Hita - Anita Claire Page 0,1
my life than virtual hand holding and summertime sex.
As I head into the kitchen to make some coffee, I run into my roommate, Juliette. Our friendship was cemented our freshman year when seven of us went to the Halloween parties as princesses. I was Pocahontas—get it? I’m Indian. Juliette was Snow White since she has dark hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. Juliette spent her junior year in Spain, so I’m finishing grad school a year ahead of her.
“What’s with your mom this morning?” she asks.
I give her a sideways look and roll my eyes. “What else is with my mom?” Imitating Mom’s sing-song accent, I say, “Hita you need to find a husband. You’re twenty-three years old. Men don’t want to marry old women.”
“Really, at twenty-three your mom thinks your time’s almost expired?”
“Believe it or not she’s now trolling—who knows where—for the right kind of single Indian guys in Silicon Valley.”
“Well there are plenty here to choose from, though I can’t see you with some off the boat, traditional Indian guy.”
“Yeah, I’m cool with going out with Indians, and being Hindu. I can’t see myself with a Christian. But I’m making my own choices, and when the time is right, I’m definitely marrying another American.”
“I can’t believe we’re even talking about marriage. It seems like something that’s so far away.”
“I think it’s because we’re still in school.”
Juliette knits her brow. “I don’t know any guys who are even thinking about marriage. Most of the guys I know are too commitment phobic to want a full-time girlfriend.”
“All the guys I know think saying ‘hi’ to a girl after a hook-up is bordering commitment.”
“I guess having a boyfriend makes me an outlier.”
“Yeah, what’s with you and Stephan?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you see a future?”
She stares blankly, finally she blinks. “I never really thought about it. I’m too busy trying to make it through school.” She starts eating Cheerios out of the box, then adds, “Stephan is fun to be around, he’s got this quirky dry sense of humor that really cracks me up. Even more than that, I like having a boyfriend; I like being in a relationship.” Then, in a conspiratorial way, she leans over and says, “and the sex….” Giving me a second to let my mind wander, she leans back and eats another Cheerio before continuing. “It sure beats some nasty hookup. But more than that? I don’t know.”
“Don’t even talk to me about the sex,” I groan out as I reach in the box and pull out a handful. “I wish I had a fun boyfriend, someone who lives close by and likes doing the same things as me.”
“And the sex?” Juliette says with a bit of a smirk.
“Yeah, and the sex.” I close my eyes and fantasize for a moment. “Yeah…and sex,” I groan out.
“You need it bad, my friend,” she says.
“You have no idea,” I respond. “But I have no interest in nasty hookups. What I’d like is to come home to something other than homework.”
“Hey, what about me?” she says with a big sassy smile.
“Yeah, you’re a great roommate and I love you, but, girlfriend, I don’t swing that way. Anyway, I don’t think Stephan would want me messing with his game,” I say with a wink.
“Oh don’t fool yourself, girlfriend, every guy fantasizes about two women.”
“Yeah, that’s never going to happen.”
“That wasn’t an offer,” she says to clarify. “I told Stephan that if he wanted that kind of shit, he’s dating the wrong girl.”
“He asked you for a ménage à trois?” I say in shock.
“Not exactly, but we were watching Game of Thrones and his eyes lit up when they showed girl-on-girl. He actually replayed the scene three times.”
“And what did you do?”
“I told him if he wanted the kinky stuff, he should date Kelly.” Juliette starts laughing as she spits out, “You should have seen his face. He was horrified. Kelly scares the shit out of him. He actually asked me if she’s a guy in drag.”
“Why, she looks like a woman.”
“Yeah, I think he was talking about how she acts. Anyway, why don’t you date the guys your mom is busy dredging up? I’m sure one of them has to be cool.”
“Any guy who lets his mom find a date for him has to be either too traditional or totally pathetic. Indians don’t have a dating culture. Indian moms spend a lot of time interviewing families to find prospective partners from their caste for their kids. The guy’s family invites the