Note: All characters and venues are totally fictional; any semblance to real persons or places is merely coincidental.
Synopsis: Reddy takes Shanti to his haunts in the neighborhood. They go to dinner. Shanti drinks wine for the first time.
Munni's LIA - Episode 22
When the lights finally came on, Shanti withdrew her hand from Reddy's lap; however, Reddy kept his on her shoulder, and continued sitting, even as the credits rolled up. The other desis who were walking out in the aisles gave them quizzical looks. She liked that, and smiled to herself: a public acknowledgement that she was with him!!
Then he turned and asked her," so, ..how was that ?".
She answered "…quite nice..got a little gory …with the monsoon baby delivery…no ? <when did he wipe his tears ? > ".
"Yes…it did..", he said, taking his hand off her shoulder so that they can both get up.
Once they came to the lobby, he held his hand out again; she gave him hers. He smiled at her; she smiled back, then looked down at the carpet in the lobby, wondering with some trepidation <....ayyo…I am publicly holding his hand like a wife….now what ? >. She felt safe, excited and adventuresome all at the same time.
To ease the mood she asked,"…when you are not taking a girl to a movie, what do you do on weekday evenings ?".
Reddy answered," … when I am not …taken to a movie by a girl, right ?". Shanti was happy for that answer, as she herself forgot she paid for the tickets.
She said,"but you didn't answer the question ".
Reddy said,"..on tuesdays and thursdays …I go to the community center near here and play basketball ".
Shanti was surprised,"…really ? do you have many local friends ?". She was happy that he was not a closeted desi-workaholic-geek, but got around in non-desi society.
"yes.. I do..but …they are not what I would call friends….we play basketball and that is about it…I am more like a big brother to some of them…oh …the center also has a pool…sometimes I swim laps for 30 minutes or so..".
"laps?", she asked.
"yes…you know..back and forth…very slowly without making a lot of waves….it is sort of like jogging……can you swim ?", he asked.
She answered,"…I learnt when I was in elementary school age…but then later…I couldn't continue".
"Yes..yes…may be in India..but here you can relearn…no ?", he said. Shanti nodded and wondered in which land she could expose her thighs and legs with those bright white patches of skin. They were now close to his car. Once they got in, Reddy asked her if she was very hungry or could she wait until later so he could take her to a restaurant close to Ann Arbor. Shanti hadn't expected going to dinner with him; but she didn't want to go home just yet and be by herself. Shanti said she could wait to eat until 7:30 PM. Reddy asked her if she would like to see that community center and the pool. She agreed, as she thought that would be a pleasant way to walk about, talk and spend some time till dinner.
As they were parking at that community center, Reddy said, "it is usually open until 10 PM on saturdays". After they walked into that building, Shanti thought they had gone from America into an African country. Not a single white person inside! All the attendants were black and all the parents, children and the teens who are out and about in the various game areas were all black. Reddy took her to the basement area where the basket ball court and the pool were. As they were walking along a long corridor, two tall black youngsters were coming towards them. They had on huge football jerseys and low crotch blue jeans. They were walking forward quite normally until one of them recognized Reddy from a distance. That boy yelled out at them,"…yo Gaendi ...my man…", and both of the young men suddenly became all loose jointed everywhere, as they shimmied forward coming towards Shanti and Reddy. Shanti hugged Reddy's left arm with both her hands; she was ready to jump behind Reddy, if necessary. When the black youngsters met up with this couple, Reddy introduced:"…my buddies Kenny and David…and my girlfriend Shanti ". They fist-bumped with Reddy and did a bow and namaste to Shanti, calling her Gaendi-laydee. Shanti did a namaste to them saying,"…nice to meet you". After this meeting and greeting, Shanti still clung on to Reddy nervously. Reddy was amused at what had happened:"…they are a couple of boys I had played with now and then…they are very good players". She asked him,"did…did they call you Gandhi? ". "..Oh..that..", Reddy laughed,"..because, I rarely, if ever, foul anyone when playing…and someone joked about it once saying it was like gandhi-style play, and the name stuck…"
After they got into the basketball court area, Reddy and Shanti walked along the edge where street shoes were allowed. There were smaller kids practicing with an older person coaching. Shanti and Reddy sat on the bottom step of the stands for a while and watched them. Shanti asked,"…can I come out here one day when you are playing?". Reddy answered,"..of course..if you call me I can come and get you…". The ball went out of bounds and came towards them; Reddy slipped out of his shoes, picked up the ball, walked into the court and made a jump shot from well outside the 3-point range. It swished into the basket. The boys in the court were impressed and yelled out to appreciate. Shanti's heart went Kaboom. An Animal Rights disclaimer could have as well announced:" No dragons were slain to impress her". Reddy came back, smiling ear to ear, and said,"..lucky shot, wasn't it?". She wanted to kiss him right then while protesting:"I saw that…you didn't even have shoes….". She continued to smile and held his hand as he took her to the pool and then went out of the building.
