If Meena was biologically linked to one of these women, she would prefer Uma. If Tanvi knew who Meena was and had kept it from her, it would cut the deepest. “I’ve never been a doodler or able to paint and draw, but I like to play with light and color.”
“You’re awfully curious this morning,” Sabina remarked.
“Simply making conversation. Isn’t that how friendship works?”
“Hmm.” Sabina tapped her own chin. “You want to know what I wanted to be when I was a little girl?”
“Sure.”
“Simple.” Sabina stretched her arms wide. “This. I wanted to take care of this building, to preserve our history, to continue the legacy by caring for my family.”
“And having children to pass it all on.” Meena bit into a sweet, buttery cookie. “What happens when your children inherit your apartments?”
“My eldest doesn’t want to come back to Boston for a while,” Uma said. “She’s happy in Boulder and plans to stay there.”
“My son turned twenty-five last year.” Tanvi rested her chin in her hand. “He wants to stay in New York City, doesn’t want to live here just yet, and that’s fine with me. Our parents went back to India when we inherited, but none of us plan to do that.”
“This feels more like an inquisition than a conversation,” Uma stated.
“Are you doing a story about us?” Tanvi asked. “The women of the Engineer’s House. I would read that.”
“I don’t want any part in it,” Uma grunted.
Meena glanced at Sabina, who raised her eyebrows.
“As you’ve said, this building is a community. I’m trying to get to know you better.” Meena hoped they would be appeased so she could keep digging.
Tanvi reached over and gave Meena a side hug. “We’re happy to be your friends.”
This clearly wasn’t working in terms of finding out who had the secret. Meena changed course. “What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Are you going to dress up like cherubs and shoot arrows at people walking by?”
Tanvi laughed. “That would be fantastic.”
“We’d get arrested,” Sabina said.
“This is a holiday we celebrate separately,” Tanvi explained. “Date night with our husbands. Pi and I are going to Ostra for seafood and champagne and then a little nightcap. I ordered his present from La Perla, which is really a present for both of us.”
“Vin and I are feasting on chocolate fondue.” Uma winked. “We won’t even make it to the bedroom.”
“I’m glad for soundproofing since you live above me,” Meena said.
“Jiten and I will have a couple’s massage at home,” Sabina added. “A catered dinner, and then we’ll dance to our favorite classical pieces, and we will definitely make it to the bedroom.”
“This building becomes a love den. You better have plans,” Tanvi recommended.
“I do.” Meena finished off her tea. “With Sam.”
Their reactions were all different. Tanvi clapped her hands in excitement. Uma smirked. Sabina’s face was neutral.
“He finally asked you out,” Tanvi said. “I’m so proud of him.”
“I asked him.”
“Good for you.”
“You really are settling in,” Sabina observed.
Meena decided to drop a crumb, reveal a part of herself, share a bit of her truth. “I am. It feels seamless. You’ve all made me feel like I’m part of a giant family. I haven’t had that. Not even when my parents were alive. It was just the three of us. We were close, but there were some gaps, differences in the way we looked, the way others looked at us as a family. I was adopted, and while my parents never made me feel like I wasn’t theirs, there was something missing. Not love, more like grounding. I don’t know if I’m making sense.”