‘Wish Sanju felt so. He hasn’t said a word to me till now.’ Anu felt terrible. Sanju had never gone silent before. Even when she had broken up with him, he would send a message now and then.

‘He will come around.’ Pete finished his coffee. ‘By the way, my wife and daughter will be in Mysore day after tomorrow. I am joining them with the boys. So, I want to take the two of you out for lunch tomorrow.’

Anu rolled her eyes. ‘You are a brave man taking me out to eat after my recent history with dinners.’

Pooja sipped her coke and winked. ‘Let us order a large plate of loaded nachos.’

Pete smiled. ‘Give Anu a break, Pooja.’ He got up to leave. ‘We will take a cab. So Anu can have some Sangria.’

Anu banged her head on the table. ‘What have I gotten myself into!’

That evening when Sanju continued to be silent and cold, Anu stood before him blocking his TV. ‘Sanju, don’t act like I masterminded my insult.’

‘Your insult?’ Sanju moved to the side and continued to watch TV. Anu moved with him, blocking the TV again.

‘Of course, my insult. I was the nacho-head if you remember.’ Anu glared at Sanju.

Sanju tossed the remote on the sofa and got up. ‘Anu, why are you so bent on making this miserable for me? I know it is always your way or no way but I thought just this once you might give in.’

‘If you don’t see how much I am trying, then you must be newly blind.’ Anu looked away before he saw her eyes welling up.

‘Then, maybe, you should stop trying.’

They rarely fought before and now all they did was bicker.

Anu paid off Rathnamma the next morning but waited before paying the school fees. She was yet to get the TC from Indigo. In the meanwhile, her heart thudded each time the phone beeped, fearing it could be the message from the bank that her cheque had bounced. Each time the phone rang she jumped in horror thinking it was her father who had called to ask about the money.

But all those disasters spared her that day, leaving her free to enjoy Pete’s lunch. He had chosen a good restaurant in the upscale UB City mall. When they burped happily after a spicy, cheesy Mexican meal downed with a few shots of Tequila, Pete handed Anu a package. ‘Here is a small present for you.’

‘Oh, but why?’ Anu was genuinely surprised. When she opened it, it turned out to be a Kindle. ‘Oh, Pete. No … I can’t take this. This is too expensive.’

‘I insist. You can now read all the romances without first wrapping them in a newspaper.’ Pete gave her a thumbs up and handed Pooja a package. It was a sweatshirt.