Child Brides of India

By C. Stanton Leman

Chapter 45: Discussions (Mgg, rom, cons, oral)

The viewing at the funeral home the next evening was almost a repeat of the previous night: strained and tense. It looked like Mom was really struggling to keep herself together. Liz was my mother’s oldest sister’s daughter. Mom and Aunt Cindy were very close. For some reason, I couldn’t remember Aunt Cindy or even what she looked like.

On the way home, my mother was feeling very melancholy and began to reminisce about Aunt Cindy and Liz. She told me, “Cinny was my best friend. She was the one who more or less raised me. She was ten years older than me and she took me everywhere she went. I never seemed to be a burden to her like the other girls acted towards their younger sisters.”

I broke in and asked her, “What’d you call her?”

Mom chuckled and said, “Cinny. When I was learning how to talk, that’s how I pronounced her name. After a while, she was only ‘Cinny’ to me.”

“Anyway,” Mom continued, “the saddest day of my life was when she got married and moved away. I’ll never forget that day as long as I live. I can still see that limousine diving away down the street and out of my life: at least that’s what I thought at the time. I was eleven years old.”

She sighed and took a breath and went on, “She’d come around to the house a couple of times a week, but it just wasn’t the same. When she had Liz, she asked me to be Liz’s godmother — me, a thirteen year-old kid! My older sisters were livid!”

Turning in her seat to face me she continued, “That’s why I was so close to Liz. I practically lived with Cinny and babysat for her all the time. I practically lived there and it was like old times. When I got married and had you, Liz would even babysit you once in a while. You were just a baby so you probably don’t remember.”

Smiling now she said, “When Liz got married, she moved to San Diego. Her husband, Jack didn’t make much money so we never got to see each other except when your Dad went on business trips. That’s why you’d never met Emma until that night in India. When Jack died, we supported Liz and Emma. We brought her and Emma back here shortly after you went to India for treatment at Johns Hopkins.”

Mom got sullen again and said, “Probably the reason everyone is so distant with me and Emma is either out of jealousy over me being Liz’s godmother and us supporting Liz or us having money. It’s as if it’s been a thorn in their side ever since. It still galls me that they’d bear a grudge over three generations and take it out on a child!”

Dad, trying to comfort Mom said, “There, there now, Joan, it’s no use crying over spilt milk. The best way for you to honor Cindy and Liz is to see that Emma’s future is taken care of and that she’s loved and cared for like she deserves.”

“You’re right, John,” she said with conviction. “You can bet your sweet bippy that she’ll be cared for properly.”

It seemed that the conversation made the drive shorter because Dad pulled into the drive. Once parked and inside, we were greeted with the view of three girls in an entwined mess of entangled limbs playing twister.

Poor little Aleeya was on the bottom almost spread eagled with Priya hunched over her back. It looked almost like Priya was humping her. Emma was bent in half over top Priya trying to keep her pink toes on the mat. All three were giggling and trying to keep position as the pile waved back and forth.

Aleeya was the first to see us and when she looked up, she fell flat on her stomach. That made the pile collapse burying the poor little pixie on the bottom. Everyone had a good laugh as we watched the giggling girls untangle themselves from each other. After catching her breath, Priya said, “We three have already said prayers. You go ahead while we clean up our mess.”

I ascended the stairs shaking my head and laughing to myself. I’d finished my prayers and again the girls came up for a girlie chat. After tittering on for a while, Priya said, “Come on girls, it’s time for bed.”

I guess Emma’s no dummy either because she asked, “Why does Aleeya sleep with Sean?”

I probably had a look of shock that I tried to conceal when Priya quickly retorted, “Aleeya’s mother used to beat her and she still has nightmares at night.”

Thank God for good ‘ole 152!

“Oh,” Emma replied, “okay, let’s go to bed.”

I gave a sigh of relief thinking that we’d dodged the bullet on that one!

Aleeya and I got undressed, she played fireman again and we crawled into bed. I pulled the covers up, but she immediately kicked them off saying in that all too familiar two-toned voice that little girls use on their daddies when they want something, “Sean?”

