Red, White, and Whole

Reha’s favorite story from the comics is the story of a virtuous princess named Savitri. In Savitri, Part 1, the princess is allowed to choose a husband because her parents believe they are unworthy of choosing for her. She chooses a man called Satyavan, a “prince without a kingdom” (87) who lives with his blind father. She makes her choice despite being warned that Satyavan is “fated to die in just a year’s time” (87).

Although Reha loves all her subjects at school, science is her favorite. She especially loves learning about cells. Reha wishes she could “fast-forward to medical school” (90) so that she could think about biology all the time. Amma teaches Reha about the cells in blood, and Reha tells Amma that she could have been a doctor. Amma wanted to be an English teacher when she first came to America, but it required expensive continuing education. Instead, she got certified to draw blood. Much of what Reha wishes she could tell her mother remains unsaid.

Reha writes a letter to her mother, filled with all the things she wishes she could say. She wishes that her parents would tell her that she does not have to live in two worlds, and that they will love her “no matter what [her] choices are” (93). She seals the letter in an envelope and hides it in her desk.

Reha and Pete are given an assignment on the topic of heroes. Pete asks Reha if she wants to work on the project at his house after school. Reha asks her parents for permission. Amma agrees to let Reha go, because it is a project for school and Pete’s mother will be there. At Pete’s house, Reha thinks about how different her Indian house is from Pete’s American one. When Pete’s mother pronounces Reha’s name correctly, Reha finds that her “awkwardness has melted away” (95).

Reha and Pete continue to work on their project together. Reha learns that Pete is incredibly smart; he feels the same way about her. He “doesn’t believe things just because [their] teacher tells [them]” (97) and he asks lots of questions. Together, they discuss what it means to be a hero. They conclude that a hero is “brave, but not without fear. / […] Says what they believe is right. / […] Works to make the world better,” and “Acts out of love for others” (97-98). Reha thinks about Savitri, who has all of these characteristics.

In Savitri, Part 2, Savitri is happy with her husband, Satyavan, until the day he is fated to die. When Yama, the Lord of Death, comes to take Satyavan’s soul, Savitri pleads with him and asks him not to “take [her] husband away” (99). Lord Yama tells her that she can ask for anything except the soul of her husband. Savitri asks Lord Yama to restore her father-in-law’s eyesight as well as his kingdom. Lord Yama agrees.

Rachel asks Reha what it was like working with Pete, guessing that Reha has a crush. She asks if Reha’s parents will let her go to the dance. Reha says that her dad says yes, but her mom says no. Rachel guesses that Amma is “just trying to protect [Reha]” (101).

Reha’s parents are hosting the Deepavali celebrations this year. Amma “has spent all week cooking” (102), and other Indian families will bring more food. They decorate their house with twinkling lights and lanterns. Amma dresses in a beautiful silver sari, while “Daddy wears a cream kurta that glimmers” (102). Together, Reha, her parents, and all their Indian friends feast, and then they go outside and light sparklers.

“Always something there to remind me” is the refrain of a song that Reha listens to many times. Whenever she hears it, she “feel[s] like something wonderful is going to happen” (105). The song plays on the radio as Amma drives Reha to school, and both of them sing along. Amma says that her own opinion on the upcoming dance does not matter because Reha and her father have “both made up [their] minds” (106). Reha insists that it matters to her what her mother thinks and reflects privately that sometimes, a mother’s love “feels like it is too much” (106).

Amma offers to make Reha a dress to wear to the school dance but never brings her to the fabric store. Amma starts showing signs of serious fatigue. She gets nosebleeds and feels cold all the time. Reha asks if she is okay, but Amma insists that she just has a cold. As the day of the dance draws nearer, Reha asks if she can just buy a dress, and Amma says yes. Reha is relieved and happy that she will “look like everyone else” (108) at the dance. She does not dwell on “how strange it is / that Amma hasn’t sewn anything / in weeks” (108).

At the mall, Reha and Sunny go clothes shopping. Reha buys a drop waist dress for the dance. When the two friends go to the food court to buy fries, the server loudly asks Reha if she speaks English. Reha is too stunned to answer, and Sunny defends her. They decide to go eat somewhere else. Reha is disappointed that she did not speak up for herself.

The day of the school dance has finally arrived. Amma is still not feeling well, but she and Reha’s father watch as Reha comes down the stairs wearing her new dress. She is also wearing earrings and “a bit of makeup—/ eyeliner and lip gloss” (111). Her father takes pictures, and Reha notices that Amma barely looks at her. Reha knows that her mother does not want her to go to the dance, but she does not understand why Amma looks so sad.

Reha and Rachel are at the dance. They dance to all their favorite pop songs. Pete is also there. Every time a slow song plays, Reha drags Rachel to the bathroom because she thinks that Pete might ask her to dance, which is both exciting and terrifying.

The night nears its end, and Pete finally asks Reha to dance. They dance to the song “Faithfully”—a slow song. Another slow song plays and the two keep dancing. When the song ends, Reha and Pete go outside to get some air.

Pete and Reha sit outside while the dance continues inside. They discuss school and hold hands. Reha feels her “skin tingle all the way up [her] arm” (118).

At the end of the dance, Rachel finds Reha and Pete outside. Pete leaves, and the two friends wait for their parents to pick them up, but Reha’s parents never come to get her. Instead, Sunny and her mother, Rupa Auntie, arrive. Reha finds out that Amma is in the hospital. Rupa Auntie says that she will take Reha back to her house to wait to hear from her father, but Reha insists on going to the hospital.

Reha arrives at the hospital with Rupa Auntie and Sunny. She finds her mother and father “tucked away in a corner” (121) and asks what’s wrong with Amma. She remembers “how tired Amma has been” (122). Amma asks her how the dance was.

A doctor tells Reha and her parents that they need to keep Amma in the hospital for a while to do some more tests. Amma says she already knows what is wrong with her and explains to the doctor that she works in the hematology lab. She already guessed her diagnosis but did not tell anyone. Amma has a type of blood cancer called leukemia.