Child Brides of India

By C. Stanton Leman

Chapter 42: The New world (Mgg, rom, cons, no sex)

Haseeba’s homecoming, as with all homecomings, was fun, light and full of all the happiness a family can share during moments such as these. The evening went off without the shenanigans of Me Ma and any toe sucking rituals. I guess I’m the only toe sucking pussy in the family!

Although Aleeya and Attiya would have no classes today, Pita brought Attiya anyway so that they could play together one last time before Aleeya left for her several months’ stay in the U.S.

Aleeya was hyped up in anticipation of her first plane ride. Little did she know that long flights could be boring and a pain in the butt. Oh well, such is the innocence of youth.

Dad called about ten am. He said they were all ready for our arrival. I asked him about the horses. He said that Jim, our foreman had picked out two beauties. He told me, “I know you didn’t want to think of Arabians, but he got Priya a nice mare. She’s a pure breed Arabian black with that characteristic small head and she’s quiet. Her owner said that she really cottons to females and is an easy, trained ride. She’s truly a magnificent animal!”

I asked him, “What about Aleeya’s horse?”

“Well,” he began, “Jim got her a nice little black and white thoroughbred quarter horse. He’s a tad smaller, maybe three or four hands and he’s a gelding. Without all that testosterone he’s as gentle as a puppy - the perfect horse for her. Jim said that if he weren’t buying him for Aleeya, he would have liked to buy him. He’s a real beaut!”

Dad went on to ask, “So, you’ll be getting into BWI at about three-twenty?”

“Yes,” I replied, “Three thirty-six I think at gate D2.”

“Sounds great, Son,” he replied. “We’ll meet you at the pier just outside security, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, Dad,” I responded. “Will Mom and Emma be there too?”

“Hopefully,” he replied, “if things with Liz hold steady and nothing happens between now and then.”

Shaking my head in sadness, I replied, “For Emma’s sake I hope you’re right.”

“Yeah,” he said, “we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and pray for the best. Anyway, I’ll let you go; I just wanted to fill you in on the horses. I’ll let you get back to work. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Love you, Son.”

“Love you too, Dad. Bye now.”

“Bye, Son. Give my love to the girls.”

“I will. See you Dad. Give everyone our love.”

“Will do, Son. Goodbye.” Click

Priya and I finished the last of the packing by noon. I headed off to the office to check in and go over my final instructions to my secretaries and Prishi Rashid. I returned home around four. We had an early dinner, said evening prayers and we went to bed about six to “try” and get a couple of hours sleep before taking off. Surprisingly, we did manage to sleep a little and rose at nine. After getting the bags packed and loaded, we headed to the airport at eight forty-five in order to be there by ten.

As with all international flights, you’re required to get there early, check in and wait. We’d finished checking in by eleven-thirty so we had two hours to wait before boarding and take-off. Thank God for new experiences because Aleeya was glued to the window and watched the streaking lights as planes took off down the runway and headed off to their various destinations.

We boarded about one-fifteen and once everyone was boarded and buckled in, the plane began to move. Priya (trying to look grown-up) tried to look nonchalant, but held the armrests with white knuckles as we taxied. Aleeya was in a window seat and she was in awe of it all. As the vibrations and engine whine picked up as we taxied down the runway, Priya looked white as a sheet — well, as white as a milk chocolate Indian can get.

When the plane suddenly tilted upward on take-off, Aleeya was bouncing in her seat clapping and exclaimed, “Yay! We’re flying!”

I looked at Priya and she was petrified. I chuckled and said to her, “It’s okay now, we’re in the air and after we make whatever turn we have to make you probably won’t feel a thing.”

Priya really got shook when Aleeya exclaimed, “Look, Sean, I can see the wing moving up and down. It looks like its flapping its wings!”

I know it wasn’t right, but I couldn’t resist teasing my soul mate so I replied while looking at Priya with a smile, “That’s nice, Sweetheart. Tell me when you see it start to fall off.”

Priya’s eyes got as big as saucers and grabbed the armrests again.

Laughing I said to her, “Relax, it was a joke!”

