Chapter 1
Twenty two years ago
The rolling hills on either side of the roads stretched on forever like a green sea. Anjali held her hand above her brows and squinted in the brilliant sunlight. She couldn't see anyone up or down the long road.
"I am going to die here," she said to herself as she leaned back against the yellow punch buggy and kicked at the gravel on the side of the road.
In the middle of her drive, the rusty car had given out like an old man on his deathbed. Anjali knew she should have fought harder with the man at the car rental station when he had brought out the beat up junk. But she didn't know enough Italian to express her concerns and worries. How could one ever use a dictionary to say they were terrified of being stranded in a foreign country with no way of getting back home?
"Take a deep breath," Anjali told herself. "It's fine...worse comes to worse, we'll talk to Del Mare."
Walk. Anjali looked over her shoulder at the long road and swallowed. On the side of a highway....with my bags....
"Might as well hold up a sign that says Come! Kill me! Free roadkill!"
Stomping her feet once more, Anjali turned around and kicked the front wheel as hard as she could. Her fists banged against the hood of the car for a few seconds before her eyes watered with stubborn and frustrated tears.
"Why? Why? WHY?" Looking up at the sky, Anjali questioned goodness. "I just wanted this one trip. Why couldn't you let this happen? If I die, Ma will kill me."
The skies remained silent. Anjali waited as if someone would answer. She clutched the gold chain around her neck and began to chew on her bottom lip.
"Anjali, Anjali, Anjali!" She mocked her mother's taunts. "I told you. I told you not to go. But nooo! No one around here listens to me. Now go! Go to Italy! Go all by yourself!"
"Please!" Anjali looked up to the sky once more and pressed her hands together in a prayer. "Please, help me! I promise I'll get up early every morning and do pooja. Please! I don't want to die in Italy."
The slow moving clouds rolled on like cows grazing on lush grass. Anjali swallowed the lump in her throat, a deep frown forming on her lips.
"Plea-"
Suddenly, from a distance, the loud engine of a car filled the silent hills. Anjali whirled around and looked over her shoulder. She could barely make out the speeding red car through the heat rising from the pavement. As it grew closer and closer, she looked up to the sky once more.
"This isn't the kind of help I asked for," she said.
A new wave of fear came over Anjali as she watched the car. Her heart started to beat like the winds of a frightened bird. She could barely think straight as she ran to the other side of the car and crouched down to hide. Hoping whoever was in the car wouldn't notice the smoke coming out of her punch buggy, Anjali gripped her necklace and shut her eyes shut. She quietly chanted prayers in her mind as the car neared before the tired came to a stop right beside the yellow punch buggy.
Oh no, Anjali's heart sank to her stomach. Go away, go away, go away!
"Hello?"
Anjali's deep brown eyes flew open.
"Anyone there?"
English....okay...
Anjali moved closer to the car to listen. Trembling, she placed her hand over her mouth to keep herself from making any sound.
