by Nisha Sharma
“I feel like the bar is set really low.”
“Or maybe I just think that everything you do is fantastic.”
Radha wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked together. She’d help him, she thought. She’d do everything she could to figure out a way to make sure he was happy.
Chapter Fifteen
JAI
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Bollywood Beats status update
Masi,
We’re ready for you on Tuesday. Also, no matter how many times you call my mom, or tell Nana Veeru to try to convince me to apply to college, I’m not changing my mind.
Jai waited for Radha to give the cue.
“I know we’ve done this a few times already,” Radha said from her spot next to the director, “but it’s the first time the director is watching, so energy up, please.” She lifted a hand in the air and counted down.
“Five, six, seven, eight!”
The music began, and Jai swaggered forward to the rough-cut dialogue that started their skit. Shakti met him halfway across the studio floor. They moved together, mirroring each other, and then backed up, before running in slow motion toward each other again.
He heard the director laugh. Yes, he thought. Jai picked Shakti up, and she tossed her head back, arms widespread.
The music changed again, and Radha cued everyone for a second time. The lyrics were about a family pressuring the bride into accepting the groom’s proposal. The team circled them, left, then right, and then everyone except for him and Shakti faced front.
Their feet slapped against the floor, echoing together in rhythm. Backs straight, shoulders dropped, heel-toe, heel-toe.
Then the team circled again, this time with more speed. Shakti spun counterclockwise, while Jai anchored her.
“And…stop!” Radha said. Everyone froze at the exact moment the music changed.
Dancers raced offstage and then four reentered, their hands graceful. Shakti moved to perform the narrative piece, where she acted as if she were serving tea. The dancers portraying fathers stepped to stage left and faced off while the mothers did the same to the right. Jai continued to count sixteen beats in his head as he danced with Shakti in the middle.
He kept getting distracted by her expression. She looked stressed and was already starting to sweat. She could barely keep up, but she was the only other person on the team who’d even had a chance to memorize Radha’s choreography for the lead. Jai didn’t have too many complicated steps as the groom, but Shakti was onstage for most of the performance.
She missed a step, then two, before she said to Radha, “I need to stop for a second.”
“Everyone, keep going! Shakti, switch with me.”
Shakti stepped aside, and Jai’s arms were instantly filled with Radha. She smiled up at him, taking over the bride’s role for the rest of the eight minutes they’d choreographed.
Radha moved with an effortless grace that elevated his performance and every dancer’s performance in the room. She had an energy that fed the beating heart. She glowed as she finished the scene; then, while she crossed the floor with him, she called the next cue.
This was what she was meant to do, Jai thought. She always appeared confident to him, but she was on a whole different level when she danced.
Radha counted down again. “Final push! Shakti, switch with me.”
Jai waited for the music to change, and then he stepped into the organized formation with the entire dance team. There was so much floor work that Jai’s knees ached from sliding across the hardwood and then jumping up again, but he kept going until the piece stopped.
When the music ended, Radha called time, and everyone cheered and clapped.
“We haven’t reached the climax of the song yet,” Shakti said, heaving for air. “I’m never going to make it.”
“We just need more practice,” Jai replied. He watched as Director Muza leaned in to speak in Radha’s ear. She nodded and then shook her head. They spoke with animated hands and in tones he couldn’t quite understand.
“Hey,” Shakti said, quieter this time. She was still out of breath, but her words were more discernible. “I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”
Jai squeezed her shoulder. “You can do this. If Radha and I have faith, you have to believe too.”
Shakti’s brows furrowed. “Are you sure? I mean, Radha makes it seem so easy.”
“That’s because she choreographed it. You’ll kill it. I know you will. Just give it time. We still have a couple months before the showcase.”
Shakti nodded. “I need to nail this for the dance scouts.”
“I know. You will. We good?”
“Yeah,” she said. “We’re good.”
She tapped his shoulder lightly with her fist and waved to Radha before grabbing her things. She, along with some of the other team members, were already saying their goodbyes and leaving for the night.
Jai walked to Masi and Radha, who were still talking in hushed tones.
“…There isn’t enough transition time at around the two-minute mark. Switch the style up if you can.”
“If I show too much variation during that scene, then the reception is going to look dull in comparison.”
“It won’t. If you don’t build up that part of the routine, it’s going to be disjointed.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to the team tomorrow,” Radha said.
“Great. You’re doing fantastic.”
“She’s awesome, isn’t she?” Jai said as he bumped Masi’s shoulder.
“She is, even if the dancer playing the groom has heavy feet.”
“Hey!”
“It’s true, you have heavy feet,” Radha said with a shrug.
Vik and Hari said her name from across the room.
“I’ll be right back, Director. Franken-foot.”
Jai grinned as Radha walked away to correct Vik’s and Hari’s form.
