Namaste New York: A Novel

  Chapter 11

  It had been six months since Vijay had spoken to Hina on Valentine's Day, and he was pretty sure that he'd never hear from her again. But late in the evening on the night before Eid, his computer chimed to announce the arrival of a new email. Vijay was working on a simulation in Fluent and ignored the indicator for a few minutes, but he couldn't maintain his focus. It was a problem that was becoming more and more common for him these days. He leaned his chair back in frustration, and ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he'd developed. Since he was already distracted, he figured he'd check his email, so he minimized the open window and brought up his account. The bolded new message jumped out at him and the front legs of his chair slammed down on the wood floor as he sat upright. There was no subject line, but the message was from Hina.

  Dear Vijay,

  I know you are angry with me, and you have full rights to be angry. I am so sorry for the trouble I have caused to you. But you must believe me when I tell you that I was helpless against my family's wishes, as they are capable of doing anything to me or to you if I would have resisted. I hope that someday you might understand, and forgive me for my cowardice.

  Tomorrow, on the occasion of Eid, I am getting married to a man I do not know very well. I may not be able to return to the university, and I may never see you again. If it is not our fate to be together, I want you to know that I respect your love for me. Know also that my feelings for you were true. Only I can ever know how I was able to control myself all of these months of being away from you.

  I wish that we had been born into the same culture, and some nights I dream that I might find a way to make things right with my family so that you and I could spend our lives together. But it's just the dream of a foolish girl, and I know that I have to let go of that dream. I have to let you go.

  I wish for you a lot of success, and may Allah bless you someday with the love of your life. You will always be the love of mine, Vijay.

  All my love, Hina

  Vijay immediately responded to email, asking Hina if she was online, but no matter how many times he refreshed his inbox, there was no reply. He pulled up her email and read it again, several times, then put his head down in his hands and began to weep. Raj and Lucky heard him, and immediately came out of their bedrooms.

  "Vijay, what is wrong?" Lucky asked, placing his hand on Vijay's back. Vijay just shook his head. Raj looked at the screen and saw the message was from Hina. "Vijay, do you mind if we read her email?" Raj asked gently. Again, Vijay just shook his head. Raj looked at Lucky and pointed to the screen, and they both read the email over Vijay's shoulders.

  "So now what?" Lucky said after reading it.

  Raj grinned. "Now what? Now we get to crash a wedding!" He put up his hand in front of Vijay's face in a high-five gesture.

  "Are you crazy?" Vijay snapped, annoyed at Raj's delight. He obviously had no idea what he was talking about. "They will kill us and they will kill her, too," Vijay said.

  "No, Vijay. I think Raj is right," Lucky replied. "We saw how depressed you were without her last six months."

  Raj nodded. "Vijay, if Hina hadn't written to you, but you still thought there might be a chance that she loved you, even then I'd tell you that we should try. But there's not even a question about it! She said it all right there, man?you are the love of her life! If you don't go to her now, you will regret it for the rest of your life. When you find someone who loves you, you don't just give up on them, Vijay. You fight."

  "Yes!" Lucky agreed. "You must try, or like Raj says, you will regret for whole your life. No worries. We will take care of everything," Lucky said, holding up his hand to Raj for a high-five.

  Raj laughed, and slapped Lucky's hand. He was surprised by his enthusiasm. "I can't believe you're up for this after what you said to Nadira. I thought you didn't like Hina."

  "No, I do not have problem with her. I thought she was playing with Vijay, and I was just angry that day. But tomorrow I get to punch her brother in his face!" Lucky grinned. He looked at his arms, and the grin faded. He furrowed his brow and squeezed Raj's biceps. "Well, okay, maybe Raj will punch him. It is better that way."

  Raj and Lucky knew the risk they were taking, but Vijay was their best friend and he had saved them both so many times. The least they could do was stand up for him now, and try to help him win the love of his life.

  "Do you know where she lives?" Raj asked Vijay.

  "No, I don't," Vijay replied. "But I'm sure Nadira knows."

  "Well what are you waiting for?" Raj asked.

  Vijay glanced at his watch. It was late, really late. "Oh well, screw it," he said and dialed Nadira's number. The phone rang a few times, and then a sleepy female voice answered. "Hello?"

  "Nadira, it's me, Vijay," he replied, putting the phone on speaker. "I need to know where Hina lives."

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then Vijay thought he heard Nadira sigh. "How did you find out?" Nadira asked.

