It was a Saturday morning when, like previous Saturdays, Randhir had the day off while Sanyukta had to work. He woke up at the usual time in the morning and set the table for breakfast while she showered and changed. He even reheated the vegetable upma she had made the previous night and sliced nectarines and honeydew melon. He showered quickly and both sat down to eat, enjoying their masala chai at the end of the meal.

"Randhir, you can sleep in some more, you don't need to drop me, it is your day off! Stay home and unwind!" She tried to talk him out of his plan of taking the train ride with her. "Unwind from what? It hardly feels like I have done actual work during the week. It is no fun to be home alone, let me walk around a bit, grab a bite somewhere and pick you up on your way back from work in the evening." His mind was made up already.

"I told you to join the gym, but you won't listen to me!" She said, slipping on her shoes. "I'll do that after you leave New York, there will be time enough for that! Come on now, you don't want to be late!" They left home and walked toward the subway station. "I am so glad the restaurant is shut on Sundays, back in Mumbai these are never shut on the weekend, in fact they are busier than usual." She was not complaining at all, for her it meant getting to spend Sundays with Randhir.

"The weekend is an American institution. Only the less privileged work on the weekend while wealthy Manhattanites, who normally patronise fancy restaurants such as the one you work for, head out of town, typically to the beaches or to Long Island. Less fortunate folk may hang out in Central Park, run errands, go to a museum to see a show and eat out. Many relax at a nearby Starbucks and read the newspaper, go to a bookstore, see friends or go shopping at Macy's."

"Families take kids for outings or meet friends. Singles try to hook up with potential partners in a club or at a dance. And lovers like us romp around in bed till it is absolutely necessary for us to get out and explore the city!" He winked at her and she smiled. "The subway will be packed in a couple of hours, good thing you have to start work early!" He informed her. He was helping her learn survival skills for the busy city.

They got off at her stop and walked till her workplace. "Yo, Sanyo!" They heard Omar calling out to her. Randhir and Omar greeted each other before Randhir said goodbye to them. "We need to shop for groceries on the way back!" Sanyukta called out to Randhir. "I know, I'll see you at the usual place!" He replied before walking away. "Domestic bliss, ha! Soon you will be making babies!" Omar smirked. "As if! Babies are years away!" Sanyukta laughed as they entered through the service entrance.

"Sanyo, I know I'm being a nosy parker here, but in India they don't encourage live-ins, do they? Your folks don't mind that you are shacking up with a man here?" He was genuinely curious. "It's simple, Omi, they don't know about it! Back home our generation has to negotiate through both regressive and modern norms all the time. Some of us find it necessary to lead double lives to avoid conflict with our families, because the line between caring, sacrificing parents and imposing parents is often blurred!" She admitted, unruffled.

"So when do you finally stop worrying about what your parents think?" He asked. "Basically never, that's why we keep stuff from them! So long as one does not commit a crime one has to co-exist with the guilt of not telling, all the while trying to find one's worth!" The conversation ended there as they got back to work. Sanyukta wished she could explain to Omar how life in South Asia was different from that in the West, while most parents expect their children to prosper many do not see the need to grant them freedom of choice. Either the parents or their children have to back down and are left feeling disappointed.

Randhir got on a train again and just as he exited the subway his phone rang. It was Harsh calling and he chatted with him for some time as he walked around the garden in Riverside Park. Harsh asked Randhir about how Sanyukta was coping with her work. "She has endless energy, Dad! She insists on cooking daily unless I drag her out for some takeaway." Randhir laughed to recall how she froze batches of cooked food, tagging them with a "use by" date.  

He often complained that Sanyukta was devoting more time to the kitchen than to him. "But if we eat those unhealthy meals outside we'll put on weight!" She countered him with her standard defence. Father and son enjoyed bantering about their respective wives, with Harsh giving him advice over several issues. "Ask her to prepare breakfast food the previous night, that way you can laze in bed longer! And buy her little gifts even if she insists otherwise!" Randhir had hardly imagined he would discuss these things with Harsh.

He paused near the garden fence for a minute after having walked for a couple of hours; only to realise that a beagle on a loose leash was sniffing around his ankles and before he knew what was happening the dog began humping away at his leg. "Snoopy, no! Leave the guy alone!" A Caucasian woman close to his age came charging toward him, trying to get her dog off Randhir, who was more amused than embarrassed as the woman tried to apologise to him for the dog's behaviour.

"It all right, no harm done. Looks like your dog could do with a girlfriend!" He smiled at the owner. "I am sorry, but he does this when he is excited or is feeling anxious! My roommate finds it amusing when he does that." She smiled widely. "Hey, I see you walking here sometimes. I think we live on the same street. Name's Andrea Ryan, but I prefer being called Andy." Her smile reached her cornflower blue eyes as she ran her fingers through her short cropped hair. 

"Hi Andy, nice to know you! I am Randhir Shekhawat. Actually I know where you live, I've seen you walk your dog many times!" He offered her a hand and she shook it assertively. "I am heading back home, you can join me if you want!" She said cheerfully. There was nothing in her manner that put him on guard or made him uncomfortable, and he consented readily. The dog walked alongside, occasionally sniffing at Randhir, probably trying to create a smell memory. "He's quite friendly, but that hardly makes him a proper guard dog!" Andy remarked.

They stopped by at a deli to pick up bagel sandwiches and salad. "You like lox too?" She noticed that they had picked up similar fillings. As they stepped outside the deli she untied Snoopy whom she had left tethered outside. "I am going to eat here, how about you?" Andy asked. "Why don't I eat here too!" He said, sitting down next to her. They ate slowly, chatting between mouthfuls of their bagels. "Wall Street? Do you like the work?" She asked him. "It's a good start!" He replied.

She told him where she worked , and that she aspired to study corporate law at Columbia University. "I am hoping to go to their business school in another three years!" Randhir shared. They finished eating and set off for their respective homes. By the time he left her near her apartment building they had exchanged phone numbers. "See you around Andy and Snoppy!" Randhir said goodbye began and walking to his apartment which was nearby. He decided to relax at home before going to meet Sanyukta after work. He was happy he had made a new friend, especially someone who was unlikely to be a threat to the bond with his wife.