Later, Reddy called to make a reservation at "Tio Pepe", a spanish restaurant near Ann Arbor. Then they drove there. Enroute, Reddy told Shanti the story of that restaurant. When she was a realtor, Kamla had helped the owners buy that place and later, Benny had worked on remodeling. Reddy had been there a few times with Benny both on minor jobs as well as to eat.
It was a small place, probably for 30 diners, they had a white table cloth and a yellow one over that to expose triangular white edges at the corners of the tables. All tables had been set with plates, silver-ware, wine glasses and candles. When Reddy came through the door, a short old man came out to greet him. He called Reddy, "el Junior", and hugged him. Reddy introduced Shanti to Pepe. Pepe took her hand and bowed. Reddy explained to Shanti that when he came with Benny for the first time, he got himself named "junior" by the old couple who had bought that place.
There were already about 10 people in the restaurant. The mild aromas of food and quiet chatting made the place seem very friendly. The Andalucían music in the background was at an extremely low volume. When Reddy and Shanti got seated, a waitress brought a small basket of bread and butter. Shanti split open a bread, it was warm inside. She buttered it and asked him,"you are Reddy, Gandhi and now Junior….are there other names people call you ? heeheehhee", she laughed. Reddy said,"some office guys call me by my first name…Munagala…and kill it thoroughly….and my uncle Benny calls me Munni…and also just Boy....I have had a very difficult life in America with my name", he smiled. Shanti thought about what she would call Reddy after they were married. Then she remembered the telugu proverb about jumping ahead to an imagined future <aalu lédhu choolu lédhu koduku peru somalingam..= (roughly, "No wife, no pregnancy, child's name Somalingam")> and giggled. Reddy thought she had been amused at his predicament with the names.
Reddy explained to Shanti that they would be served that evening's set menu: appetizer, salad or soup, pasta and fish. Reddy asked if she would like to have some wine. She told him that she had never had wine before; however, she asked him to buy what a novice like her ought to have. He ordered a bottle of chardonnay that he had ordered before in that place. They were served wine followed by the appetizer. Shanti tasted the wine and liked it.
During dinner they talked about her family: father mother and two kids. Her older brother was two years older than her and at home they were looking for a suitable match for him. Shanti said that originally they had wanted to delay his wedding attempts because she had to be married first. Since she had left India, they would go ahead with his wedding. Reddy pointedly ignored that opening and decided to take the conversation in a different path. Reddy told her about his mother, brother and sister in chennai. When told her that the other two siblings of his family were married, he was going to go on to talk about his nephews and niece. However, Shanti blurted out,"so... you'll be next ?". Reddy winked and said,"with any luck…I am sure of it..", and smiling to himself at her loosening tongue, poured her a little more wine into her almost empty glass, as he went on about his niece in Chennai. She blushed for having asked that question. Then Reddy told her about his uncle Benny and aunt Kamla and their daughter in California. Shanti surmised that Reddy must have a lot of regard for those three. The name Sheila rang a vague bell in her brain, but the wine, the events of that day and looking at Reddy's face enthusing on about Benny and Sheila wiped that ring right out.
Towards the end of the dinner, Shanti noticed that there were only two couples in the restaurant, themselves and one other. An old lady in an apron and hairnet, came out to the dining area and came towards them, carrying two small plates of tortes. Reddy hadn't noticed her approach. She came to their table, and put the plates of dessert on their table. Reddy looked up at her, as she put her arm around Reddy and kissed his cheek:"…you never brought your novia to our house before….something….for welcoming you and her..". By that time Tio Pepe had also come and joined her to thank Reddy for coming to their restaurant. Shanti was touched by that gesture of the old couple. Reddy got up, hugged the old woman and thanked her, and introduced his novia: "this is Shanti". As Shanti got up, the old lady kissed Shanti on her cheek and said,"…he is a very good boy..". Shanti felt that if Reddy had asked her to run away with him at that very moment, she'd just go …and forget about her family in India, her apartment, her college and the thesis research proposal that she was working on and everything else in her world. Tio Pepe brought them coffee, and Reddy and Shanti noticed that the old lady went back to the threshold between the dining and kitchen area, and stood there watching them eat the dessert she had brought them. At the end, when Shanti and Reddy were leaving, both Pepe and his wife came to the door to send them off at close to 10:30 PM.