  "She emailed me."

  "Okay, so what?" Nadira asked.

  "So please give me her address. I have to talk to her. I have to talk her out of this."

  "Do you want to die?" Nadira asked.

  "Not particularly. But Raj and Lucky will be with me," Vijay replied, trying to reassure Nadira. Or maybe he was just trying to reassure himself.

  "Oh, I see. Well why didn't you tell me? It's so sweet that you've all decided to die together," Nadira replied sarcastically.

  "Nadira, please! Just give me the address," Vijay pleaded.

  "Vijay, do you honestly think she is going to come with you? If you do, then you've lost your mind."

  "You know she loves me, Nadira. Do you want your friend to marry some guy she doesn't even know?" Nadira didn't reply.

  "Nadira, are you there?" Vijay thought Nadira had hung up. "Nadira!" he shouted.

  "Pick me up from Flushing at 9 am," she replied quietly. Vijay breathed a sigh of relief and Raj high-fived Lucky.

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Vijay replied joyfully.

  "Don't get your hopes up, Vijay. I'm just taking you there. I'm not doing anything else for you, do you understand? Wow, is this a stupid idea."

  "Yeah! Sure, no problem. I'll meet you tomorrow morning. Good night!" Vijay said, jumping into the air.

  "Vijay!" Nadira's voice was loud.

  "Yes?" he said, fumbling with the phone.

  "You're going to need my address."

  "Oh, sorry, yes, yes," Vijay said as he grabbed a piece of paper and took down the information. He thanked her again and hung up.

  "Great! Now the only thing we need is the car," Lucky said.

  "Carrie has a car. Let me call her," Raj said, taking the phone from Vijay's hands and dialing Carrie. He explained the situation quickly and asked for her help. Carrie was thrilled about the prospect of crashing a wedding, and agreed to pick them up in Bay Ridge early in the morning.

  None of the boys slept that night, and they were ready and waiting when Carrie double-parked in front of their building the following morning. They ran outside carrying a couple of duffle bags filled with traditional Indian clothing, just in case they needed to pass as wedding guests, and they piled into the car, full of nervous excitement. They hit some traffic on the way to Queens, but they'd left themselves plenty of time, and arrived at Nadira's house a few minutes before 9 am.

  Raj jumped in the back seat with Vijay and Lucky, letting Nadira take the front seat so that she could direct Carrie to Hina's house in Huntington. There was no mistaking which house was hers as they pulled up, between the tents set up in the yard and the numerous cars lining the street. They couldn't get very close to the house, so they sat in the car for a while, discussing their options and arguing over the best plan.

  The task wasn't going to be easy. They decided that Raj and Lucky would wear the wedding clothes and try to mix with the crowd. Vijay couldn
't risk it, since Shoaib would recognize him in an instant. Vijay had spotted Shoaib the minute they'd parked the car. He was pacing back and forth on the front lawn, talking on his phone and yelling at the caterers, and Vijay pointed him out to Lucky and Raj. Lucky's eyes widened when he saw Shoaib's size, and he was relieved that Raj would be with him. He poked Raj's biceps again, and Raj swatted him away.

  The group also decided that Carrie should wait with Vijay in the car, not only because she was the only one who could drive, but because a white, blonde girl at a Muslim wedding would stick out like a sore thumb. Nadira, against her better judgment, agreed to get Raj and Lucky as close to Hina as possible, which, as it turned out, was not very close. All of the male guests were hanging around outside the house, and the women were all inside. As per Muslim tradition, no male guests were allowed inside the house, so there was no way that Raj or Lucky could talk to or even see Hina. They pleaded with Nadira to talk to Hina, and she threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

  "I told you this was a stupid idea!" Nadira said, but she agreed to try. Before going inside the house, she pointed out Hina's bedroom window to Lucky and Raj, and told them to keep watch. Raj and Lucky agreed, and tried to look inconspicuous as they approached the house and mingled with the other men.

  They hadn't had breakfast, so Raj suggested that they try some of the food. As they sampled the spread, some of the guests introduced themselves, and Raj and Lucky told everyone that they were friends of the groom. It was going to be a large wedding with many distant relatives who didn't know each other, so no one questioned their story. Through their conversations with the guests, they learned that the groom was a thirty-year old businessman from Pakistan, and that Hina would have to go to Pakistan after the wedding.

