Anu gasped when she recognized the woman before her. What were the odds! Anu stared blankly and asked, ‘How come you are here?’

The woman gave a short laugh. ‘I want to ask you the same! I heard you are a new resident at Verdant. I am Meena by the way.’

Now the whole conversation from before unravelled before Anu. There really was a small-time god who was playing pranks with her and having a good chuckle at her expense.

‘I heard we are meeting two old residents from Verdant. So, you live here and send your child to Dew Drops?’ Now Anu was truly intrigued.

Meena laughed derisively. ‘That is my friend’s son. My son goes to school here.’

The man who stood next to Meena urged her forward. ‘You can chitchat later. Now take a seat.’ He seemed to be in a terrible hurry to begin drinking.

With everyone’s attention converging on her, Meena bent down and whispered to Anu. ‘I have much to ask you! Later, okay?’

The cool breeze, live DJ, perfect lighting, swaying palm trees—all the pretty things Anu was enjoying thus far lost their allure that second. This woman Meena was trouble.

Anu glanced around to see Sanju nurse his first pint of beer and the other men down Vodka in gallons. Soon Meena and her yes-woman started chugging swanky cocktails one after another. Ginny drank in moderation and so did Anu.

Meena asked Anu where they had put Vicky to school. Anu, hoping for a half-decent conversation, made the mistake of being honest.

‘Yet to find a school for him. Went to Indigo International today morning. Six lakhs for kindergarten! Can you imagine? We paid sixty thousand in Dew Drops.’ Anu rolled her eyes.

‘Oh,’ the two wives exchanged glances with each other. Meena spoke relaxing her bulk into her chair. ‘Don’t even compare the two schools. Indigo is high-quality education.’

Anu was baffled. The nerve of this woman to insult Sumitra aunty’s school. ‘Dew Drops gives a world-class education too. The principal has modelled it after Shantiniketan.’

‘Then why did you move here? You said the school was so fantastic that you sent your son there.’ Meena the Meanie looked at Anu challengingly. The men were in their own world to be a party to this, Ginny squirmed at this attack, Meena’s yes-woman assumed a pose similar to her boss—head tilted, brows raised, lips quirked up.

Anu decided to stay away from that line of conversation. ‘I had my reasons to move. Not because I wanted a better school.’ With that, she picked up her drink and gulped it down.