With bugged-eyed fright, she simply nodded.

With that, she relaxed her grip. I expected to see the armrests pulled loose from the chair, but I guess she wasn’t quite that strong. Once settled in and about an hour and a half into the flight, we went to sleep on our way to Amsterdam. The stewardess woke us at five am and told us we’d be landing in thirty minutes. I woke Aleeya and it looked like Priya was going to have another panic attack.

As the plane dipped to land, Priya grabbed her stomach and I reached for the barf bag. I said to her, “If you’re gonna be sick, do it in here, I don’t want to spend the rest of the trip covered in your fear.”

Aleeya was clapping out “Yay!”

Priya let out an audible sigh of relief as the wheels touched down.

Having been there once, I had kind of a general idea where we needed to go for our connecting flight to BWI, but Aleeya was always trying to scamper off to look at whatever it was that caught her attention. Now I know what it’s like trying to travel with kids!

Having gone through customs we made it to our gate and surprisingly, we only had to wait about thirty minutes before we boarded again. Having been through this scenario once, Priya was a lot more relaxed on her second take-off. When we landed in Baltimore, Priya was glad we were flying first class because she couldn’t get off the plane fast enough! Aleeya was all giggles and fits and couldn’t wait for the flight home.

When we’d cleared customs and the Plexiglas at the security checkpoint, I saw Dad leaning against the wall… and he was alone. I got this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and Priya saw him next.

She grabbed my arm and gasped, “Oh No. No, no, no, no, no. Liz died, didn’t she?”

I replied in a quiet hush, “I’m not sure yet. Don’t jump to conclusions, let’s talk to Dad first.”

Aleeya, only hearing about Emma in conversations, didn’t know what was happening. She was happy and looking for her Poppy. She saw him and took off running into his arms. As he hugged Aleeya side to side, we approached and I asked him, “Where’s Mom?”

He continued to hug Aleeya and after smiling at her said, “Liz died last night at eleven-twenty. Your mom is home with Emma now. Let’s get your things and get home.”

I felt the lump in my throat begin to rise as Priya hugged my arm sobbing. Aleeya, seeing Priya’s distress asked her, “What’s wrong, Priya? Why are you crying?”

Priya, trying to be strong wiped her tears, smiled and replied, “It’s nothing, Sweetie. Let’s get our things and go home to Poppy’s.”

What was to be a happy and joyous time of new arrivals and beginnings was instead marked with the sadness of loss and for a little girl.

Silently and subdued, we retrieved our luggage and headed to the car. After loading the bags and getting started on our way home, Dad told us that Liz hung on to the very last moment. Little Emma was there and after she kissed her mommy goodbye, Liz smiled, took her last breath and closed her eyes for the last time.

Dad said that Mom called my old pediatrician, Dr. Finkelstein and he came to the house after they’d arrived home and gave Emma a sedative. I commented to Dad, “He’s still around? My gosh, he must be close to seventy by now!”

Dad chuckled and said, “Yeah, that ‘ole redheaded Jew is still chuggin’ along. I’ve never met a man like him nor do I think I ever will!”

Priya asked me who he was and I replied, “He was my pediatrician when I was growing up. He can do a complete physical on a baby in about three minutes: he’s that good. He’s kind of funny looking because he’s Jewish, but he’s got red, wavy hair and lots of freckles.”

We’d turned off route 32 and onto the road leading to our house. Once we’d reached the drive way to our property, there are two curved brick knee walls with a security gate and a sign that rays ‘Montebello’. We pulled into the drive and up to the keypad and stopped to open the gate.

Dad spoke up and said, “Well kids, we’re home!”

Priya saw the sign and asked, “What’s Montebello?”

I smiled and replied, “Mom named the place because she grew up in the Montebello area of Baltimore. It has a big lake where the city draws some of its drinking water. Our ranch has a small lake, more like a big pond on it, so she named it Montebello.”

“Oh,” she replied, “Where’s the house? I don’t see it.”

Chuckling, I said, “It’s over the hill. It’s about a quarter mile from the gate. Once we reach the top of this hill, you’ll see a big house down in a valley-like area not too far from the pond.”

