After reading "Orbiting," by Bharati Mukherje, I was left with a few general thoughts aside from the parts of the story that jumped out at me. First, I am confused as to how the story got its title. Second, it is interesting in that it introduces an idea different from other stories that we have read: interracial relationships. Third, Rindy has portrayed herself as having an unconventional relationship with her parents--she wants her parents to know that she has slept with Ro. Lastly, I was glad that we were given the opportunity to read a story that involved Thanksgiving dinner because we are so close to having Thanksgiving break!
The first section in the text that sparked a strong thought in my head was on page 62, "He bought me a Cinzano and touched my breast in the dark. He was direct, and at the time weirdly courtly. I took him home though usually I don't, at first." Not just this quote stood out to me, but the entire subject that Rindy is talking about did as well. By speaking of boyfriend to boyfriend and then speaking of how she brought Ro home with her on the first date, I sort of ignored the part where she said she usually doesn't do that. She gave me the impression that she, as a character, must be boy crazy or get around a lot because of how many boyfriends she has had and slept with. She also seems a bit hung up on her ex, Vic, because she talks about him a lot.
Secondly, on page 65, Rindy is describing Ro, "He wants men to come on to me. Lately when we go to a bar he makes me sit far enough from him so some poor lonely guy thinks I'm looking for action." I found this strategy very bizarre because most boys and men I know are very jealous and protective when it comes to other guys coming on to their significant other. Although I thought it was a weird outlook of Ro's, his technique that watching other men attract to his woman showed him that she really is as attractive as he finds her, actually did make sense to me. However, I do not think I could ever put this to use--I am much too jealous of a person.
Lastly, the very end of the story changed my entire outlook on Ro and Rindy's relationship. I tend to be judgemental of love in stories and I found myself thinking that their relationship was quite odd and different. But when she describes him on page 74, "I realized all in a rush how much I love this man with his blemished, tortured body. I will give him citizenship if he asks. Vic was beautiful, but Vic was self-sufficient. Ro's my chance to heal the world." I truly appreciated her description of how much she loves him and why because I believe that when you truly love someone you see past their flaws without even recognizing it, and a mutually loving relationship consists of being able to grow with each other, learning from each other. This is where she has gotten a different side of love with Ro versus the love that she had with Vic.
Vocabulary I was unfamiliar with:
Poignant: evoking a sense of sadness or regret
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