protect her.
“I think if I spend too much time missing India, I will spend too little time learning to like the United States.” Janya got to her feet, but reluctantly.
“Harder for you than me, that’s for sure. Sometime we’ll drive down to Miami and I’ll show you all my favorite places.”
Janya realized this wasn’t an empty offer. At some time, perhaps when she wasn’t paying careful attention, she had moved from the role of colorful neighbor to be watched from afar and distrusted, to colorful neighbor and friend. Wanda was so much like women she had known in Mumbai, friends of her mother’s who had protected what belonged to them with a ferocious ardor. The thought made her feel more at home.
“And someday I will show you India,” she said. “It would be the trip of a lifetime.”
“Can we go to the Taj Mahal?”
“Our very first stop.”
“Of course, it might be hard, seeing as it’s a romantic destination and all, and I’ll probably be divorced.”
“I saw your husband walking Chase this morning.”
“I’m not sure what got into him. He made me breakfast, too.”
“Those are gifts to be enjoyed.”
Wanda clicked her tongue, and Janya was not certain what that meant here in Florida. Wisely, she said nothing more.
Wanda made a tour of the room, examining things. “I like what you’ve done. These colors, are they traditional where you come from?”
Janya had painted the little rooms colors that did remind her of home. Deep gold. Creamy turquoise. Their bedroom was the same dark red as the puja room—she had asked Rishi to buy too much paint. Batiks hung on the walls with tribal paintings.
“They make me feel happier,” she said.
Wanda stopped beside the table near the sofa; then she lifted the pastel drawing that Janya had done of Olivia and stared at it. “Janya, who drew this?”
Janya was sorry she hadn’t put the drawing away. She had worked on it more this morning to calm herself. She had taken the quick charcoal sketch she had done almost two weeks ago and used it as a basis for the pastel portrait. So far she was pleased.
“I did, but I’ve yet to finish.”
Wanda looked up at her. “It’s amazing. You’ve caught every little thing about her.”
Janya was warmed by the compliment. She knew Wanda did not come by them easily, making them more precious. “I thank you.”
“And what is this?” Wanda lifted another drawing Janya had been working on. “What an elaborate design.”
“It’s mehendi. It came to me last night. Do you know about henna tattoos?”
“Not sure.”
“It’s an ancient art, a way of adorning the body that is not permanent. We do it for weddings and other special occasions. I have been thinking about trying one. Just for fun.”
“It would be beautiful. Anyone would love to have this on some body part or the other.” Wanda looked up. “You never told us you were such a talented artist.”
Janya’s smile slowly faded. “Wanda, perhaps this is not such a good idea.”
Wanda understood she wasn’t talking about the tattoo. “Are you scared to drive?”
It was nice to admit the truth, something Janya might not have felt comfortable doing with Rishi. “My knees may not hold me.”
“We’ll just cruise around a little with me at the wheel, so I can get used to your car. That way I can tell you what you need to know about it. Then, when you’re ready, we’ll just slide you in there and I’ll show you everything. Heck, out here at this end of the key, there’s hardly one bit of traffic. You can go two miles an hour and nobody will care. But you have to do this, Janya. Driving is what it’ll take to have a real life here in Florida. And don’t you deserve one?”
Then, as if she understood what was needed, Wanda came close, put her arms around Janya, and pulled her close for a reassuring and very American hug. “Now, off we go, little sister. Just you and me and that car out there. Let’s go and raise some hell.”
Grouting was not as much fun as Tracy had hoped. She had decided to take a break from cutting and placing the rest of the tile to give grouting a whirl, but there was obviously a learning curve on the use of the rubber “float,” which didn’t float at all but looked more like the squeegees that her window cleaners had used in Bel Air. She was supposed to squish a nasty-looking toothpastey goo into the spaces,