Dev Dreams, Volume One by Ruth Madison Read Free Book Online Page B

work. I'll take you
shopping for a dress tomorrow. We'll take the subway, you'll like
it.”
    He was right, she loved the subway. The mass
of people pushing against each other felt like home. When they got
on the train, someone moved out of a seat marked with a wheelchair
symbol. Deepak folded the seat out of the way and rolled into its
place. There was no where to sit and Priyanka was preparing to hold
onto the pole next to the door when Deepak grazed the back of her
arm with his fingers, then patted his lap. Gingerly she climbed on
and he wrapped his arms around her waist. It felt surprisingly
nice, like they fit together as puzzle pieces.
    At the store, the sale's girl tried to ignore
Deepak's input, but he knew the event and Priyanka did not, so he
selected the dresses for her to try on. The sale's girl absolutely
refused to allow him in the changing area, so he sat in the store
and waited for her to come out in each dress. Priyanka modeled
dresses and twirled in front of him and he told her she was
beautiful. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much
fun.
    Then she came out of the changing room and a
couple of girls were standing behind Deepak and speaking in French.
He was oblivious to them, since he didn't understand what they were
saying, but Priyanka did and she frowned. She walked past her
husband and said to the girls, “Je peux vous comprendre.”
    Deepak pushed his chair around and stared at
her as the girls rolled their eyes and walked away.
    Priyanka looked down at her shoes and said,
“They were speaking about you.”
    “You can speak French?”
    “A little. I've been studying.”
    “You already speak Tamil, Hindi, Kanada and
English and you're learning French too. I'm impressed, I can only
speak English and bad Hindi. Why didn't you say you were fluent in
so many languages?”
    Priyanka looked at him and he was gazing at
her with such pride that she blushed. “Daksha Auntie didn't think
it sounded right, I have the wrong kind of skills. I do cook,
though, I like cooking.”
    “Yes, and you're very good at it. I like to
cook too.”
    “You?”
    “I'll make you a lasagna tomorrow, you'll
love it.”
    She smiled. She never thought she'd have so
much fun with her husband, it almost made up for the lack of touch.
Her skin sometimes seemed to ache from the desire to be touched and
there were times she longed to just be held. She always pushed
those thoughts aside.
    That night on the drive over to convention
center where the event was happening, Deepak said, “Some of my
colleagues are real pigs, just be prepared.”
    He was looking exceptionally handsome in a
suit and tie and Priyanka herself had never felt more lovely, not
even on their wedding day. There were many people in the hall, but
it didn't feel crowded because it was such a huge space. Deepak
found their table with place cards that said Dr. and Mrs. Rao. He
rolled his eyes when he saw there was a chair at his place setting.
“Every single time,” he muttered. Priyanka stayed at the table
while he went to find someone to remove the chair. No one else from
their table had arrived yet.
    When Deepak got back and the mix-up with the
extra chair had been settled, they wandered around the room
mingling. Deepak approached a couple of men standing near the bar
area and Priyanka followed a little behind, distracted by staring
at all the beautiful dresses. When she arrived, Deepak said to the
men, “This is my wife, Priyanka. Priya, this is George and
Eddie.”
    “You lucky dog, since when do you have a
wife?” one said.
    “Got her from the old country where they
can't say 'no', eh?” the other said, and both laughed heartily.
    Priyanka looked down at Deepak and he was
staring at his knees. He seemed embarrassed. What the man said was
mostly true. Priyanka herself hadn't had as much choice as most
girls in these situations did, but there was always a choice. She
could have sold her gold necklace and taken her chances.
    “I'm a woman, not a