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Chapter twenty-one

Prophecies & Paninis

Josh

“There’s going to be a wedding,” Mother announces, her lips set in a grim line.

This can’t be happening.

One minute I’m giving my graduation speech, declaring myself the captain of my own destiny. The next minute, Nani is prophesying my future to the Wilsons, the Golden Gladiators, everyone . I thought I was supposed to find my own path—to follow my heart, wherever it leads. So, why is this happening to me?

No, nothing happens to me —the future is mine to choose. I am what my deepest desire is, prophesy or not.

Siddharth bends down, listening as Grandmother whispers in his ear. He glances at Karma’s sister with wide eyes, then quickly looks away. “Mata Darshanaji has invited Saraswati to Rusarani village. She says that ‘the goddess’ must learn our customs before she performs the wedding ceremony.”

“Me?” Sara’s eyes light up. “She wants me to go to India?”

“Now, Sara, don’t be impulsive,” Karma’s mother warns.

“Remember Peru,” his father adds.

I stuff down a burst of curiosity. I’ll have to ask Karma about Sara’s misadventures another time—right now, we’ve got to get this party back on track. I make a desperate gesture to JR for help.

“Um…,” my best friend fumbles, “... to weddings?”

“To weddings!” The party-goers raise their glasses.

Thank god. Now if I can only find another distraction.

“ Hola, chicos. Felicitaciones en sus graduaciónes, “ Evangeline Delarosa calls from the deck. All eyes are on the curvy brunette as she crosses the lawn, her boho mini dress and high-heeled sandals showing off her long legs.

Mission accomplished.

“Who is this woman, Junoon?” Mother asks. “Perhaps you could marry her.”

Crap.

“Hi, Evie! Long time no see.” Dubya stumbles as he hurries over to her.

“ ?Ay guapo! “ she exclaims. “Look how much you’ve grown. How old are you now, hermoso ?”

“Almost legal.” The seventeen-year-old grins. “Next time I see you, we can go on a proper date.”

“I’ll hold you to that, amigo .“ She squeezes his lean bicep.

Tyrell bumps the teen out of his way. “Hey, Evie. ‘Sup?” He gives her a casual chin nod while one of the twins hangs from his neck.

“Mo-Mo! How’s my girl?” Evies ignores the football player completely. The rest of the Golden Gladiators fight for her attention while the Wilsons shower her with hugs.

Now’s my chance. I need to have a private conversation with Karma.

I slip away from my family to stand by his side. “Can I talk to you for a minute? Why don’t we get something to eat while I explain what’s going on.”

“Food?” Em’s head jerks around, her ears perked.

Hank’s wary face turns hopeful. “You got anything vegan?”

Freedom pats his grumbling stomach. “I could use a little nibble myself.”

So much for privacy. Well, now is as good a time as any to get to know the Wilsons… especially if the prophecy turns out to be true.

I lead Karma and his family inside to the dining room where Simon has outdone himself once again. Long tables line the room’s perimeter, overflowing with dish after delectable dish. There’s enough here to feed an entire army of Gladiators—everyone knows how much the football players pack away at Roscoe’s.

As the Wilsons dig into the sumptuous fare, Karma nods his head toward the gathering outside. “What was that all about, Moonbeam?”

“Yeah, Josh,” Sara chimes in. “What’s all this talk about me being a goddess?”

“Have you tasted the falafel tacos with sriracha-tahini sauce?” Em groans, licking her fingers.

“Dude, you gotta try the sweet potato-plantain pizza!” Dubya mumbles with his mouth full.

“Oh. About that…” I say, wondering how to answer Sara’s question. “It was just a figure of speech. In Hindu mythology, Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and creativity.”

Dr. Ananda Wilson pats her daughter’s arm. “You were always an inquisitive child.”

“But why would your granny invite Sara to India?” Hank asks as he picks a barbecue jackfruit panini from a tray. “What kind of dream did she have?”

“Chipotle black bean sliders with mango guacamole,” Dr. Freedom Wilson reads the sign next to a platter. “Em, you gotta swap recipes with this Simon fellow.”

“I’m on it, Freedom.” The blonde salutes her father before heading outdoors to find Sigh-Moan.

The prophecy. “Oh. Um… sometimes Nani has dreams about the future. Some people might call them visions.“ If the Wilsons are truly going to be part of our family, they should know these things up front.

“Fascinating!” Dr. Ananda’s eyes brighten. “Of course, modern science would say there’s no such thing as prophetic visions, but many ancient cultures relied on seers to guide them.”

