I am pretty sure she knew exactly what was in that box. She wanted me to see those things and she wanted me to feel bad. No matter how hard I try to ignore her, she always tries to get under my skin. She’s mentioned divorces and failing marriages and my bad skin at least twenty times since she’s arrived.

‘Haan bhai, you modern women have all the answers. There’s no point trying to have a conversation with you—it always ends in an argument,’ Dragon says.

The sheer audacity of her! I wonder what she’s going to come up with next.

‘I have to go to Sarojini Nagar again. I forgot some gift items—that market is always so crowded and so hot,’ Dragon says.

I don’t respond and bite into my cake. Dragon has eaten three slices, so much for dalda!

‘I also have to attend that jagran tonight. No matter how modern the times, it’s a good thing to remember Mata Rani. Since Sid’s not home, why don’t you come with me to the market and later for the jagran?’ Dragon asks.

What she means to say is that I should accompany her, carry her shopping bags and then spend the rest of the day listening to more of her barbs. No thank you, I’d prefer watching an Ekta Kapoor serial to spending an entire evening with Dragon.

‘I have a story to finish Momji, it is—’

‘Oh I’m so sorry, child. I keep forgetting you are a busy working girl. It would be so nice though if you could accompany me. I’m sure Sid wouldn’t want me going alone. But never mind …’ she sighs theatrically.

I hate it when she plays the Sid-would-like-it card. It basically means she will bring this issue up the next time she speaks to Sid. She’ll make it sound like I didn’t look after her and it would result in Sid and me having a fight.

I don’t have a choice. But if I am going to Sarojini Nagar, perhaps I’ll do some shopping as well—maybe stop over at the Greater Kailash market on the way back? I think about the contents of the box, the letters and the lingerie—maybe Sid will like me in sexy lingerie?

‘I can always do the story later, Momji. I’ll be happy to accompany you,’ I tell Dragon.

‘Good girl—I’ll go freshen up and we can leave immediately after,’ she says.

I am glad I came down for the jagran. I couldn’t have been able to work or sleep at home anyway—the racket is simply too much.

The sign of a successful Indian event—that has more than five people—is that you can hear it from five colonies away. The jagran is a much bigger success because I’m sure you can hear it from ten colonies away.