"They are nice people, aren't they?", Reddy asked Shanti, as they were walking to their car. Shanti had her right hand hooked around his left elbow. She dropped her hand to clasp his fingers, and said,"..they are really like a our own uncle and auntie…who love us …thank you so much...for bringing me here." Then she did something she didn't expect herself to do. She came around to face him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him on his lips. Kareena Kapoor had done that to Aamir Khan at the end of the movie they had just seen. As they stood in the sidewalk, Reddy hugged her for a few minutes, and then asked,"shouldn't we go home now ?". Shanti pondered if she was a little drunk after she had said,"…yes…take me anywhere". Reddy took her home, to her apartment. After he parked the car, he walked her to her apartment door. She held on to his arm and after she opened the door, she asked him," would you please come in and have some coffee before you go home….you drank most of that bottle of wine at the restaurant...". He went in and closed the door.
Synopsis: Reddy takes Shanti to his haunts in the neighborhood. They go to dinner. Shanti drinks wine for the first time.
Munni's LIA - Episode 22
Reddy and Shanti go out to Dinner
Shanti couldn't concentrate on the movie after her attempt at hand holding, sudden feeling of rejection as Reddy withdrew his hand, then Reddy's hand on her shoulder, his comforting hug and then his tears at the difficult movie birth. She thought she may have cried too, when he withdrew his hand; she felt her eyes and face to make sure there were no tears on her cheek. Then she tried to get back with the movie. Aamir Khan had completely disappeared after graduation. His two college buddies investigated and discovered that Aamir Khan, called "Rancho" in the movie, was a proxy student for some wealthy man's son who would get the degree and Aamir Khan would just have the education and the college experience. The two friends did not even know Aamir's real name. In the meantime, Kareena had lost all hope of ever finding her disappeared beloved, whatever-his-real-name was. She finally gave up, and consented to marry her father's choice for a husband. The college buddies got to her just in time, bride-napped Kareena and eventually joined her with Aamir, who had been teaching in a remote himalayan school. Then he turned and asked her," so, ..how was that ?".
She answered "…quite nice..got a little gory …with the monsoon baby delivery…no ? <when did he wipe his tears ? > ".
"Yes…it did..", he said, taking his hand off her shoulder so that they can both get up.
Once they came to the lobby, he held his hand out again; she gave him hers. He smiled at her; she smiled back, then looked down at the carpet in the lobby, wondering with some trepidation <....ayyo…I am publicly holding his hand like a wife….now what ? >. She felt safe, excited and adventuresome all at the same time.
To ease the mood she asked,"…when you are not taking a girl to a movie, what do you do on weekday evenings ?".
Reddy answered," … when I am not …taken to a movie by a girl, right ?". Shanti was happy for that answer, as she herself forgot she paid for the tickets.
She said,"but you didn't answer the question ".
Reddy said,"..on tuesdays and thursdays …I go to the community center near here and play basketball ".
Shanti was surprised,"…really ? do you have many local friends ?". She was happy that he was not a closeted desi-workaholic-geek, but got around in non-desi society.
"yes.. I do..but …they are not what I would call friends….we play basketball and that is about it…I am more like a big brother to some of them…oh …the center also has a pool…sometimes I swim laps for 30 minutes or so..".
"laps?", she asked.
"yes…you know..back and forth…very slowly without making a lot of waves….it is sort of like jogging……can you swim ?", he asked.
She answered,"…I learnt when I was in elementary school age…but then later…I couldn't continue".
"Yes..yes…may be in India..but here you can relearn…no ?", he said. Shanti nodded and wondered in which land she could expose her thighs and legs with those bright white patches of skin. They were now close to his car. Once they got in, Reddy asked her if she was very hungry or could she wait until later so he could take her to a restaurant close to Ann Arbor. Shanti hadn't expected going to dinner with him; but she didn't want to go home just yet and be by herself. Shanti said she could wait to eat until 7:30 PM. Reddy asked her if she would like to see that community center and the pool. She agreed, as she thought that would be a pleasant way to walk about, talk and spend some time till dinner.