Dr. Freedom nods. “Philosophers throughout the ages have pondered the nature of dreams and reality. Plato himself asked, ‘How can you prove whether at this moment we are sleeping and all our thoughts are a dream, or whether we are awake and talking to one another in the waking state?’ .”

“You’re right—this pizza is delicious,“ Hank moans around a mouthful.

“Dude, try the lentil meatballs in coconut curry sauce.” Dubya scoops some onto his brother’s plate.

I give Karma a sideways glance. Is his family always like this? My family usually has one conversation at a time, completing a thought from beginning to end. This discussion is less of a straight line than an aimlessly wandering road.

Dr. Ananda continues her thoughts, oblivious to the feast around her. “Some scientists believe prophetic dreams are a form of quantum entanglement. When Abraham Lincoln dreamed of his own murder mere days before his assassination, was his present-self seeing into the future, or was his future-self informing his past?”

Wait… quantum entanglement? That’s a road I could happily wander down.

Karma joins in. “Y’know, Einstein said, ‘The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion’ .”

“Yum! Vegan mac ’n cheese!” Harmony scoops some onto her plate.

“Can you imagine studying under a guru from a different culture?” Sara stares into the distance, her voice wistful. “To gain knowledge passed down through countless generations… to see the world from a whole new perspective…”

A soft cough sounds from the dining room door. When I glance over, my brother is standing there.

Siddharth bows to Sara. “Pardon me. May I speak with your parents for a moment? We must discuss the wedding.”

“Whose wedding?” Karma and Sara ask at the same time.

Um… about that. It’s not like I haven’t been trying to talk to Karma about the prophecy. When have I had a chance? Between his parents’ thoughts on philosophy and quantum theory and his siblings’ comments about the food, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Besides, Karma and I have just started dating. How am I supposed to bring up…?

“The wedding, “ Father scoffs as he stalks into the room, a frown creasing his forehead. “You Wilsons must think we’re superstitious fools—speaking about weddings and prophecies. We’re scientists . We don’t believe in visions.”

“Except, Paapa , we mustn’t forget,“ Pradnya says as she leads our grandmother inside, “ Nani is never wrong.”

It’s true. Grandmother’s dreams have been a constant source of truth for my entire life. I’ve always counted on her wisdom and guidance. Could she be wrong this time? Do I want her to be?

“Prophecies are subject to interpretation.” Mother casts a sharp glance at Karma. “It’s obvious that Junoon will continue on his current path—to become a successful aerospace engineer and to find a nice Indian wife.”

Karma tugs on my hand. “But what about astrophysics and cosmology, Moonbeam? What about us?” He searches my eyes.

“ Us? “ Mother’s lips thin. “The two of you cannot be an ‘us’. Same-sex marriage is illegal in India.”

“But same-sex relations are no longer criminalized,“ Siddharth points out in his usual soft-spoken tone. The anthropologist turns to face the Wilsons, explaining, “Our country’s attitude toward homosexuality changed drastically during British colonization, but it wasn’t always this way. Our culture’s ancient sacred texts celebrate the homosexual and transsexual dimensions of human life. Look at the many examples of homosexual and gender-fluid gods within Hinduism.”

“Yes, yes,” Father argues, “but this is the world that we currently live in—as much as we would like to change certain aspects of it.”

I cling to Karma’s hand as I look back and forth between my parents. “Haven’t you always taught us that we must strive to improve life on Earth? As Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘we must be the change we wish to see in the world’ .”

“Here, here!” Dr. Freedom raises a panini in agreement.

Dr. Ananda nods. “We’ve tried to teach our children the same thing.”

Maybe our families aren’t so different after all. Maybe there’s a way this can actually work. Why can’t I have everything my heart desires? Karma… a career with NASA researching space… my dreams of living a life beyond the boundaries of India, of someday traveling the world… If only—

“No, it simply cannot be.” Mother shakes her head firmly back and forth. “The prophecy couldn’t possibly mean this .”

“What exactly did Mata Darshanaji say?” Sara asks.

Siddharth steps forward, repeating Nani ‘s prophecy in Hindi before translating the words into English.

“The goddess will guide them through seven steps

Around the sacred fires of Diwali.

East and West will unite.

Our families will join—

A circle, unbroken, without end.”

Karma turns to me with a puzzled look. “I guess that could refer to a wedding. But whose?”

I gaze into his eyes as I whisper, “I think it might be ours.”