Looking at her with a raised an eyebrow I replied, “Yes, Aleeya, what do you want?”

She pulled her shoulders forward acting shy and innocently asked, “Give me a ‘gasm, pleeze.”

Smiling, I replied, “I’m kind of tired. Can’t we just cuddle instead?”

“Oh phooey!” she replied. “Come on, give me some tingles, pleeze.

I gave her a mock frown and said, “Oh all right, just a quick one. But don’t forget to cover your mouth. We don’t want Emma asking any more questions!”

“Oh goody, goody! A ‘gasm!”

Chuckling, I crawled up alongside her and reached for the KY. I put a dab on my fingers and said, “Remember now, only a quick one.”

With a devilish smile she replied, “Okay, but make it a good one!”

I giggled and said, “One good ‘gasm coming up!”

I leaned over her, kissed her and we began tongue dancing. She must have been rarin’ to go because it only took about five minutes and her lips were hot and her face flushed. I stroked her chest and her little BB’s popped out and it was off to the races.

Aleeya was moaning into my mouth as I started stroking her down to her mons. She rotated her hips upward inviting my touch. Shit! She was so wet I didn’t even need the KY!

Trying to make it a good one, I stroked up and down her crease and slowly teased her tingle button, but left it (to her dismay) and headed south. I teased her some more by inserting my finger into her honey pot only about a half-inch and just rocked my fingertip at her entrance. She was thrusting her hips upward trying to impale herself on my finger, but I didn’t give in and held back.

After a few minutes of driving her crazy and her asking me for more, I slowly penetrated her with my finger. I curled my finger upwards and found that spongy spot on the top of her little cunny about an inch inside. I started stroking her G spot and about two minutes later she went off like a roman candle!

Covering her mouth in a kiss, my cheeks bulged out when she took in a loud hiss of air through her nose and exhaled into my mouth as she locked up.

Aleeya arched her hips up off the bed and about amputated my finger when she clenched me in a death grip with her vaginal muscles. As she hooted air loudly out of her nostrils, she’d spasm and shudder. Her eyes were closed and she looked like she was in nirvana. When she relaxed enough for me to extract my trapped finger, I thought, “What the hell, give her a ‘two fer.’

I dragged my finger up to her engorged BB of a clit and began to circle it quickly. Still peaked from her orgasm, Aleeya was almost on the edge again. I slowly slid my finger down through her crease, picking up her juices along the way. I started rubbing circles around her little star.

She panted out in a faint moan, “You’re sooooo rude, but I like it!”

I teased her nether hole by pretending to penetrate her, but withdrew just before entering her anus. Little Aleeya was in a tizzy! She was working her hips, trying to fuck herself on my finger but I wouldn’t let her do it.

I quickly went up to her dripping little grotto and thrust my finger inside. She moaned out “Gonna ‘gasm, gonna do it soon!”

Right as she peaked I pulled out and went south. I did it so quickly that as she rotated up, lifting herself off the bed expecting the last big thrust to be in her cunny, I pushed my finger into her nether hole to the hilt.

Her eyes shoot open as wide as a dinner plate and she blasted off squeaking out, “‘gaaaassssmmm!”

She fell back to the bed panting. After a few moments, she could breathe well enough to speak and coyly said, “You’re sooooo naass-ttteee!”

Chuckling, I replied with a smile, “Yeah, but you loved it didn’t you?”

She flushed a nice shade of pink, covered her face with her forearm and nodded yes with a smile.

Not giving her a break, I plopped down beside her on my back and said gleefully, “My turn!”

She turned, looked at me and said, “Huh?”

Pointing to my proud soldier standing at attention, I said, “See, GI Joe needs some attention too!”

Smiling I quipped, “You asked for one and I gave you two. Now it’s my turn.”

“But, But…”

“But what?” I asked. “It’s my turn, and there’s no one-ways in this family.”

Screwing up her face, Aleeya asked me, “What’s a one-way?”

Tweaking her nose, I replied with a smile, “A one-way is when you,” and I pointed to her, “Get all the tingles and ‘gasms but I don’t.”