“You know, I thought that since she’d been out of classical dance for most of the year, she’d need a lot more training to get back up to speed,” the director said. “This has been good for her.”
“It was fate,” Jai replied. “We needed a choreographer, and Radha joined the school at the right time. I don’t think the team ever really had this kind of chemistry before. Payal would just tell us what to do without modifying anything to skill level. Her stuff was also much easier than this, so I feel like we were bored by the time the Winter Showcase came up.”
The director sighed, and Jai faced her.
“That sigh, Masi. I know that sigh. Why are you sighing?”
She shook her head. “What you and Radha are trying to accomplish is inspiring. You’re chasing your dreams, and that’s what I want not only from my students but from my adopted nephew. I think Bollywood Beats has a fifty-fifty chance of winning the showcase.”
His jaw fell open. “That’s it? After all we’ve done? Is that sugarcoating for we’re still terrible?”
The director took his hands in hers. “When have you ever known me to sugarcoat?”
“True, but I feel like there is something you’re not telling me.”
She nodded. “You have a chance at winning the showcase, but…I don’t think you’ll win regionals.”
That hurt more than he’d expected. Although he was only focused on making Masi proud, on ending high school with a bang, he’d secretly hoped that winning regionals were a possibility. The window was small, true, but he was beginning to believe it was there. And with regionals came the hope for scholarship money.
Masi squeezed his shoulder. “It’s not the choreography, or even most of the team, that’ll cost you the prize.”
“Wait, what?”
“Jai, I know you’re not in
to sports, but for the sake of discussion, let’s use a sports analogy. Right now? Bollywood Beats is benching their MVP.”
“Our MVP? Oh…Oh.”
Radha did three quick spins in the middle of the floor without even spotting.
“You want her to perform? No way. There is no way that I can convince her to dance.”
“She’s your key, though.”
“No. She can’t perform. She’s finally feeling healthy again. She’s enjoying classes now instead of being nervous that her anxiety is going to find her here too.”
“Maybe performing is a way to address her fear,” the director said softly.
“Why does she have to address her fear at all? I don’t get why people say that. Why can’t Radha do whatever she wants? I don’t want to force her. That’s really shitty, Masi.”
“Radha’s reasons are her own, but she is the key to winning. Shakti is a solid performer. But there is a distinct difference between Shakti’s and Radha’s abilities in this dance form. The whole studio felt alive when Radha was front and center. That’s her power. If you want to guarantee your win, you have to convince that girl to be up on that stage with you. I don’t see any other option.”
There was no way he’d hurt Radha by putting her in that position. More important, she didn’t care about winning. Sure, she wanted to help him with the showcase, but they hadn’t even talked about the cash prize available if they won regionals.
Jai scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t want to say anything. About what you think of the routine. Let me just get through the choreography first, and then—”
“Jai,” Masi said, shaking her head. “As captain of the team, you have a responsibility to Radha and everyone else in the room to be honest with them. If you don’t tell them, then as your advisor, I will.”
“Masi—”
“Their dance careers are affected too.”
“Okay. Can I have some time? I want to tell them my way.”
“Fine, but if you wait too long, I will speak to them myself.” Masi patted his cheek. “You are a sweet boy for thinking of her and trying to protect her.”
“Masi, we’re in public.”
She laughed. “Yes. And now for some more advice. I told Radha she has to go see a Bollywood show at NYU. She’s going to examine how kathak may have transformed Bollywood routines. Many different college Bollywood teams will be performing. I think you should go with her.”
“Bollywood show, huh? I wonder if it’s their annual dance showcase.” It would give Radha the type of exposure that she needed to really understand what the competition would be like. As a choreographer only, of course.
“Showcase or not,” Masi said, “it’ll be good for both of you.”
“I’m back,” Radha said. She stepped between them and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Sorry about that.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” the director said. She smiled at Radha and then squeezed Jai’s shoulder. “I’m happy with what I’ve seen today. Keep up the good work. Let me know if you need anything from me when you start to finalize the number for the showcase.”
“Thank you,” Radha said.
The director exited the studio, her orthopedic shoes clipping against the floor, leaving silence in her wake. The other dancers had already deserted the studio. Radha and Jai were finally alone.
“So,” Radha said. “What did I miss?”
“The director thinks I should go with you to the Bollywood show at NYU.”
Radha’s expression brightened. “You’d come with me?”
“Uh, yeah. As your official boy, though, I would expect you to ask me first.”
“Expect, huh?” She looped her arms around his waist and tilted her head. “In that case, I have a date. And here I thought we should ask the whole team if they want to come.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, why not? It’ll be fun. Right?”
“Yeah. It’ll be good for all of us.”
