to do. It just … didn’t really help. She didn’t want people making snide remarks at her, but she wasn’t a charity case either. Why couldn’t people just leave her alone? She picked up her menu and began to study it as if it were the most important thing in the world.

After they’d all ordered—Tina auntie helpfully telling Sweetie the dal had the least calories—Sunita auntie pulled her phone from her bag and looked at it. “Oh! Tina, do you remember that sideboard you saw in the dining room and asked about? Well, my furniture person says he just got another one in stock from France now, but he’s afraid there’s another customer who’s very interested.” She tapped out something and then made a face. “Mm. He says he can’t hold it because she wants to buy it on the spot, but if you can get down there in the next thirty minutes, he’ll give it to you as a favor to me.”

“Oh, I really need that sideboard,” Tina auntie said, looking genuinely distressed. “But all this food we’ve ordered … and I don’t want to leave you!” She looked at Sunita auntie a little desperately.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Sunita auntie said. “I’ll be sure to pack the food up and donate it to the homeless shelter on the way home. And I won’t be alone—I have Vidya and Sweetie to keep me company, after all.”

Tina auntie glanced at the two of them dubiously. “Yes … of course.” As if making up her mind, she nodded and grabbed her purse. “Come on, Sheena! Let’s go. Thank you for the heads-up, Sunita.”

“Of course,” Sunita auntie said, smiling sweetly. “Rajat can drive you there and then straight to your house so you can get it all set up.”

“Really?” Tina auntie grinned, looking pleased. “But won’t you need the car?”

Sunita auntie waved a hand. The golden ring set with pearls sparkled. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure he can be back in plenty of time to pick me up.”

“Great. Thank you again, Sunita!”

Tina auntie and Sheena tip-tapped out of the restaurant, Tina auntie’s eyes laser focused, her expression hungry.

Sunita auntie took an audibly deep breath once it was just them. “I admire Tina’s passion, but … sometimes she can be a little intense.”

“Oh, she’s not so bad,” Amma said loyally. But why? Why was she so loyal to someone who was such a total douche?

Sweetie grinned. “Did you really get a text about the sideboard?”