“Oh,” she replied was an understanding smirk, “I get it now. So, are we gonna do it so you can sperm me?”

“No,” I replied with a smile, “that wouldn’t be fair. If we did that, you’d get three and I’d only get one.”

“Oh.”

Aleeya contemplated silently for a moment and looking up said, “But I’ve already had two wonderful ‘gasms and if I give you tingles and a ‘gasm, I’d still be ahead, wouldn’t I?”

What inbred gene is it in females that always get the upper hand to come out on top of the “stronger sex?” Weaker sex my ass, even a five year-old had it figured out!

Anyway, I nodded and replied, “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but you ain’t getting anymore tonight!”

Aleeya thought for a moment and asked, “All right, what do you want me to do? Rub you with my hands up and down or do you want a sucker job?”

Smiling, I replied, “A sucker job would do nicely!”

Resigned to the situation and being the good little wife she is, Aleeya smiled and with enthusiasm said, “Okay, one sucker job coming up!”

Aleeya hopped to her knees and knee-walked down to my groin. She crawled over my leg to stop between my legs. She took GI Joe in her hand, flipped her hair over her shoulder with a quick shrug, looked up and smiled. Without further ado, she leaned forward and made a nice long swiping lick across the head of my dick like she was licking an ice cream cone, cleaning the precum leaking from the head.

Aleeya licked her lips and said, “I like the taste of you: salty but nice.”

Without waiting for a reply, she started attending to business by licking all over the head. She pushed her lips over the head of my dick, and her top teeth dragged across it as it entered her mouth.

I pulled back and hissed at the sharpness of her teeth. She pulled off my dick and with a dribble of saliva hanging from her lower lip, looked up and said apologetically, “Oops, saarr-reeee, I forgot.”

Giving her a look of mock dissatisfaction replied, “Okay, but watch it sister!”

Having remembered the correct method, she again took me into her mouth (Aahh, much better!). She nodded her reply to me and simply went “Mmmm.” (Much, much better!)

Preparing for the worst case scenario, I reached down and bunched up her long brown hair into a ponytail in my hand for two reasons: first, I wanted to be prepared in case she made another mess all over me. Second, well, maybe it should be first, it is so decadently wicked to see a slurping five year-old with my dick in her mouth!

Using her “Frencher” kissing techniques, Aleeya was swirling her tongue rather nicely all over my dickhead. It felt so good I started to slowly pump myself into her mouth.

She gagged once, twice then pulled off of my dick and scolded me saying, “Stop doing that! You’re choking me!”

Looking down at her I replied, “Saaarr-rreee, I forgot.”

Figuring we were even, she smiled and went back to work like a good dutiful wife. Ah, I love feel of a five year-olds mouth in the evening: it feels like… ecstasy! (Sorry Mr. Coppola couldn’t resist!)

Five year-old or not, she had me in a tizzy in about three minutes flat. Sight really is such an aphrodisiac because just watching her tiny mouth giving such huge sensations had me on the edge rather quickly. It was so wickedly obscene to see her sucking my dick, I panted out, “Gonna cum soon, real soon.”

Trying to hold back, I was still slightly thrusting into her mouth but this time, she was compensating and pulling back in response to my thrusts, which only teased me more! (I guess she figured paybacks are a bitch!)

I felt my legs start to stiffen and my nuts pull up and with a grunt moaned out “I’m cumming!” and began spurting into her mouth. She heaved twice, but she definitely graduated and was now a champion cocksucker by not spilling a drop!

Watching her tiny cheeks bulge as she swallowed only fueled me on! After four shots, it felt like I was having a continuous orgasm because I just kept firing dry as I flinched, grunted and spasmed.

Not sure if I’d finished, Aleeya kept sucking and I had to push her off me because of the oversensitivity. She pulled her mouth off my dick, gasped out and took in a deep breath. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she exclaimed, “My gosh you sure squirted a lot! I thought it was never going to end!”

Still panting and trying to regain my breath, I chuckled out, “Did I sperm you good?”

