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“I’m hungry, mom.” The young boy kissed his mother and grabbed two cookies from the plate in one dirty fist.
“Wash your hands first, young man,” Scarlett ordered.
Cramming the cookies into his mouth, Troy mumbled on his way down the hallway, “Hello, Mrs. Balakrishnan.”
“Hello, Troy.” Leela laughed and began to clear the cups from the table. “It’s time to go,” she said. “My children will be home and Daisy can’t control my willful son.”
“I hope you’re right about Michael,” commented Scarlett. “I hope he has a better life ahead of him after death.”
“I didn’t say that exactly,” Leela said and hugged her friend goodbye. “But if it makes you feel better about it, then I hope so, too.
“You must remember that I’m Hindu first, though my husband was a Catholic and I promised to raise our f