Upon reaching the top of the hill and one could see the entire homestead. Priya and Aleeya’s eyes bugged out and Priya exclaimed, “My God! Even from here the house looks huge!”

Laughing, Dad replied, “Yeah, I kind of went overboard with it. It’s called an estate home: that’s a fancy name for a rich man’s house. It’s over 5000 square feet, has five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms.”

Priya chuckled and asked, “How do you get half of a bathroom?”

Laughing at her innocence in such things I replied, “A half bath only has a toilet and a sink: no tub or shower. It’s on the first floor next to the family room and Dad’s office.”

The house looks like an old fashioned, brick colonial with a curved overhang that covers the front entrance at the door held up by two giant columns. We pulled around the curved driveway and stopped at the front door.

I chuckled to Priya and Aleeya, “Dad’s giving you the full treatment. Normally, we don’t use the front door to get into the house, we use the side entry. Mom doesn’t like her showcase foyer getting dirty.”

Everyone piled out of the limo and we stood at the front door for a few moments as Dad said, “Well, here’s your home in America!”

He opened the front door and we stepped inside. Both of the girls gasped in awe as they saw the marbled, two story foyer flanked by two spiral staircases leading up to the second floor.

We walked through to the two-story family room and the girls again gasped at the window wall with a stone two-story fireplace in the center facing them. Off to the right was the open kitchen with a breakfast bar and next to the bar was the centered table in the breakfast room enclosed by window walls. I showed them the formal living and dining rooms, Dad’s office and the half bath.

Priya chuckled and said, “Oh, so that’s what a half bath is.”

Little Aleeya’s head was spinning around like Regan’s in the exorcist trying to take it all in. Priya was thirsty so we went to the breakfast bar and was met by Abby’s jovial greeting with hugs and kisses.

She turned and immediately embraced Priya saying, “Hi, Priya, welcome home to America! And who’s this little beauty? You must be Aleeya, right?”

Aleeya looked up at her, nodded and replied, “I remember you. You were at Sean and Priya’s wedding.”

Chuckling Abby replied, “Why yes! You’ve got an excellent memory!”

I hugged Abby and said to her, “Hi, Abby, good to see you again! How’s George doing?”

“Oh he’s fine,” she replied. “He has his good days and his bad but overall, he’s fine. Thanks for asking.”

Abby hugged Priya again and said, “You know, I’ve never in my life seen anything as beautiful as you were on your wedding day! Your wedding dress was stunningly beautiful!”

Priya gave Abby a nice chocolate blush and replied, “Thank you very much for the compliment. I myself never would have dreamt that I’d ever wear such clothes on my wedding day either.”

Turning back to me, Abby gave me a mock angry look and said, “And you. What are you doing, collecting wives? What’s your plan: marry them young and train them?”

Laughing at her remark I responded, “It’s the other way around! I’m the one being trained. These girls are young but very demanding.”

Using Dad’s words I quipped, ‘I think it’s a bloomin’ conspiracy!’”

We adults had a nice laugh.

Little Aleeya, still in shock over the massive size of the house blurted out with bug-eyed awe, “Gosh, this place so big, I might pee myself looking for the bathroom!”

Laughing, I asked her, “Speaking of going pee, do you have to go?”

She nodded and I pointed the way to the powder room. As Aleeya scampered off to do her duty, Mom came down the rear staircase that dumps into the kitchen area.

When Priya saw my mom, she leapt from her seat and embraced my mother and began to cry. Hugging my Mom close, she cried, “Oh, Mom, I am so conflicted! Right now I’m so very happy to be here with you again, but then I feel such sadness for Emma too.”

Rocking her Mom said, “I know, Priya, I know just how you feel. Liz is gone and there’s nothing we can do to change that. Let’s be content with the joy God gives us and the happiness of being reunited.”

My crying mother looked down at Priya’s tearful face, smiled and said, “I’ve missed you soooooo much! It feels so nice to hold you in my arms again and see your beautiful face! Where’s your little sister?”