Leaning over and licking up the seepage, she smiled and replied, “Yeah, you gave my mouth a real good spermin’!”

Giving her a sated smile, I said, “You’re now a champion dick sucker, you didn’t spill a drop!”

Smiling with pride, she shook her head and shoulders to fling her hair to her back and said with satisfaction, “Yeah, I sucked it really good, didn’t I”

Giving credit where credit is due, I complimented her and said, “The best, Baby, the best!”

Aleeya knee walked back up and lay down beside me. She looked up at me smiling and said, “Whew, sucking dick is a lotta work!”

I busted out laughing and replied, “Yeah, so is eating pussy!”

After we’d stopped our laughing, we lay silent for a few moments before I turned out the light. I was going to spoon against her, but she rolled over on top of me and said, “Hold me to sleep, please?”

Lovingly I replied, “Sure, Sweetheart, anything for you.”

I grabbed a dainty little butt cheek in each hand and stared at the dark ceiling for a few moments when Aleeya whispered in the dark, “I still got one more than you did.”

Damn little imp! She got me again!

I snickered and said, “Go to sleep, you little minx!”

____________________

The next morning, Priya looked at me from across the table with an “I know what you did last night and I want some too” look. I smiled at her and she smiled back. Mom said, “Alright you two bunnies can it!”

Priya pretended shock said, “What? I didn’t do anything!”

Mom, knowing us as well as we knew each other quipped, “Yeah, right, and I’m Mother Goose!”

Emma was clueless and asked, “What are you guys talking about?”

Aleeya giggled and replied, “Oh nothing, they were just making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

Mom said to Aleeya (I guess to shut her up), “I hear you had a nice night last night!”

Aleeya’s eyes bugged and she covered her mouth and uttered “Oops.”

Mom gave her a “gotcha” look and returned to her coffee. Emma was again clueless and asked Aleeya, “What’d she mean by that?”

Aleeya went “Uh, uh, Sean and I had a pillow fight last night and were kinda noisy… I think.”

Mom gave her a coy smile and said, “Yeah, a big pillow fight.”

All of us kind of snickered except Emma, who looked like she had the feeling things weren’t as they seemed. We thankfully finished breakfast without any more shenanigans.

Aleeya asked Emma if she wanted to go outside and play on the jungle gym and Emma replied yes. They both scampered out the back door giggling to have fun.

Mom got serious and said to Priya and me, “Tonight’s the last viewing and I’m dreading it like a bad case of hemorrhoids. Priya, Abby’s going to stay with Aleeya tonight. I would like for you to go for Emma’s sake. Can you do that?”

Priya replied tentatively, “I’ve never seen a dead body before and if I go, I hope I’ll be able to stay calm enough to actually be of any help to her.”

Mom reached over and taking her hand replied, “I’d really like you to be there, but if you don’t think you can hold things together, let me know now. If things come to a head with my sisters, it’ll happen tonight when they see Emma.”

She leaned back in her chair saying, “If we do get into a verbal battle, I want someone there to take care of Emma and keep her well away from the fray.”

Priya nodded her understanding and replied, “I’ll go. I can do this, I think.”

Mom lean forward resting her arms on the table, looked at me and said, “Your job tonight will be to take care of Priya and Emma; John will take care of me. Understand?”

“Yes, Mom,” I said. “I’ll watch your back, Mom and take care of the girls.”

Satisfied by our responses, Mom sat back in her chair and replied, “Good. It’s settled then. I’m gonna go and lay down, I’ve already got a splitting headache.”

With that, she rose and went upstairs.

Priya and I sat silent for a long minute, both of us thinking about tonight when she asked me, “What’s Liz look like?”

Sighing, I replied, “She looks like she’s sleeping and at rest. There’s no pain on her face, she just looks like she’s asleep.”

Moving around the table to sit next to her, I said, “You can do this, Priya. Emma might fall apart as soon as she sees her mother and you’ll be so involved with Emma that you probably won’t be thinking about Liz.”

Priya gave a shudder and replied, “It just gives me the shivers thinking about it!”

“You’ll be fine,” I reassured her. “Just think about taking care of Emma and everything will be alright.”