After they got into the basketball court area, Reddy and Shanti walked along the edge where street shoes were allowed. There were smaller kids practicing with an older person coaching. Shanti and Reddy sat on the bottom step of the stands for a while and watched them. Shanti asked,"…can I come out here one day when you are playing?". Reddy answered,"..of course..if you call me I can come and get you…". The ball went out of bounds and came towards them; Reddy slipped out of his shoes, picked up the ball, walked into the court and made a jump shot from well outside the 3-point range. It swished into the basket. The boys in the court were impressed and yelled out to appreciate. Shanti's heart went Kaboom. An Animal Rights disclaimer could have as well announced:" No dragons were slain to impress her". Reddy came back, smiling ear to ear, and said,"..lucky shot, wasn't it?". She wanted to kiss him right then while protesting:"I saw that…you didn't even have shoes….". She continued to smile and held his hand as he took her to the pool and then went out of the building.
It was a small place, probably for 30 diners, they had a white table cloth and a yellow one over that to expose triangular white edges at the corners of the tables. All tables had been set with plates, silver-ware, wine glasses and candles. When Reddy came through the door, a short old man came out to greet him. He called Reddy, "el Junior", and hugged him. Reddy introduced Shanti to Pepe. Pepe took her hand and bowed. Reddy explained to Shanti that when he came with Benny for the first time, he got himself named "junior" by the old couple who had bought that place.
There were already about 10 people in the restaurant. The mild aromas of food and quiet chatting made the place seem very friendly. The Andalucían music in the background was at an extremely low volume. When Reddy and Shanti got seated, a waitress brought a small basket of bread and butter. Shanti split open a bread, it was warm inside. She buttered it and asked him,"you are Reddy, Gandhi and now Junior….are there other names people call you ? heeheehhee", she laughed. Reddy said,"some office guys call me by my first name…Munagala…and kill it thoroughly….and my uncle Benny calls me Munni…and also just Boy....I have had a very difficult life in America with my name", he smiled. Shanti thought about what she would call Reddy after they were married. Then she remembered the telugu proverb about jumping ahead to an imagined future <aalu lédhu choolu lédhu koduku peru somalingam..= (roughly, "No wife, no pregnancy, child's name Somalingam")> and giggled. Reddy thought she had been amused at his predicament with the names.
During dinner they talked about her family: father mother and two kids. Her older brother was two years older than her and at home they were looking for a suitable match for him. Shanti said that originally they had wanted to delay his wedding attempts because she had to be married first. Since she had left India, they would go ahead with his wedding. Reddy pointedly ignored that opening and decided to take the conversation in a different path. Reddy told her about his mother, brother and sister in chennai. When told her that the other two siblings of his family were married, he was going to go on to talk about his nephews and niece. However, Shanti blurted out,"so... you'll be next ?". Reddy winked and said,"with any luck…I am sure of it..", and smiling to himself at her loosening tongue, poured her a little more wine into her almost empty glass, as he went on about his niece in Chennai. She blushed for having asked that question. Then Reddy told her about his uncle Benny and aunt Kamla and their daughter in California. Shanti surmised that Reddy must have a lot of regard for those three. The name Sheila rang a vague bell in her brain, but the wine, the events of that day and looking at Reddy's face enthusing on about Benny and Sheila wiped that ring right out.
"They are nice people, aren't they?", Reddy asked Shanti, as they were walking to their car. Shanti had her right hand hooked around his left elbow. She dropped her hand to clasp his fingers, and said,"..they are really like a our own uncle and auntie…who love us …thank you so much...for bringing me here." Then she did something she didn't expect herself to do. She came around to face him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him on his lips. Kareena Kapoor had done that to Aamir Khan at the end of the movie they had just seen. As they stood in the sidewalk, Reddy hugged her for a few minutes, and then asked,"shouldn't we go home now ?". Shanti pondered if she was a little drunk after she had said,"…yes…take me anywhere". Reddy took her home, to her apartment. After he parked the car, he walked her to her apartment door. She held on to his arm and after she opened the door, she asked him," would you please come in and have some coffee before you go home….you drank most of that bottle of wine at the restaurant...". He went in and closed the door.
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