  Nadira walked up to the front door, but Shoaib stopped her as she tried to enter the house. He pulled her roughly by the arm into the corner of the vestibule. "What are you doing here? I'm sure we didn't invite any whores to the ceremony."

  Nadira yanked her arm out of his grasp, determined that no matter what she'd said to Vijay before, she was now committed to doing everything in her power to crash this wedding. She saw Hina's mother a few yards away, talking to the guests. Nadira stuck her chin in the air and walked away from Shoaib without a word.

  "Bitch!" he hissed after her, but he didn't want to create a scene in front of the guests, so he let her go.

  Nadira greeted Hina's mother and congratulated her on her daughter's wedding. Her mother smiled and thanked her.

  "Where is Hina? I'd like to congratulate her myself," Nadira asked.

  "She's getting ready in her room," she replied. "She seems a little nervous about the wedding, so I'm sure that a good friend would help calm her nerves. I'd appreciate it if you would go to her and make sure that she'll be ready when it is time for the ceremony. I actually have to go find her father. He went to pick up the Imam for the nikah, but he hasn't come back yet."

  "Absolutely. It would be my honor," Nadira said, reassuring Hina's mother before she rushed off. Nadira was happy to find out that Hina's father wasn't at the house; the less family around, the better their chances of sneaking Hina off the property.

  When Nadira knocked on Hina's door there was no answer, so she slowly turned the knob and poked her head inside. Hina was alone in the room, sitting in front of her mirror and staring at herself in deep thought. A wedding dress and jewelry were lying beside her on the bed.

  "Hina?"

  Hina didn't notice her friend's presence at first, but when she finally looked up and saw her, she ran to Nadira and hugged her hard.

  "Oh, Nadira! What am I going to do?" Hina cried into her friend's shoulder.

  "What happened? You should be happy today," Nadira asked.

  "I don't want to do this," Hina sobbed.

  "Why not?" Nadira had to be sure that she was doing the right thing, and not just reacting to being pissed at Shoaib.

  "I want to study," Hina replied.

  "Is that all?" Nadira asked gently. She held Hina's face in her palms and looked into her eyes for answers.

  "Is that not enough?" Hina replied.

  "I don't know, Hina. You tell me."

  Hina looked at her friend and couldn't hide her feelings any longer. "Okay, I love Vijay! But you know it is impossible. My family will never approve of it," Hina said sadly.

  Nadira shook her head sadly. "So you're going to marry someone that you don't love? You will let someone else touch your body, when you know that you love Vijay and he loves you?"

  "I know, I can't even bear the thought. But what can I do? I just want to kill myself," Hina cried, crumpling into a ball on the floor.

  Nadira put her hands on her hips. "It's haram?Don't be stupid, Hina. Allah will forgive for you for taking a decision against your family, but will never forgive you that," she said sternly.

  "But it's too late. I'm getting married in a few hours," Hina replied with desperation in her voice.

  Nadira walked towards the bedroom window and parted the curtains. "Not if you don't want to. They're here to take you."

  "What?" Hina said, stifling her sobs. She jumped up and ran to the window. Raj and Lucky saw her and waived. "Vijay is in the car," Nadira said. "I read your email."

  Hina grabbed Nadira by the arms, the panic visible in her eyes. "They will kill me and him."

  "This isn't Pakistan, Hina," Nadira reasoned, rolling her eyes and shrugging off Hina's grasp. "This is the United States of America. You're an adult who can make decisions for herself. They can't touch you or him, believe me."

  Hina walked away from the window shaking her head, but Nadira persisted. "If you say no to Vijay today, I can assure you that you will regret it for the rest of your life. Don't do this to yourself, Hina. If not for you, then think about Vijay. You have no right to do this to him. He is risking everything for you. Do you know that your brute of a brother beat him up months ago?"

  Hina turned to Nadira in shock. "What! When? But?" she stumbled. It was all happening too fast and there were too many considerations. "But what about my parents?"

  "They're sending you to Pakistan, Hina. You'll hardly see them anymore anyway. And if they really cared about you, they would have let you follow your own dreams instead of insisting that you fulfill their own ambitions. Please, Hina. We don't have time for this conversation. You know this is the right thing to do." Nadira took a burqa out of her bag and held it out to Hina.

