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“My jewels, Mr. Alexander.”<br />
“Um-hmm. Your sparking jewels. Sunitha and Sunil.”<br />
“Yesss…”<br />
“Sun! And Sun!”<br />
Shanti dropped her eyes and chuckled. “Yes, Mr. Alexander. They are my two brilliant suns. They<br />
only have me to take care of them. Just me!”<br />
“Two suns! Right Shanti? Suns…Squared?”<br />
Shanti’s face broke into a broad grin. “Yes, Mr. Alexander. They are my Suns...Squared!”<br />
Denmark laughed softly.<br />
“Are you okay, Mr. Alexander?”<br />
Denmark nodded. “I’m good, I’m good…I think.” He stared at the photo again, then at Shanti. She<br />
finally met Denmark’s eyes. Neither of them could stifle a huge grin. “You know I thought it was<br />
Sunny Duville who sent those e-mails. I never dreamed it was you.”<br />
Shanti’s eyes widened. “Sunny? Hah! De gyul just wuk here two, maybe t’ree months. She don’<br />
even have e-mail.”<br />
“So, it was you?” Denmark needed to hear her say it.<br />
“Yes, Mr. Alexander. It was me. I sent those emails.”<br />
“Why?”<br />
“Why not?”<br />
Denmark searched for an answer.<br />
“Because…you know…I didn’t expect that you or Raj or Rizwan or Manoj would, umm, you<br />
know, umm—”<br />
“Why would a coolie help you, a Negro man?” Is that what you’re trying to say Mr. Alexander?”<br />
Denmark winced. He thought back to the pained look on Shanti’s face the previous Friday.<br />
“I didn’t know you were there. Last Friday. I didn’t see you standing in the door. I thought<br />
everyone had left.”<br />
“Would that have made it right?”<br />
Denmark shook his head. “No. It wouldn’t have. I…apologize. I don’t usually talk that way. I was<br />
angry. I was—”<br />
“Stop, Mr. Alexander,” said Shanti, waving him off. “Sound carries around here but I understood.<br />
We didn’t exactly put out the welcome wagon for you. We Trinis are a bit complicated. We have our<br />
issues, our little spats. But you automatically thought that I must be on the side of Raj and Manoj and<br />
Rizwan and the others who look like me, simply because we are—”<br />
“Hindi!” blurted Denmark. “Yes, that’s what I thought.”<br />
“Hindi?” Shanti’s eyes grew wide. “Oh Lord-a-mercy!” She quickly crossed herself. “Mr.<br />
Alexander. You do realize that being East Indian does not automatically make one a Hindu.”<br />
Denmark’s silence indicated that he didn’t know that. Shanti shook her head. “Mr. Alexander, Rizwan<br />
may be Indian but he is Muslim! Raj and Manoj indeed are Hindi. And I, Mr. Alexander, I am<br />
Ca’tolic. Haven’t you noticed?”<br />
“What?” Denmark looked stunned. He scanned the area behind the secretary’s desk. In plain view
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