Urban Renewal

The window from the café looked down on various storefronts and congestion in the street. Jane sat down with a humph at the most corner table and stared off into the distance. Her eyes quickly fell upon a sparkle of light out the window. Her senses ceased for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the array of colored sequins on the numerous shalwar-qameez worn by lifeless manikins below. Except for the place where Jane sat holding her head, most of the nearby shops were dilapidated and worn. Even the one selling expensive Indian clothing and jewelry was wrought with irons bars and faded signage. Urban renewal was coming though and could be seen by the interior of the decked out yuppie décor of the café where she was sitting. 1

A plate of matar paneer was set in front of her along with rice and naan. 2

“Enjoy,” the waiter said.3

Jane adjusted her business suit, one of the best she had. She didn’t like to eat out alone and looked around at the other patrons. There was a well-built Indian guy at the table next to her who looked to be on his lunch break. She wished he would cast a glance her way, but seemed to be wrapped up in his pakoda. He seemed like the type of guy she liked to chat with online, but he was more interested in the broadcast of Namaste America blaring above her. She couldn’t think of an adequate way to approach him without embarrassing herself and quickly gave up hope of knowing him. She didn’t think she looked out of place there, but maybe she was. At least she blended in as well as the random scantily- clad Caucasian dancer that was appearing on the Bollywood videos in front of her, she thought. 4

The day was a flop. She had driven far out to one of the suburbs to take an interview, only to be told she did not have the experience they were looking for. She did get to take a nice trip down memory lane though; the drive had reminded her of Satish, his brief visit to meet her, and the place where she had ultimately left him in the middle of nowhere to avoid his uncle seeing him being dropped off by a girl. 5

In the short time they were together, Jane showed him everything the city had to offer. From the luxurious lakefront condos to the guts of the inner-city, the good, the bad, and the ugly could sometimes be seen within blocks of each other. His favorite seemed to be the lesser- known Garfield Park Conservatory where gold-plated domes rose above the most volatile of communities, encasing plant life from every region. They had gotten a little too close as dusk fell and they found themselves alone swallowed by serenity as they were transported to another place, another life maybe.6

But today was a new day and there was nothing much going on. Johan was at work in another town, and Satish outside the country. Her only other friend wasn’t answering his phone and was most assuredly slaving away in his cubicle in Manhattan. Plus, she had no job. Jane stared dreamily out the window as she ate, slowly dipping her bread into the oily substance. Every so often, people would pass by with overflowed shopping bags from the various specialty stores, looking like inhabitants from another continent.7

‘Dal, $2.99 per lb.’, a sign read.8

Shrimp….. mangoes….. garlic….. It was all for sale here and advertised on florescent yellow cardboard nearly covering all the open window space on the store. In any other community, the site would be an eyesore, interrupting the peaceful tranquility of the restaurant. But on Devon Avenue, this all fit in quite fluidly.9