  Hina looked at the wedding dress on her bed. The wedding dress was an end to her dreams, of that she had no doubt. But the burqa was a slap in the face to her family, an insult, an abrogation of her obligations as a dutiful daughter. Hina was tormented by the choice, but if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that these past six months away from Vijay had clarified her feelings for him. It had taken this time apart for her to realize just how much she loved Vijay, and she knew she didn't want to live without him. She took a deep breath and reached for the burqa that Nadira was holding. "Allahu Akbar," she said, and pulled the burqa over her head.

  Nadira smiled in relief. "We should go out the back. Shoaib is at the front door," she said. Hina nodded in understanding and then ran to the window and gave a thumbs-up signal to Raj and Lucky so they'd be ready. Hina looked around her room and grabbed a framed family photo off her nightstand, hiding it underneath the burqa, and then the two girls slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

  After getting Hina's signal, Lucky scouted out a food table that didn't have any guests around it and engaged the server in conversation about the chicken tikka. Once Lucky had distracted the man, Raj took a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching, and then picked up the edge of the white tablecloth and held it to a burner that was warming a serving platter. In a few short seconds, the tablecloth caught fire and flames spread rapidly across the table. Raj and Lucky were able to disappear into the resulting chaos a
s a crowd quickly gathered to try to douse the flames. Nadira used the distraction to her advantage, pushing Hina ahead of her as they walked quickly towards Carrie's car. They had made it halfway across the lawn when Nadira heard a female voice shouting, "Hina is not in her room, and her wedding dress is still on her bed. She is not in the house!"

  The fire had been extinguished by then, and the crowd turned their attention to the latest commotion. The inside of the house was abuzz with activity as over two-dozen women searched bedrooms and bathrooms for Hina and called her name repeatedly.

  Hina looked over her shoulder, but Nadira shoved her from behind. "Don't look back, Hina. There is no going back, only forward!"

  Shoaib heard the women shouting and looked out over the chaos. He knew Nadira was up to something, and he ran up on the porch to get a better view of the scene. That's when he saw Nadira leaving the house with someone wearing a burqa, and they both seemed to be in a pretty big hurry. Kutti, Shoaib muttered to himself as a scowl darkened his features.

  Shoaib broke into a run and took off after them. Lucky saw what was happening and tried to intercept Shoaib, but Shoaib swatted him away like a fly. Raj was right behind Lucky, though, and tackled Shoaib at the knees, taking him down hard. Shoaib's momentary shock dissolved to rage when the realization of what was transpiring hit him. He and Raj locked arms and rolled over several times, engaged in a violent struggle. Raj ended up on top and pinned him down. He began to pummel Shoaib with his fists, bloodying his face, until he heard a woman screaming.

  "Stop! Please don't hurt my son!"

  Raj had one hand on Shoaib's throat and the other drawn back for another punch when he looked up and froze.

  Lucky had gotten to his feet and screamed at Raj as he came running over. "Raj, Raj, are you okay?" Lucky saw Raj on top of Shoaib with his fist raised high above him, frozen as though in suspended animation. Lucky was running at full speed when the woman standing over Raj turned to look at him. Lucky tried to stop, but he was going too fast, and the ground was still slippery with morning dew that the sun hadn't burnt off yet. His feet came out from under him, and he slid into Raj, knocking him off Shoaib.

  The woman threw herself down beside Shoaib and pulled his battered head into her lap, rocking him back and forth in her arms. "Beta, beta," she cried, dabbing at the blood on Shoaib's face with the corner of her dress. Raj and Lucky untangled themselves and sat up, staring at the woman as if they were looking at a ghost. Lucky composed himself first, and pulled at Raj's sleeve, helping him up from the ground. "Raj," he whispered loudly. "We need to go now. Leave it."

  Raj resisted, and Lucky grabbed him by the arms and shook him hard. "Now, Raj!" Carrie didn't know what was happening, but she knew they had to get out of there fast. She laid her hand on the car horn, and the blaring sound jolted Raj out of his paralysis. He nodded at Lucky, and they took off towards Carrie's car.

  "Raj, Lucky, come on! Let's go!" Carrie shouted out the window. Hina and Nadira were already in the car, and Vijay was standing by the door, fighting the urge to run to help his friends.

  Raj and Lucky came running up fast. "Get in, get it!" Lucky shouted, and Vijay dove into the back seat with the girls. Lucky slid in next to Carrie and Raj followed behind him, slamming the door shut. Carrie hit the accelerator and almost slammed into the car in front of her as she pulled away from the curb.

