“It’s tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“Are you coming?”
“No.”
“Why?!”
“Maya, let’s not pretend either of us likes our family.”
“No, but it will be fun to see them make fools of themselves when day-drunk.”
“Since when did you become ok mingling in that area?”
“I don’t know… I just…” Maya’s fun face fell. “I got over them, Maasi. Ever since G and MM, it’s like they don’t matter to me anymore. I don’t run from them anymore. If I run into them, I just smile and move on. And… Dimple called me.”
“So?”
“We were close to her. Come on.”
“Youwere close to her. She was a baby for me.”
“Who followed you everywhere.”
“You all did.”
“You were the cool older sister.”
“Maasi for you.”
“Yes, but, she asked me to talk to you. Ask if you would also come. She didn’t know if you would pick up her call.”
“Maya, emotional blackmail doesn’t work with me. You go if you want. Leave MM with me. Or do you plan to take her too?”
“No way! My girl does not see that circus. Rustom and his family will be babysitting her. You, me and G will go.”
“Maya…”
“Listen,yourfamily, my mother’s family, is not as toxic as my father’s family, Maasi. Or have you forgotten? This is Jimmy fuva and Nalini foi. They have always been cool. Remember how we loved to hang out with them? They are apparently still as fun.”
Ritu scoffed.
“Come on. Ok, let’s do this. It’s at Thackers. We will go, congratulate Dimple, meet a few of the decent members of our circus and leave. Dimple will be happy you came. We won’t even eat there. We will go to Pizza By The Bay for Bombay Masala pizza and iced tea. And then K. Rustom’s. Butterscotch ice cream sandwich. Then chocolate. What say?”
Ritu hated it. She hated Maya’s puppy dog eyes. She hated it when she cocked her head to the side and batted her eyelashes like Bambi. Like daughter like mother.
“Say yes, Maasi, so that I can open the next topic about how to dress like models and outshine every freaking crazy woman of the circus there. Except, Dimple, of course. We are not that mean.”
Ritu had pushed open one door of her life’s ruins this month. Maybe it was time to rattle and break down the other one too.
“Fine.”
————————————————————
The Thackers club was brilliant under the December sun. Ritu tightened her stomach as she walked inside the doors and down the canopied alley leading towards the seaside ground. Familiar faces mingled around, eyes riveting to her — shocked, then smiling genially, looking like they had questions to ask, but then shutting up.
She nodded graciously through it all, hoping her game face from Cath Lab and the gorgeous ghaghra Maya had bullied her into would keep the facade long enough for her to get this over with. She passed a full-length selfie mirror and caught a faint glimpse of herself in the reflection. Maya’s bullying had worked. The aqua ghaghra made of the wispiest organza, painted in rich pink flowers and sewn on with pretty golden sequins flared around her. The blouse was a modest half sleeve, hiding her flabby arms as well as making them look… full. In the right way. The sliver of skin that showed in-between the blouse and the ghaghra was her waist, nipping so well that it gave the illusion of the perfect body.