Changing gears, Priya perked up with a smile and said, “What’d you do last night? Are you two having fun while I sleep with my dreams?”

“Oh that,” I said with a chuckle. “Aleeya wanted a ‘gasm last night so I diddled her off to two of them. She thought it was time for beddy-bye when she was finished, but I told her no one-ways.”

So,” Priya asked, “How’d she get you off?”

Giggling I replied, “She gave me what she calls a ‘sucker job’. She graduated with honors and didn’t spill a drop.”

“That little tart!” Priya retorted. “She’s getting it just about every night while I have to suffer in agony listening to her having all the fun.”

Giving a mock pout she blurted out, “It’s just not fair!”

Chuckling I replied,” You know life isn’t fair. Besides, you did volunteer to help Emma. There are more important things in life than sex, you know.”

I think - no, I know I got her pissed because she got a really hot, angry look on her face and shot back with, “Then keep your dick where it belongs and out of her pussy, mouth or ass! Don’t go giving me that pious attitude when you get laid whether you sleep with her or me, you hypocrite!”

“I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. You’re right I shouldn’t be letting her take advantage of the situation and playing every night.”

Trying to cool her down, I again apologized be saying, “Again, Priya, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say or imply that you don’t know what’s important in life. It was just a stupid, off the cuff remark that’s all.”

Changing the subject I asked her, “Mom says you and she really haven’t had a chance to talk about Emma, but what do you think will happen to her?”

Accepting my apology (I guess), her facial expression returned to normal and she said, “I’m not sure yet, but I think that we might possibly take her. You can get guardianship and that will be that.”

“That’s crazy,” I said to her. “Emma’s no dummy. You heard the question she asked last night. How long do you think it will take her to figure out Aleeya and my true relationship?”

‘First of all,” Priya said (as if to put me in my place), “she has ears. She’s heard your little escapades and has asked me what the two of you were doing. You’re right: she’s no dummy. She has eyes also and she sees the way both of us look at you and the way you at us. She’s asked me about that also.”

“What’d you tell her?” I asked in a questioning tone. “Just how much do you think she really understands?”

Playing the wise teacher, Priya said, “Look. Girls have an innate ability to know what a certain type of look looks like and means. A very young innocent girl like Aleeya’s age for example, will know instinctively that a lecherous look is not normal. She may not yet know why, but she knows the intent is bad. Even a five year-old knows when she’s being ogled or undressed with a stare and becomes uncomfortable.

“Girls process information and make judgments about things with both mental and emotional input so when they see a look of love, tenderness or caring, they are more apt to be very sensitive and observant about such things; especially when their heart is in need like hers is at the moment with her mother having just died.”

Continuing her instruction on the thinking processes of girls, she continued, “Emma doesn’t know Aleeya and she trusts you to a certain extent, but isn’t quite sure how much yet. I think that right now, Emma’s looking very closely at you and Aleeya because she’s in daily contact with the two of you and is deciding whether or not to trust you with her inner feelings and love.”

Having come full circle, she finally got around to answering my question and said, “I think Emma knows that you’re more than just Aleeya’s father figure. I’m not sure, but I have the impression that since she knows nothing of intimate things she hasn’t figured anything out yet, but it won’t take her long to know there’s definitely a physical component between the two of you.”

With raise eyebrows she continued, “She’s heard Aleeya, but I deflected her comments by saying that she was probably having another nightmare. I don’t think she believed me because she said, ‘It doesn’t sound like she’s scared or frightened, it sounds like something else.’ I asked her what she thought it was, but she simply replied she didn’t know.”

Finishing up she went on saying, “As far as the way we look at each other, I simply told her that both of us have a very deep and undying love for you and you for us and that comes through in the way we look at each other. I have the feeling that sooner or later she’ll see that we both look at you the same way, and knowing that I am your wife, she’ll put two and two together at some point.”

Well, we agreed on something. I responded to her explanation by saying, “I pretty much told Mom the same thing yesterday while we were talking about Emma’s fate. I told her that we’d take her, but once back in India it wouldn’t take her long to figure out Aleeya and my real relationship but I didn’t think she’d start deducing things so soon.”

