“I read the ‘Song of Solomon’ with tears running down my cheeks. I read that book from front to back several times. Each time, I felt like I und...rstood the message in it a little better.“I wanted to understand it. I wanted to find someone who knew what it all meant and could explain some of the parts to me. I knew that was impossible. Talking about religion with another person was a crime, and it was virtually impossible to bribe one’s way out of it.“Months passed and I kept returning to that. Pahle bolta to kuch baat banti.Beta: kya ma, apne bete ke liye itna sa bhi nai ker sakti.Ma : kya jid pakad liya hai, chal try karti hu, kuch jalebi bachi hogi to mil jayegi.Ma : per ye bata jalebi plate mei khayega ya direct.Beta: ma daily to plate mai khelati ho aaj direct khaunga. Vo bhe garam ek dum garam.Ma: to aa ja beta , tujhko sofa per khelati hu , tu bhe kya yyad rakhega, ki kya testy jalebi haiBeta: chal ma, utar apni kachhi, jra mai bhi dekhu, jis kacchi ko mai hamesa soonghta hu vo. I have a phone full of pictures of Mimi. She objects every time I snap one. I keep ‘em all. I bluetoothed my iPhone to my computer and started scrolling through them.“She’s pretty,” Belinda said.I grinned, first because Belinda had the same assessment of my Mimi that I held, and second, “Told you she’d have to be as spectacular as you.”“There you go again,” she smiled. That was about as flirty as the two of us ever got. “You need to bring her over one Saturday.”“We’ll do that,” I said.I. “In any case. My daughter is 18 years old. Had she been born a week or two earlier she would most likely be off at college and her choices would be completely out of my hands at this point.” He gave me an appraising look, “I also know my daughter is a sexual creature…” his eyes narrowed, “Are you sleeping with my daughter…?”My eyes hardened. This was not his business, father or not… “Sir.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. Hey, look on the bright side, at least you won’t be sticking around.