Sniffling, Priya managed a smile and replied, “She went to the bathroom,” then giggling continued, “I hope she didn’t get lost in this gigantic mansion and pee herself!”

Laughing Mom replied, “Come on now, it’s not that big.”

Just then, I saw Aleeya at the entry to the family room and when she saw Mom, she took off like a shot and leapt into her arms exclaiming, “Oh, Auntie, I missed you so much! I’m so happy to see you, I’m gonna bust!”

Cradling her under her tiny butt, Mom rocked her back and forth and replied, “And I’ve missed you too, you little munchkin! Have you been a good little wife?”

“Yes!” Aleeya began. “Well, the other day Sean said I was a snot because I was worried about Daddy getting married. I was kinda impolite and rude, but it’s all better now. What’s snot?”

Laughing my mother replied, “It’s that yucky stuff that comes out of your nose when you’ve got a cold. Sean meant that you were acting yucky.”

“Oh,” she replied, “I guess I was kinda snotsy.”

Mom hugged her tighter and said, “Well, it’s all over now, so let’s forget about it, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied.

Dad broke in with, “Aleeya, there’s a playset out back. Do you want to try it out? It has swings, a slide and a bunch of other stuff.”

“Oh yes!” she exclaimed, “Let’s go!”

Dad took Aleeya’s hand and took her outside so the three of could talk.

All three of us sat in silence for a moment, no one really knowing how to begin so I said to Mom, “Dad told us Liz died last night at around eleven-twenty and that Emma was there for the end. How’d she take it?”

Mom sighed and replied, “It was kind of surreal. After Emma gave her a kiss, Liz smiled and simply closed her eyes. She died peacefully. Emma kissed her again and began to stroke her face and said, “Bye, bye, Mommy, I know you’re with Daddy now in heaven.”

Wiping the tears from her cheeks Mom went on, “She was scary silent; she just sat next to her stroking her face. John left because he didn’t want to upset Emma with his crying and I just stood next to her as she looked at Liz.”

Mom had to stop for a moment to compose herself and continued, “We stayed for another ten or fifteen minutes when Emma then turned and fell into my arms but she wasn’t crying. I carried her out of the room and your Dad was talking to the doctor about the details for final arrangements. I took her to the waiting lounge and waited for John and then we left.”

Sniffling Mom finished, “When we got in the car to leave, Emma looked back and broke down. It took every ounce of strength I had to hold her because she was reaching for the door handle and trying to get out of the car. She flailed all the way home screaming. When we got home, I couldn’t calm her down so I called Dr. Finkelstein. He arrived about an hour later and gave her an injection. He handed me a small bottle of sodium phenobarbitol said to me, “I know it’s not the time for jokes, but if she wakes and is still unstable, give her a teaspoon of this. If it doesn’t work, you take it. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon.”

Mom added, “I just spoke to him as I saw your car pull up.”

Turning to Priya Mom said, “Priya, I know this is supposed to be a happy time for you, but when Emma wakes up and sees you I not sure what she’ll do. I suspect she’ll cling to you like a second skin for a while. She’s been asking for you in her sleep.”

Rubbing circles on the granite countertop Mom looked at Priya again and said, “I hate to say it, but she’ll probably take up a good deal of your time, at least until the funeral is over. I’m sorry to put you through this but I suspect she’ll only want you for a while. Will you be okay with that? If not, I’ll struggle with her myself.”

Holding Mom’s hand Priya replied, “No, Mom, I’ll stay with her and give her all the support she needs, I don’t mind. In fact, I feel that it’s the least I can do for her. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a parent much less both of them.”

Agreeing, Mom smiled and replied, “I knew you’d be there for her but I needed to ask anyway. Let’s go, I’ll show you the upstairs and we can look in on Emma at the same time.”

Nodding in agreement, we rose and headed upstairs. Priya’s eyes popped out when Mom showed her the master bedroom suite, sitting room and lavish bathroom. Smiling, Mom showed her my room (where I and one of the girls would sleep), and the other bedrooms with their individual bathrooms.

She said to Priya, “You and Aleeya can choose which bedroom you want to claim as your own. Let’s look in on Emma.”