A thought popped in my head and I wanted to know what Mom knew about my proclivities, so I asked Priya, “Does Mom know about my attraction to young girls?”

I thought I hit one of those confidences Mom spoke about because Priya sat for several long silent moments but then replied, “Mom’s no dummy. She knows.”

“How?” I asked surprised.

Priya sighed and looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “Because of the way you act and by the fact that you’re married to a five and a twelve year-old. If you didn’t have this attraction you wouldn’t have even considered marrying Aleeya.”

With a slight giggle she continued, “She didn’t really suspect when we got married because I’m as relatively mature as an adult, but marrying Aleeya was the tell-all. Aleeya’s a child and only someone with an attraction to be intimate with a child would have even considered marrying her. If you weren’t attracted to a young girl, you would have been completely repulsed by the idea and no matter how much Aleeya wanted it you wouldn’t have even considered it. You are what’s called in Arabic a leman, or a lover of girls.”

She gave me a smirk of a smile and said, “Besides, you’ve given yourself away: Aleeya’s expressed joy at being intimate with you, and your acceptance of having an intimate relationship with her and… like yesterday at the pond. I made those jokes in front of Mom to let you know that she knows also.”

Shaking my head in surprise I asked, “Is it that obvious?”

Looking at me like I was really an idiot she said, “Your father knows but has refused to see the obvious. I think that’s because both Aleeya and I are happy, very well adjusted and accepting of our relationship.”

Sitting back in her chair Priya went on to say, “Look. If you were attempting to do these things with some little girl in the neighborhood or off the street, he’d have certainly turned you into the police already. But since your attraction isn’t for the purposes of raping or merely using a child because you have a disease like pedophilia where predators abuse children simply for sexual gratification, I think he’s simply turned a blind eye to the issue.”

Priya reassuringly rubbed my arm and said, “You’re not like that Sean and I’ve staked my life and the lives of my cousin Aleeya and even our children on it. You have a love to give certain people at a certain time in their lives. That love will carry on, grow and even deepen as we get older. If I thought for one split second that you were attracted only to little girls, I’d divorce you in, how do you say it: a New York second?”

Smiling, she again reassured me as she continued, “Anyway, I will get older and so will Aleeya, but the love you have for us will not die simply because we grow up, and neither will your desire to provide and care for us out of that love in our old age.”

Not convinced, I asked her, “Then why the attraction to Emma? Why do I find myself thinking of her at times in a sexual way?”

Priya sighed, as if instruction a child and said, “Stop and think for a minute. Don’t you love her, I mean as a person? Don’t you worry about her future, how to help her get over the loss of her parents, how to heal her heart?”

“Yes,” I replied, “But why a sexual attraction?”

Priya cocked her head in response and replied, “I think, and this is just my opinion based on how well I know you, is that you and her have already made a loving connection. She hasn’t realized it yet but she’s turned to you for support and affection and you’ve picked up on that. Why that manifests itself as a sexual attraction, I’m not sure, but one fact stands out: the only young girls you’ve been sexually attracted to, you’ve married. She will want from you what Aleeya wants from you: security, a lifelong love, protection and acceptance.”

Feeling abnormal, I asked her with confusion, “Why can’t I give her these things as say, a father would? Why the sexual component? I feel abnormal because of this.”

“Why not?” she asked, answering my question with a question. “Girls like me, Aleeya or Emma will usually become sexually active at a much younger age in search of that special love. You may not realize it, but girls are three times more prone to low self-esteem and self-acceptance than boys are. The social stigma of not being a virgin in India may have pressured Aleeya and me not to have sex early but then again maybe not. Aleeya could have used the excuse she lost her virginity to a table. I’m strong enough to have waited regardless.”

Continuing she said, “How do you think Emma’s life will turn out if she screwed some boy at say, eleven or twelve because she wants love and she thinks she’ll get it by giving something precious away to a boy with raging hormones who will say or do anything to get off? What do you think might happen if she got pregnant because of it?

