My So-Called Bollywood Life(22)

The older woman’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, I heard. Good job, beta.”

    “Muma!” Winnie’s mother cried.

Winnie interrupted before her mother could start arguing with Nani. “I don’t even want to go to school tomorrow. What am I supposed to say to everyone? ‘Yeah, Raj did a great job finding Gurinder Chadha. I’m excited to meet her and just as excited to be kicked out of the festival.’ This is worse than Raj dumping me for Jenny Dickens.”

“You’ve mentioned to me more than once that Raj is dating another girl,” her mother said with a raised eyebrow.

“What? Mom, that’s not the point—”

“It could be. Either way, you have to go to school tomorrow to find out. I didn’t raise a coward.”

“I know, but, Mom—”

“Oh, don’t give me that American ‘but, Mom’ attitude. You’re Indian. You face this drama. It’s in your dhadkan, your heartbeat.”

“And like every other Indian,” Nani said with a twinkle in her eye, “you create some more drama as a distraction.” She saluted Winnie with her glass, which she’d picked up off the kitchen table. It had a pineapple wedge perched on the rim.

Winnie sighed. “I don’t want more drama. I just want all this to disappear. And anyway, it feels like Raj is so much better at this stupid drama stuff than I am.”

“Winnie, it sounds like you need to understand what you want first so you can tell Raj clearly that his actions are hurting you, no matter how well intentioned they are. Then, after that, you’ll know how to talk to him about sharing the film-festival responsibilities.”

    “I don’t even know where to start. I accepted Pandit Ohmi’s prediction as truth for so long that I have no idea what I want instead of what I’ve been told I should want.”

“It doesn’t have to be that hard for you,” Nani asked. “Is there someone else who is making Raj’s interference seem confusing?”

“No way,” Winnie said, even though Dev’s face popped into her mind.

“Oh? That was very adamant,” her grandmother mused.

Winnie busied herself with pulling at the ends of her hair. There was no way she was going to respond to that comment.

“Maybe your movies will give you the answer,” Winnie’s mother said. “Go and clean up. You’ll come up with something before school tomorrow.”

Winnie nodded, thinking that watching some Bollywood would be a good way to clear her head. She kissed her grandmother first, then her mother, and with one last wave over her shoulder, she headed upstairs.

She was feeling better about her situation, even though she knew she’d be back to dealing with a constant roiling nausea when school started the next morning. Until then, she could binge on something good and then head to the Sunday film-club showing. Winnie debated checking her online library, but her classic disc collection called her name. She scanned the boxes displayed on the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, which framed a TV in the middle of the wall unit. After choosing one of her favorites from the sixties, she flopped on her bed and picked up her phone. First things first, she thought.

    “Hey, Bridge? Thanks for the heads-up.”

“What are you going to do?” Bridget said on the other end of the phone.

“I’ll see Mr. Reece and then grovel. There is nothing else I can do.”

“What about Raj? If he’s still with Jenny, then he’s as much of a douche as I imagined. Now everyone’s going to expect you and Raj to make up.”

“Except for Dev Khanna,” Winnie said. “I ran into him today and he didn’t have very friendly thoughts toward Raj. He works at the Rose, apparently. Small world, right?”

“The Rose? Henry didn’t mention that Dev worked with him. You have to admit that he’s got that brooding artsy type down. He’s like Raj’s opposite. And the best part is that he has nothing to do with that prophecy of yours. Hey, maybe that’s what you need. A break from some fantasy. Spend some time with him.”

“My mom thinks I should still give Raj a chance. So basically, she said the opposite.”

“Well, I think she’s wrong. You guys look like you’ll fit together.”

Winnie thought of the click she felt with Dev. “Bridget, even though he is really…interesting, I can’t right now.”

    “Come on, isn’t it so much hotter being with a guy that your mom thinks is wrong for you? I say go for it. Use him as a distraction if you can. Being with him might give you a different perspective.”

Winnie had no idea what kind of perspective Bridget expected her to get from dating someone else who hadn’t even made a move on her…sort of.

“I hate to cut off your weird matchmaking dreams, but I need to drown myself in a Vyjayanthimala movie,” she said. “Since you aren’t coming to the film screening, see you tomorrow in school?”

“Yeah, sorry I can’t be there,” Bridget said. “If I don’t see you before film club, I want a text play-by-play on your meeting with our new Wil Wheaton wannabe faculty advisor,” she said.

“Deal.”



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