Free Girl Most Likely To by Poonam Sharma Page A

Who?
    Mom: You know. She was that girl from Connecticut you met during that summer when we sent you to The Hindu Vishwa Parishad camp.
    Me: Mmm-hmmm.
    Mom: Yes, yes, her husband is also a doctor. They met while doing their residency at Johns Hopkins. Anyway, she is due in six months!
    Me: That’s great for them. But I’m at work. Can we talk about this later?
    “Luxor is considering acquiring a manufacturing facility in Taiwan,” Peter continued. “This acquisition, if they go through with it, would double the amount of software that Luxor could produce each year.”
    I nodded in agreement, gulping down half of my iced tea, as if it might expedite the call.
    Mom: Yes, and also Freddy and Sylvia’s son, Mark? He just got engaged to a nice girl from Syracuse. She works in some nonprofit company with children or museums or something. Anyway, they met through one of those Internet-dating sites. Jewish-dating. com, I think. That way they can make sure they’re only dating Jewish people, so it saves them time. Imagine!
    “The announcement is expected tomorrow evening,” Peter stated. “Everyone on Wall Street knows they are considering the purchase, but everyone also knows that it might be a smokescreen planted to inflate stock prices, so they can sell the company outright. If they buy the facility, the stock will go through the roof because investors will believe Luxor honestly expects the demand for their products to double this year. And higher sales would mean more profit for investors.”
    Me: (Elbows on the desk, picking at the skin between my eyebrows.) That’s right. Great.
    Mom: Sooooooo, your father and I understand that it didn’t work out with Prakash, but no matter. We have another boy in mind for you. His name is Raj. He’s a doctor, and he lives in Manhattan, and…
    Me: (Trying to sound professional.) I’m not sure this is the right time for that.
    “Exactly,” Peter jumped in. “What Vina means is that the demand for software is always hard to predict. So we have to figure out if the purchase of this facility in Taiwan is a sound financial decision. If it is, then we’ll have to evaluate Luxor’s financials to see if they can actually afford to buy it.”
    Dad: When will be the right time? When you are forty? You cannot be so sentimental. We’ll line up ten eligible boys for you tomorrow.
    Me: (Wondering why I would be interested in anyone who was willing to queue for my affections.) I’m not ready to look at a lineup.
    Mom: Don’t make fun, Vina. We’re just trying to help. If everything fits, you could be married by the end of next year!
    “If everything squares away—” Peter sucked at his teeth with his tongue “—then Alan and Steve’ll bet that Luxor will announce a decision to buy.” Denny crunched his ice, and then turned to look at me.
    Me: I don’t need help. (Then, to Wade…) Not you, we do need your help.
    Dad: Why? Are you married?
    Me: No, I’m not. But thanks for the reminder. I’m really not interested in having this discussion right now.
    “In that case,” Peter concluded, “they will buy Luxor stock, expecting a positive announcement, and a related jump in the stock price the following morning.”
    Dad: If you both agree, then in that case we can have the engagement announced. Of course, we will need a year for the wedding preparations. I mean, if you’re not ready now, then when will you be ready? This American system of ‘dating’ will only land you into trouble. With all of these so-called ‘relationships,’ everybody does the wrong thing because there is always somebody else coming along. Why is number fifteen any different from number twelve? Prakash is an educated, handsome boy, from a good family. All right, he is not Punjabi, which we would have preferred, but what more do you want?
    Me: (Attempting to massage away my mounting neck stress.) Look, Dad. I already told you. Prakash is out of the picture because…
    “These f lowers are from Prakash,