“I’ve done a lot of research and if you look at the surveys and data that show the age at which girls start having sex and teen pregnancy rates in America - and now, in other countries - gets younger and younger every year. These girls aren’t just giving themselves away for recreational sex: they have low self esteem and emotional issues and are looking for love and acceptance on a very deep level.”

She now was going to give me a sex Ed class on girls by saying, “A female, whether she’s five or twenty-five sees sexual intimacy as an expression of her emotional, mental and spiritual self probably much more that her physical self. Why do you think girls take much longer to get excited than boys? The emotions and expressions of tenderness, closeness and love in foreplay are what gets a girl excited, not the fact that she’s gonna get dicked. When she feels really loved, protected and cared for, she’ll beg for that dick.”

I said to her, “That’s all well and good, but again, why the sexual component? Look, there are millions of girls and boys whose first time is a disaster: in the back seat of a car, drunk at a party, and a thousand other scenarios. They grow up, get married and live happy and productive lives despite an unpleasant early sex life. And again, just off the top of my head, I’d say that probably 70-80 percent of all kids had some kind of problem at home growing up, but they still turn out okay.”

Wanting to nail down her opinion about Emma’s fate, and what she felt my relationship with her would become, I asked her, “So, what do you think will eventually happen: will we take Emma to India with us and what do you think will happen between Emma and me?”

Priya sat for a few silent moments before she looked up and replied, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have my opinions on what will happen in the future with regards to Emma, her relationship with you and her fate but I don’t want to say right now.”

“Why not?” I asked. “Why are you keeping your opinion a secret?”

Taking my hand, Priya responded by saying, “Because I don’t want my opinions or observations to influence you or your actions in any way. I want whatever is going to happen, happen: just like it did with you and me and with Aleeya.

“We don’t know the will of Allah, but it shall be revealed in due time. Whatever is going to happen, He’ll ordain it to happen.”

Resigned to the fact that she was going to keep her opinion to herself for the time being, I replied, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Whatever’s going to happen will be revealed in due time.”

Priya, changing the subject asked me, “Do you think there will really be a fight tonight?”

Shaking my head I replied, “I honestly don’t know, but things have really been tense between Mom and Aunt Helen.”

“Who?” Priya asked, “Which one is she?”

“Aunt Helen,” I said, “She’s eight years older than Mom. Aunt Cindy, Liz’s mom, was the oldest and ten years older than Mom, followed by Aunt Helen, then Aunt Maggie: she’s six years older than Mom.”

Sitting back in my chair, I said, “Aunt Helen is a real troublemaker. For the past two nights she’s been talking behind Mom’s back to the others and Mom is about fed up with it. She thinks that maybe Aunt Helen will make some ridiculous remark to piss Mom off.”

“Like what?” Priya asked.

“You have to understand something,” I began, “none of Mom’s other sisters husbands have attained the measure of success that Dad has. As a result, there have been jealousy issues since they were girls starting with Aunt Cindy asking Mom, who was thirteen, to be Liz’s godmother and continue on today, mostly about social status and money issues.”

“What hurts Mom,” I continued, “is that Dad has set up an educational trust for all the children in our family: both from Mom and Dad’s side, yet when Mom asked each of her family to possibly help with Emma, they wanted to use Emma as leverage for an estate home and a trust fund to raise her. Dad told them all to fuck off. If they couldn’t do it out of love, they certainly wouldn’t raise her properly for money.”

About that time, Mom walked up behind us and said, “My God! It’s a wonder what a couple of hours sleep will do, my headache is gone and I feel so much better.”

“I’m glad you feel better, Mom,” replied Priya, “What time will we have to get ready?”

Mom looked at the clock in the kitchen and replied, “We should start getting ready in about half an hour. We have to leave here by five.”

Looking at me Priya said, “Well, I guess Emma and I can shower together to be ready on time, what about Aleeya?”

“Aleeya,” I replied, “can shower with me so that Abby doesn’t have to bother with it.”

Priya smiled and warned, “Remember, no fooling around in the shower!”

Chuckling, I replied with a smile, “Who me?”