“All right, just you and me. Thank you for my wonderfully extravagant, over-the-top present.”
He nodded happily.
“Okay.” I smiled. “I’m ready for my next present.”
“That’s me,” Kishan said. He handed me a large white box wrapped with a blue velvet ribbon. I opened it, brushed aside the delicate tissue, and touched silky blue material. I stood up and took the soft gift from the box.
“Oh, Kishan! It’s lovely!”
“I had it specially made to match the robe you wore in the Grove of Dreams. Obviously the Scarf couldn’t replicate the real flowers woven through the material, but it embroidered flowers instead.”
Delicate blue cornflowers with soft green stems and leaves ran around the hem and up the side of the robe to the waist, then continued on the other side to the shoulder. Purple and orange winged fairies perched jauntily on the leaves.
“Thank you! I love it!”
I hugged him and pecked him on the cheek, and his golden eyes sparkled with pleasure.
“Thank you everyone!”
“Uh, there’s still my gift. It’s definitely not as interesting as any of those.” Ren pushed a hastily wrapped gift toward me and missed my shy smile when he stared at his hands.
The package held something soft and squishy. “What is it? Let me guess. A new cashmere hat and gloves? No, I wouldn’t need that in India. Ah, I know, a silk scarf?”
Nilima said, “Open it so we can see.”
I tore open the present and blinked my eyes a few times.
Mr. Kadam leaned forward. “What is it, Miss Kelsey?”
A tear plopped onto my cheek. I quickly dashed it away with the back of my hand and smiled.
“It’s a very lovely pair of socks.”
I turned to Ren. “Thank you. You must have known I needed a new pair.”
Ren nodded and pushed some uneaten food around on his plate. Nilima sensed something was wrong, squeezed my arm, and then said, “Who’s ready for cake?”
I smiled brightly, trying to lighten the mood.
Nilima cut the cake while Mr. Kadam added giant scoops of ice cream. I thanked them and took a bite of my cake.
“It’s peach! I’ve never had peach cake before. Who made it? The Golden Fruit?”
Mr. Kadam was busy making the next perfect scoop. “Actually, Nilima and I made it,” he said.
“The ice cream,” I grinned, “it’s peaches and cream too?”
Mr. Kadam laughed. “Yes. It’s actually from that dairy you love. Tillamook, I believe it is.”
I took another bite of cake. “I knew I recognized the taste. It is my favorite brand of ice cream. Thank you for thinking of me.”
Mr. Kadam sat down to enjoy his piece and said, “Oh, well, it wasn’t me at all. This is something that was all planned a long—” his words trailed off as he realized his error. He coughed uncomfortably and stammered, “Well, suffice it to say, it wasn’t my idea.”
“Oh.”
He went on awkwardly, trying to distract me from figuring out that my old Ren had planned a peaches and cream birthday party for me months in advance. Mr. Kadam started telling me about how the peach was a symbol of long life in China and that it was good luck.
I tuned him out. The cake suddenly stuck in my throat. I sipped some water to clear it.
Ren pushed the peach ice cream around on his plate. “Do we have any of that chocolate peanut butter ice cream left? I’m not a big fan of the peaches and cream.”
I raised my head and looked at him with shock and disappointment. I heard Mr. Kadam tell him it was in the freezer. Ren pushed aside his peach dessert and headed out of the room. I sat immobile. My fork was raised halfway to my mouth when I’d paused.
I waited. Soon, I felt the overwhelming wave of hurt rush through me. In the midst of what should have been heaven, surrounded by the people I loved, celebrating the day of my birth, I was experiencing my own private hell. My eyes welled with tears. I excused myself, stood, and turned away quickly. Kishan got up also, confused.
Trying vainly to infuse my voice with enthusiasm, I asked Mr. Kadam if we could take that drive tomorrow.
“Of course,” he said quietly.
As I went upstairs, I heard Kishan threatening Ren. Suspiciously, he asked, “What did you do?”
I heard Ren’s soft reply, “I don’t know.”
Epilogue
Unloved
The next day, I woke determined to try to make the best of things. It wasn’t Ren’s fault. He didn’t know what he did or why it hurt so much.