  Carrie maneuvered quickly through the side streets and blasted through a few yellow lights and one red one, wanting to put several miles behind them before she relaxed. When she was finally convinced that no one was following them, she eased her foot off the gas and let out a whooping noise. "Yes! Guys, we did it!" Carrie was beaming from ear to ear. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw that Vijay also had a smile on his face, and was holding Hina's hand. Hina had removed the burqa, and she caught Carrie's reflection in the mirror and smiled at her shyly. Hina wasn't sure whether she should celebrate the moment or not, but she knew she was happy to be in that car.

  Lucky and Raj didn't seem to be participating in their sweet victory. Lucky was unusually quiet, and Raj seemed upset. He kept glancing in the side mirror, and after he'd done so a few times, Carrie looked over at him. "Raj, it's okay. No one is following us. We're all fine." But Raj wasn't looking at cars. He was looking at Hina's reflection in the mirror. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and he dug his fingers into the door's armrest to try to maintain control. He looked down at his bloodied knuckles, and at the sight of them, his heart began to race and threatened to burst from his chest. He suddenly felt ill, and he forced himself to inhale and exhale slowly so that he wouldn't be sick in the car. Was that woman my mother? Does that mean that Hina is my sister, and did I just help Vijay break up my own sister's wedding? Raj swallowed hard to keep from vomiting. Did I just beat my own brother, my own flesh and blood, to within an inch of his life? What's happening to me? Raj's fingers were leaving imprints in the pleather armrest, and his jaw ached from clenching his teeth. He forced himself to turn his gaze forward, and rolled down his window to breathe in fresh air.

  Lucky tried to change the subject. "Where do we go now?"

  "Carrie's apartment. That's where Hina will stay for a few days," Vijay replied from the back seat.

  "What if they call cops?" Lucky asked.

  "Don't worry, nothing will happen," Carrie said reassuringly.

  Nadira nodded her head in agreement. "This marriage was against Hina's wishes. I don't think they'll call the cops. They don't want to create trouble for themselves. In a few hours, I'll try to find out what's happening at the house."

  When they reached Carrie's apartment, they ordered lunch while Nadira called a friend of hers who was also a wedding guest. She went into Carrie's bedroom to have the conversation, and was in there for some time. When she emerged, she had a look of satisfaction on her face. "Just like I said! They didn't call the police. Everything should be okay." Nadira turned off her phone, and there was a collective sigh of relief and a few nervous laughs. Hina looked at Nadira and asked her the question Nadira knew was coming.

  "Are they angry?" Hina inquired.

  Nadira shrugged. "I think it would be better for you if you stayed away from them for a few days?or maybe a little longer."

  Hina said nothing, knowing there was more to come. Nadira looked down at her phone and twirled it in her palms. She knew what Hina was waiting to hear, but she didn't want to be the one to say it and hurt her friend. Finally she looked up. "Yes, Hina. Your family has disowned you."

  Lucky looked at Raj. He said nothing, but an expression passed between them that no one else would have understood. Hina burst into tears and ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Nadira went to the door and knocked, and Carrie stood beside her. "Hina, sweetie, you did the right thing," Carrie said softly through the door. "You can finish your education. You can become whatever you want. You can be friends with whomever you want. You can do whatever you want. You're free."

  "Free," Hina echoed weakly. "But what do I do now? Where do I stay?"

  "You can stay with me if you like," Carrie offered.

  Vijay had walked over to the door and Nadira and Carrie moved aside for him. "Hina, I'm here for you," Vijay said.

  "I don't want to be a burden on you," Hina replied through her tears.

  "I love you. You are not a burden for me," Vijay replied. "Please come out."

  Hina unlocked the door and stepped towards Vijay, a tissue in her hands. "I know. But I want to be independent. I guess I still have my fellowship, and it will cover my expenses," Hina replied, her face momentarily brightening.

  "Sure you do!" Nadira said, putting her arm around Hina. "But we'll always be here for you if you need anything."

  Hina tried to smile, but she couldn't. She had never been away from her family, and now she had suddenly lost them all. She had left them behind for the dream of becoming an independent woman who
had the freedom to make her own decisions about her life, but instead of feeling triumphant, she felt like a sad, confused little girl who was terrified of her future. She silently prayed to Allah that she had made the right choice.

  The doorbell rang. "Pizza's here!" Carrie said awkwardly, rubbing Hina's arm affectionately before she went to grab her wallet.