It was the first time they truly had to themselves, to talk. Between hurried rides to and fro and phones and people pulling at them, with duties to fulfill, it had been too easy to forget to make time to have time.
Rahel tore herself away from the syllabus she had covered in checks and crosses with reasonable difficulty. This was lunch, not another hour for her to spend poring over things she wanted to change. The University was giving her considerably leeway, but she still had to finish the semester playing by rules she hadn't agreed to. Yet work was a helpful distraction. In its absence, she would've had to worry about her cousin's situation or her own and she didn't want to go there. Not yet, at least.
Teja parked close to the building, the added weight placing strain on her ankles, on top of an increasingly changing gait as her body naturally adjusted to the thing growing inside of her. She stubbornly continued to wear heels instead of the flats her physician recommended. Instead, she choose to walk less.
The head waiter directed her to the table where her cousin sat. Teja kept a hand on her stomach for no other measure than to discourage other hands from touching her instead.
"I hope I did not keep you waiting long, Sam has slowed my progress." she explained as she lowered herself into the chair across from Rahel.
Rahel looked up with a tight smile. She didn't feel the need to pretend as much around family. "Sam? Oh." Of course, the baby. Wrinkling her nose, she folded the coursework into a plastic file and gestured the waiter to their table. The quicker they ordered, the quicker they could talk about worthwhile things.
"We'll both have salads. Hold the anchovies." She looked to Teja for confirmation. "That alright?"
"Chicken with mine. And bread, please." Teja amended, handing the menu to the waiter to return her attention to Rahel. "I know, it is soon to name a child so soon, but mother put a rush on it. Her words, 'to help think of it less as a parasite and more like a visitor'. I choseSampuran from the hukam, do you think that is too presumptuous for a name?"
"You could've gone for worse," Rahel replied with a shrug and brushed hair behind her ear. "How did Jasper take the news? Doesn't he expect you name it something American and easy to pronounce?" They were both the product of a long family history. Compromise was not in their nature. Rahel had learned that lesson the hard way.
"The shortened form sounds Americanized enough, yeah? And convenient, we do not have to stress about deciding for a boy name or a girl name." she folded her arms over her stomach. "Jasper took it well, it would not surprise me if he has reservations. A name is an important decision."
"He doesn't seem to have reservations about much," Rahel muttered slyly, reaching to take a sip of her water. She had no complaints;Teja's husband had been kind and helpful. Almost too helpful. Like he was drugged into submission. "Are you happy? With him. I didn't get the chance to ask before and now that I've me him... I'm curious."
"I am pleased that the marriage has gone well. All complaints have been minor, mostly in part for my hours at the office. But, you have seen for yourself, Jasper is a good man. A woman could not ask for a more ideal husband."Teja answered, unfolding the napkin in front of her and lining up the uncovered silverware into proper order. "He adjusted better than the projections given prior to the match."
Rahel set the glass back down. "He's perfect." She mulled the rest over once, twice, in her mind, and smiled more openly. "Subject number five?"
Teja nodded, there was little point in concealing the truth from her cousin. "We are both under observation, though their primary interest is in the subject who had to relocate to marry. They are attempting variable circumstances in other couples. I wish I could say with certainty that your match is not one of them, but the timing is suspect."
Rahel's face didn't fall in the slightest. Buoyed by the news she received, the change in topic registered only dimly. "I doubt it. From what I hear my husband is a seventeen year old kid." He couldn't possibly interest anyone.
"The fact remains that your name was included in the registry before you had a chance to completely settle in the city proper. By all rights you should still be on the registry of your last confirmed residence, not your place of employment."Teja pointed out. Rahel was more likely right in her assessment that the government would have little use on data of a teenager, but it was something to consider nonetheless.
"I hope you're not saying I'm under question..." She didn't fear the government, but she was nervous about being under scrutiny. It was a human response. "Regardless, I wanted to ask you what you think I should do. If I should go through with the registration or not."
"We are not left with easy options, annulments are difficult to come by, even with the right connections." she answered without pause, reaching for her ice water. "Do you think you will be able to coexist with someone you are old enough to be parent of?"
Rahel sighed. "When you put it like that, dear, what do you think?" She picked at her nails dully, making a mental note to get a manicure sometime this week. "I was married once. I'm not interested in a repeat performance. Least of all with a child." A sly grin. "You of all people should know the feeling."
"Why should I?" Teja queried genuinely, tilting her head to the side as she appraised Rahel's mannerisms. "I have only been married once, unless you're inferring that Jasper is childlike."
She was doing the things she used to do as a child. The things that used to scare Rahel. Not anymore. Now she could reply easily, without fear. "All men are children, dearest. That's all."
"Not all of them, dear cousin of mine." Teja grinned. "But most."