Jai wanted to tell her about the director’s prediction. The words were on the tip of his tongue. It was just that she looked so happy now. She used to have worry lines around her mouth, which he’d never noticed until he saw the difference between how she acted in class and how she laughed with him.
Jai pressed a kiss to her nose as he replayed Masi’s words in his head. Regionals was his problem, not hers. He’d tell her about the director’s prediction some other time.
“Jai?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re staring.”
“It’s because you’re so pretty,” he said.
She laughed, and her cheeks darkened with a blush.
“Radha?”
“Yeah?”
He leaned in, heard her swift intake of breath, and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. It was as soft as he remembered. Thoughts of regionals, his college applications, everything slipped out of his brain.
“Let’s go for burgers,” he said.
“Now? You want to go out?”
“Why, yes I do. Thank you for asking.”
Radha laughed. “I have a quiz to study for.”
“I’ll help you. As long as you promise that I won’t be late for my shift.”
Her eyes sparkled as she linked fingers with his. “I promise.”
Chapter Sixteen
Radha
Translation of Bimalpreet Chopra’s Recipe Book
Parantha Dough
To make parantha dough, you’ll need:
Wheat flour
Water
A little ghee
Add water to the flour a half cup at a time, consistently kneading between applications. When it starts to come together, add palmfuls of water as needed to continue building pliability, and work the dough until it is soft. Add ghee at the end to ensure an easily workable texture. Do not add salt. Let it rest for three hours under a damp cloth before use.
Dough can also be used for roti.
DAD: Ready for your parantha recipe tonight?
RADHA: What?? I thought you were busy?
DAD: I hired another chef for the dinner shift. I’m ready to go when you are!
RADHA: I can’t. I’m going to NYC with some friends. Tomorrow?
DAD: Do these friends include that boy?
RADHA: He’s one of them, and DON’T TELL MOM. I haven’t told her yet.
DAD: Chutki. I was married to her for almost twenty years. I have no intention of telling her anything that could get me killed.
RADHA: Well, that’s comforting.
DAD: Want to make paranthas tomorrow? For breakfast. Exactly when paranthas are supposed to be eaten. Get some potatoes. We’ll make stuffing for it, too.
RADHA: Can I use the same potato mix I make for tikkis for aloo paranthas?
DAD: Oh. Yeah. You can. I didn’t even realize that.
Radha put her phone back in her cross-body bag. “I’m making paranthas with my father tomorrow,” she said to Shakti.
“Wow, that sounds awesome. You talk to him at least once or twice a week now, right?”
“Yup.”
“Do you think it’s because he’s trying to make up time? You know, for all the years you guys didn’t spend in the kitchen. I know you said that when you were performing you weren’t that close.”
“I don’t know. I can tell you that now, things feel different. They feel right. I even told him about Jai, and I’ve never felt close enough to tell him things like that before. My mom has no clue yet, and I always used to tell her stuff first.”
Shakti pulled her legs up onto the torn leather seat and tucked her chin over her knees. “Do you think she’d be mad?”
“Mad?”
“Yeah,” Shakti said.
“These days you never know with Indian moms. It’s like they’re on a dating spectrum. Some moms are totally cool with dating—they even slip a twenty and a packet of gum in your purse before you go out on a date. Then you have the other moms, who may have grown up in the States, who are still horrified that boys exist before marital age. Those moms are still flabbergasted that bi people like me exist. I can’t imagine what a mom with a disciplined dance career like yours would be like.”
“Ah. Honestly? I have no idea how she’s going to react. My best guess is that Sujata would have a meltdown, but not because I was seeing a boy or anything. She’d probably be mad at how it’s interfering with my dance, or with classes.”
Radha turned in her seat. Jai sat a few rows behind her in the train car. He was surrounded by his friends, laughing at something Hari had said. He must have felt her staring and looked up.
There was that easy smile that spread into a grin.
And if she wasn’t in love with him already, she was halfway there, Radha thought.
Jai winked at her before returning to his conversation.
Shakti tugged Radha’s hand until she leaned forward. “Have you hooked up yet?”
“Oh my God. Shakti!”
“Don’t play the prude with me. Remember, I’m the one who taught you on Monday how to use red lipstick to hide hickeys on dark brown skin. As your wing woman, I want to know if you’ve run the bases. Done the deed. Gone all the way, as my mother said in her sex talk.”
“You promised you’d never bring up the hickey thing again.” Like she needed to be reminded of that mortifying experience. Thankfully, she had friends now who could help. Nosy friends, but they were still amazing. “Jai and I are dating.”
“Yes, this has been established over the last few weeks.”
“And that’s it. Dating him is better than I ever, I don’t know, pictured it could be.”
“You didn’t do it yet,” Shakti said, shaking her head.
Radha laughed and put her feet up on the empty bench seat next to Shakti. “Can I ask you a question?”