Mom opened the door to the bedroom closest to hers and we saw little Emma, still asleep and under the covers. Mom silently closed the door and we went back downstairs.

Aleeya and Dad came back in with Dad huffing and puffing. They sat with us at the breakfast bar and Dad said, “Boy, that girl is full of vim and vigor! How do you keep up with her?”

Chuckling I replied, “I don’t. It’s called having a nanny! I just have to deal with her at night.”

Dad, thinking there was a double entendre there asked, “Is she that way at night too?”

I winked, smiled and replied, “Very high maintenance, Dad, very high.”

Shaking his head he smiled and said, “Whew! There’s thirty pounds of dynamite in a ten pound bag there!”

I couldn’t resist the opening he left me so I laughed and replied, “Yeah, and she goes off like it too!”

We all laughed at the joke, but Aleeya looked around at all of us laughing and said, “Huh?”

We didn’t answer her and just started laughing again.

Abby gave me a look and said, “You’re naughty!”

Abby then asked every one, “Alright, where do y’all want to eat: in here or out on the deck?”

It being June, the temperature was moderate, maybe seventy-five, and the humidity, which can get quite high, seemed low when we arrived, so Mom said, “Why don’t we eat out on the deck?”

We all agreed and began to get the place settings together and set the table outside together. Abby had outdone herself with the meal! She made Mom, Dad and me barbequed rib eye steaks and lamb kabobs for the girls on the grill. We also had a nice fresh garden salad and lots of sweet iced tea.

Priya and Aleeya, this being their first barbeque, gorged themselves on the kabobs and loved every morsel! After stuffing ourselves like gluttons we sat around talking at the table for, what had to have been at least an hour when we heard Emma screaming from inside the house.

Aleeya, not knowing about Emma, jumped up in her chair in fright. The rest of us jumped to our feet and ran inside. We looked up and saw Emma standing at the hallway rail that overlooks the family room crying. Mom and Priya took off up the stairs to her. Emma saw Priya and nearly knocked her over when she bounded into her arms. Mom and Priya then took Emma back into the bedroom.

Upon seeing a crying Emma, Aleeya asked me, “Who’s she?”

I knelt down and took an arm in each hand and replied, “She’s my cousin, Emma and her mommy died last night. She’s very sad.”

Aleeya hugged me and said in my ear, “I think I know how she feels. I lost my mommy too. Maybe we can be friends.”

Dad and Abby both got a lump in their throats as a result of her comment and I leaned in and kissed her nose and replied, “I think she’d like that, but right now she needs Priya and Auntie to help her with her sadness, okay?”

She sadly nodded and hugged me.

We helped Abby get everything put away and it was now dusk outside. I said to Aleeya, “It’s getting late. We should say evening prayers and try to get some sleep. It’s been a long, tiring day.”

She smiled, nodded and replied, “Okay.”

We said goodnight to Dad and Abby and went upstairs to my room. She jumped on the bed in glee giggling and I said to her, “I’ll be back in a moment. I just want to talk to Priya a moment and see how Emma’s doing, all right?”

She smiled and nodded and just continued to jump playfully on the bed. I opened the door to Emma’s room and Priya was lying on the bed with Emma in her arms while Mom sat next to them on the edge of the bed.

I knelt by the bed and softly asked Priya, “We’re going to say evening prayers. Do you want to join us or stay here?”

She put her finger to her mouth as if to say “Shhhh’ and whispered, “No, I’ll stay her with Emma, you two go ahead. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Nodding I understood, I leaned over and kissed her goodnight. I shook my head in sadness at Mom and she responded the same. I leaned over and kissed Mom on the cheek and whispered goodnight. She nodded back in reply and I left to attend to Aleeya.

Once back in the bedroom with Aleeya, we said evening prayers and began to get undressed. We were both down to our underwear when out of the blue she looked at me with a strange, sheepish grin and said, “I drank too much iced tea tonight. I really have to pee…”

“Do you want to watch?”

NOTE” Thanks to Don, an SOL reader for the tip on the gelding quarter horse.