work after dinner seemed to drag on forever for Janya. She wasn’t certain which was worse—making conversation with a man with whom she had so little in common, or being in the house alone, where she had so little to do.
In India she had rarely been alone. The pink house, with its balconies and shaded courtyard, was home not only to her parents and her uncle’s family, who lived on the top floor, but her grandparents, too, had lived there before their deaths, and other family and friends often came and went. She had never known what it was like to spend a quiet evening with only the sound of her footsteps, the croaking of frogs, the whining of mosquitoes.
This evening she had no desire to watch television, always a reminder that she was a stranger here. Later she might read, but for now she sat on the front steps and thought about how alone she was.
Except that she wasn’t. There were scurrying noises on the side of the house, followed by the rustling of shrubs. She wasn’t frightened. She had a very good idea what might be causing them.
“There is room for two on the steps,” she called. “We could share them.”
Silence fell. Just as she thought her invitation would not be heeded, a girl’s head peeked around the side of the little house.
“I’m a spy. You weren’t supposed to hear me.”
“I saw you on your bicycle. And what are you spying on?”
The girl, who looked to be perhaps ten, came out into full view. “Just whatever. My grandmother’s watching a movie, but they’re shooting Indians, and I don’t like that.”
Janya patted the step beside her. “You are Alice’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”
“Olivia,” the girl said, moving closer.
“And I am Janya Kapur. You can call me Janya if you like.”
“That’s like a boy’s name, only with an ‘ah’ at the end.”
“Olivia is a lovely name.”
“My mom said she never knew anybody named Olivia, so she didn’t have to forget what she knew.”
“A good idea. Then you could give all the meaning to the name.” Janya smiled at the girl. She was pretty, with long brown hair that needed a good brushing, pale blue eyes and a pointed chin. She had the perfect complexion of a child and the accompanying guileless smile.
“What are you doing out here?” Olivia asked.
“I was thinking perhaps I should move some of Mr. Krause’s plants to the side of my house where you were spying. I watered them this morning, but it’s been a hot day. They dry out so quickly, and that way I can water them more frequently.”
“I like plants. I could help.”
“That’s very kind, but I think it’s going to be a big job.”
“I’m strong.”
“Then let’s take a few, shall we? You can help me plan where they should go.”
They chatted as they walked down to Herb’s cottage. Janya showed Olivia a couple of ferns in small pots that she could carry. Together, with Janya hauling three pots, one tucked under her arm, they started up the road.
“Where are you from?” Olivia asked. “Peru?”
Janya laughed. “Why do you think that?”
“Because there was a girl from Peru in my class last year, and she had long black hair like yours. I wish I had black hair.”
“Brown hair is lovely. I’m from India. Mumbai.”
Olivia practiced the word out loud. “India is in Asia.”
“Yes.”
“That’s pretty far away, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
“Do they speak English? Because you do.”
“Some people do, but there are many languages in my country.”
“Do you know them all?”
“I don’t think anybody could. I know some of them. Do you know another language?”
“Sí, señora.” Olivia giggled. “We take Spanish in school. My father says it’s a waste of time. Do you think it is?”
“I would not want to argue with your father.”
“He says that everybody in the world should learn English. Just English.”
Janya was afraid she wasn’t going to be fond of Alice’s son-in-law. “I took English in school before I knew I would move here. Maybe someday you’ll move to Mexico or Spain and be glad you learned Spanish, too.”
At the side of her house, Janya examined the area, and they found a place for the plants on a rickety bench under a tree beside her small patio.
“Do we need to get more?” Olivia sounded afraid that they might.
“Oh, not tonight.”
“Is there something else we could do?”
“I think we need something cold to drink. Would you like some fruit juice?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
Janya knew better than to invite her inside. In their brief encounters, Olivia’s father