The noise returns. But it is a good noise. The TV blares with a cricket match. The pressure cooker whistles as rice cooks for dinner. Aarav is using the living room sofa as a trampoline. Savita yells, "You will break your head!" Rohan yells, "Let him be, Ma, he’s just a kid." Priya mouths to Kavya, "Finish your math before Dad sees your test score." The family dog, a stray named Golu they adopted during the pandemic, sleeps through it all under the dining table.
This is Savita’s time. She turns on the television to a saas-bahu (mother-in-law/daughter-in-law) soap opera, not for the drama, but for the company. She calls her sister in Delhi. "Did you hear? The Mehtas’ daughter is marrying a boy she met on a dating app." There is a long pause. "As long as he is vegetarian," she concludes.
This is the golden hour. In the kitchen, three generations converge. Savita is rolling out phulkas (Indian flatbreads) on a wooden board. Priya is chopping cucumbers and carrots for the kids’ snack boxes. Rohan is packing his gym bag, searching for matching socks.
