only a short period in her life when it had not been on her bed. When Vikramâs mother had her heart attack, Emma-Jean had hidden the quilt in Vikramâs Pittsburgh Steelers duffel bag, hopeful that it would comfort him on the plane as he crossed two oceans to be by his motherâs side.
Emma-Jean had been concerned that the quilt might not survive the trip; its edges were torn and fraying, badly in need of repair. But Vikram brought the quilt back to her not simply intact but transformed. The tattered patches had been removed. In their place were hundreds of tiny squares of sari silk, sewn carefully together by Vikramâs mother as she regained her strength in the cardiac unit of Mumbaiâs Bhagwati Hospital.
Emma-Jean ran her fingers across the quiltâs bright border as she considered this deeply disturbing turn of events. How could Vikram leave them? How could he plot his departure without telling Emma-Jean or her mother?
The dazzling colors of the silk seemed to light a pathway in Emma-Jeanâs mind, and before long she had an answer:
Love.
As her mother had said, true love was one of lifeâs most powerful forces. In fairy tales, love could rouse a princess from death, or turn a frog into a prince. Love inspired poets to write and painters to paint and knights to perform their most heroic deeds.
But it was also true that loveâs power was unpredictable. Emma-Jean had heard the term âmadly in love.â Now she understood its meaning. Vikram was so deeply in love with her mother that he had temporarily lost his senses. He could not be trusted to make rational decisions.
Emma-Jean stood up, gripped by a sense of urgency. Luckily, her crush on Will Keeler had not significantly diminished her powers of logical thinking. She sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and devised a plan of action.
She recalled the name of the person Vikram was speaking to: Dr. Markt. It took just a moment to locate him on the Stanford University website: Dr. David H. Markt, chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology. Emma-Jean read his impressive biography, which highlighted his laboratory work on smallpox and other pathogens. She studied his picture, focusing on his warm brown eyes. He seemed to regard her with curiosity and perhaps even a hint of understanding.
It took some time for Emma-Jean to compose a letter that achieved the appropriate tone. By the time she had finished, the sun had risen in the sky, and the smell of coffee and curried eggs filled their house.
âEmma-Jean?â her mother said, peering into the room. She was wearing Emma-Jeanâs fatherâs faded terry-cloth robe and gripping a large mug of coffee. âYouâre looking very focused for so early in the morning.â
Emma-Jean quickly closed out her computer screen; there was no need for her mother to discover Vikramâs misguided plan.
âIâm just finishing a project,â she said.
âIt must be important,â her mother said, taking a sip of coffee.
âIt is urgent,â Emma-Jean replied.
âEverything under control?â her mother said.
âI have done all I can.â
âYou always do,â her mother said, smiling as she headed toward her bedroom.
Emma-Jean waited until she heard the rush of her motherâs shower, and then reopened the file and printed out her letter.
Dr. David H. Markt
Stanford University
Chairman, Department of
Immunology and Microbiology
Fairchild Building
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford, California 94305
Â
Dear Dr. Markt,
Â
I understand that you have hired Vikram Adwani to join your faculty in the department of immunology and microbiology at Stanford University. It is understandable that you would wish for Vikram to join your department because he is a man of outstanding character and keen intelligence. And if you admire his work with DNA, you will be most impressed with what he can do with some curry and
Emma-Jean had been concerned that the quilt might not survive the trip; its edges were torn and fraying, badly in need of repair. But Vikram brought the quilt back to her not simply intact but transformed. The tattered patches had been removed. In their place were hundreds of tiny squares of sari silk, sewn carefully together by Vikramâs mother as she regained her strength in the cardiac unit of Mumbaiâs Bhagwati Hospital.
Emma-Jean ran her fingers across the quiltâs bright border as she considered this deeply disturbing turn of events. How could Vikram leave them? How could he plot his departure without telling Emma-Jean or her mother?
The dazzling colors of the silk seemed to light a pathway in Emma-Jeanâs mind, and before long she had an answer:
Love.
As her mother had said, true love was one of lifeâs most powerful forces. In fairy tales, love could rouse a princess from death, or turn a frog into a prince. Love inspired poets to write and painters to paint and knights to perform their most heroic deeds.
But it was also true that loveâs power was unpredictable. Emma-Jean had heard the term âmadly in love.â Now she understood its meaning. Vikram was so deeply in love with her mother that he had temporarily lost his senses. He could not be trusted to make rational decisions.
Emma-Jean stood up, gripped by a sense of urgency. Luckily, her crush on Will Keeler had not significantly diminished her powers of logical thinking. She sat down at her desk, turned on her computer, and devised a plan of action.
She recalled the name of the person Vikram was speaking to: Dr. Markt. It took just a moment to locate him on the Stanford University website: Dr. David H. Markt, chairman of the department of microbiology and immunology. Emma-Jean read his impressive biography, which highlighted his laboratory work on smallpox and other pathogens. She studied his picture, focusing on his warm brown eyes. He seemed to regard her with curiosity and perhaps even a hint of understanding.
It took some time for Emma-Jean to compose a letter that achieved the appropriate tone. By the time she had finished, the sun had risen in the sky, and the smell of coffee and curried eggs filled their house.
âEmma-Jean?â her mother said, peering into the room. She was wearing Emma-Jeanâs fatherâs faded terry-cloth robe and gripping a large mug of coffee. âYouâre looking very focused for so early in the morning.â
Emma-Jean quickly closed out her computer screen; there was no need for her mother to discover Vikramâs misguided plan.
âIâm just finishing a project,â she said.
âIt must be important,â her mother said, taking a sip of coffee.
âIt is urgent,â Emma-Jean replied.
âEverything under control?â her mother said.
âI have done all I can.â
âYou always do,â her mother said, smiling as she headed toward her bedroom.
Emma-Jean waited until she heard the rush of her motherâs shower, and then reopened the file and printed out her letter.
Dr. David H. Markt
Stanford University
Chairman, Department of
Immunology and Microbiology
Fairchild Building
300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford, California 94305
Â
Dear Dr. Markt,
Â
I understand that you have hired Vikram Adwani to join your faculty in the department of immunology and microbiology at Stanford University. It is understandable that you would wish for Vikram to join your department because he is a man of outstanding character and keen intelligence. And if you admire his work with DNA, you will be most impressed with what he can do with some curry and
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