me a look, knowing that they were one of the companies I turned down.
After my parents head back to their hotel, Juliette pulls out the margaritas. Juliette has a summer job, in the fall she plans on rooming with the princess Olivia, who will be back from doing good deeds at a refugee camp in Jordan, ready to start medical school.
As the drinks are ready to be poured, Meredith and Jennifer show up. They both scarf down all the leftovers as I start complaining.
“I thought this vacation was going to be casual and fun. My mom is using it as an opportunity for us to travel up and down the coast to meet all these Indian guys. I feel like I’m headed to the parade of losers.”
“Why don’t you look at it positively and date some of the guys your mom wants to fix you up with?” Meredith says.
Feeling exasperated I explain to her, “Indians don’t have a dating culture. In India the only time people go on dates is before they get married. It’s not like you can go out with some guy and if you don’t like him you move on to the next one. If I start casually dating real Indian guys, I’ll quickly get a bad reputation. I’m too loyal of a daughter to dishonor my parents like that.”
“Mahesh dated Claudia. Now he’s dating Suzanne,” Jennifer responds.
“I bet he’s not introducing those women to his family and friends of his family. He’s keeping those relationships on the down low. Real Indian guys might casually date Americans, and some of them even marry Americans. But dating is frowned upon. That’s the problem I have with my mom’s fix ups. The guy might be nice, but I’m not ready to make this big of a decision after one family dinner. If I say yes to a date, the families will start planning the wedding.”
Juliette gives me a horrified look. “I’m glad I’m not Indian. Chris and I didn’t work out.”
“Though, he was hot,” I tell her as I clink her glass to mine.
She nods as she answers, “My favorite part of dating him was his water polo matches.”
Jennifer starts laughing as she raises her glass. “The best part of you dating him was joining you at those water polo matches.”
“Water polo players are hot,” Meredith adds.
“Yeah, and speedos are the best uniform ever.”
Chapter 6 – Trip with Mom and Dad
The day after I graduate, Savi skypes me. She screams into the computer “CONGRATULATIONS!”
“Wow, you almost blew my ear off with that one.”
“Hey, how’s it feel to be done with grad school?”
“It hasn’t yet hit. How’s living at home?”
“Ali and I are heading into Chicago this weekend to party with Lauren, you know, she has an apartment in the city.”
“Your mom isn’t trying to meddle?” I ask, surprised that her parents are being so cool.
“Not yet, maybe I’ve been worried about nothing. How about you? Are you looking forward to your trip down the coast with your parents?”
I sigh before answering, “You’re luckier than me. I think my mom has already scheduled some teas.”
“What are you going to do?” she asks slightly horrified.
“What choice do I have? I’ll tell her I’m not going out with those guys, but it’s easier to play along. I figure they’ll go home in a couple of weeks and I can go back to my normal life.”
“Good plan, I agree. I have no interest in the guy’s my mom chooses. They’re always so dorky. I’d only consider dating another Indian if he was normal, you know, cool, American. Why is it that Indian guys are either dorky or players? Aren’t there any normal ones out there?”
“Yeah, I know. Most of the Indian guys here are H-1B.”
“Yeah, like that would ever happen.”
“I’ve noticed you have a thing for the White boys,” I tell her.
“Yeah, but it would make life easier if I could meet a nice American born Indian, another Hindu. They would understand my family dynamics.”
I nod my head in agreement.
***
A few hours later, my parents show up. They help me move my stuff to Juliette’s parents’ garage. Then we head to a friend of my mom’s cousins in Cupertino for tea. I bet this friend is from our caste and has a single son in his twenties.
As we drive over I tell my mom one more time, “I’m finding my own man.”
She smiles and says in her sweet, sing-song way, “Hita, you play those computer games. Nothing’s going to come of that.”
At the