The waiter arrived to drop the bread, refilled their glasses and departed again. Rahel ignored him. "So I'm to get married again and you're to have a baby.Meena would be so proud."
"For you, maybe. I'm sure Meena has her concerns about my current family situation but is hesitant to call me directly." Teja picked at the bread and took a bite of it plain before mixing the ground herbs left with the bread with olive oil. "My mother has been calling the office more than normal."
Rahel didn't rise to the bait, regretting that she'd brought Meena up to begin with. She was a sore spot and Teja, she felt, knew it somehow. "They want us both home for Vaisakhi, you know." She broke off a piece of bread and paused, briefly. "Are you planning on bringing Jasper?" She didn't think to ask ifTeja herself would attend.
"I will have to, won't I?" Teja dipped a corner of bread into the oil as she mulled it over in her head. "It would be improper to introduce Sam without the father present. I would be on some type of maternity leave so I do not see any reason why I could not attend this year...perhaps seeing me with family will be a good thing for him."
"For Jasper?" Rahel queried with dim interest. "Perhaps. I'll come with you, of course, but I don't think I'll be bringing my intended. Neither he nor my parents are ready for more." And after her previous marriage, she was going to play this carefully. Learn from her mistakes. "Don't you think Jasper would feel out of place?"
"I hope he does." Teja admitted, resting her chin in her hands. "I want him to see me through my family's eyes, to see if he will still love me then or if it would require effort or be impossible. I am trying more to be myself around him, but it is a concern from my superiors how content he is to be married. They are finding fault that my marriage is going too well."
Rahel balked. "That it's going too well? You'd think they'd want that..." She chewed on bread, mulling over the issue. "You could always introduce adultery to the mix. That's bound to shake things up a little." It was an idle suggestion and part of her couldn't fathom that she'd uttered it so coolly. Only withTeja.
"I already thought of that, but short of being caught in the act, Jasper is wholly trusting of me. In my current state a physical affair would be unbelievable."Teja replied without a beat, taking Rahel's idle comments with all seriousness. "It would have to be on his end and he keeps to himself in the house. I do not believe I could convince you or Mary to seduce him in my absence. There needs to be some disparity, a complication I can show to my superiors that I can show us working through. Or not. They believe I have manipulated the situation to my own advantage to the point the data is irreverent to other models."
Rahel swallowed in a dry throat. She hadn't expected the comment to be taken seriously. Amusement replaced shock a moment later. "I'd be happy to help but no, seducing Jasper is not the way I'd do it." For one, she didn't think she could do it without appearing wholly ridiculous. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, dearest, but your superiors sound like very difficult people."
"That is why I work for them" Teja smiled. "I will think of something, if any history proves anything, being true to myself will be enough."
"I have no idea what that means, but it sounds suitably cryptic." She raised her glass, though it was only filled with water. "Cheers."
"Cheers." Teja repeated, mirroring Rahel's action. "I do miss wine a little."
Rahel smiled, taking a sip before setting her glass back down. "I don't blame you. Jasper has quite the vintage selection."
She took a sip of water and returned it to the table. "He does, I cannot wait to try the additions. He will be getting a settlement soon, he will most likely fill the wine cellar before the year is out."
"Really? So you'll be rich and happy and parents." Rahel couldn't hold back amusement as she said it. "Somehow, you don't quite fit the motherly mold."
"I'm sure I possess some innate maternal instinct." Teja shrugged. "Sam will be cared for, that is sufficient."
The part of Rahel that she never quite got under control bid her reach out a hand and cover her cousin's hand with her own. "Dearest, it wasn't meant as a criticism. On the contrary. I'm full of admiration."
"Oh." she blinked, then squeezed Rahel's hand. "Thank you for the correction. I do not think I have to fit the mold to be a good mother. Sam will love me as the rest of you have, I'm certain of it."
Rahel smiled, briefly, and released her hand. It wasn't proper. "Of course. Sam will love you... and if nothing else, he'll have a seventeen year old playmate in the shape of my husband," she added and laughed.
Teja laughed along with. "Would it be too offensive to arrange playdates between them?"
"Potentially. Did you know I talked to his mother? It was very awkward." Rahel shook her head. "I understand she's hoping I'll push for annulment."
"It's an understandable track to take in these circumstances. If I were in your situation I would do the same. But like a bill dispute, the company will not let you off from paying what you owe while you wait for the paperwork to get through."
"Oh, I'm not interested in ending up in the Adjustment Center because of some child... However fun playing doctor with you might sound. I'll bend, until I figure out how best to handle this."
Teja grinned. "The doctor's office is always open for you, Rahel dear. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."
"I'll keep that in mind," Rahel nodded, letting the offer settle before she considered it. The waiter arrived with their food and conversation faltered for a while.