Oh please! I am not shaming her. I am only getting back at her. Anu wanted to scream at the men who now looked at her like she was a complete villain.

Meena was not the one to give up easily. ‘I would much rather afford a good meal than be thin!’ Now everyone laughed good-naturedly, nobody but Anu noticing the insult packed in her statement. She glanced at Sanju and he was sporting his look of disapproval. What did I do wrong?

Anu thought the miserable night ended when Dave asked for the bill. But far from it. When the bill arrived, Sanju picked up the fancy leather case where the bill was placed. ‘Tonight is on us. To our new beginnings at Verdant Green.’

Dave objected. ‘No Sanjay. Let us split the bill. It is too huge for one to bear.’

Sanju did not budge and quickly placed his credit card inside the fancy case. Anu was shell shocked even to say goodbye to Ginny, the only decent person at the table. Meanie and co. strode out without as much as glancing at Anu.

‘Sanju! You just spent eighteen thousand on strangers! Are you out of your mind?’ Anu was livid when she looked at the bill in the car. ‘You object when I turn on the AC in the afternoon for an hour and you splurged so mindlessly?’

‘Can you get angry with me after what you did? Just because you are not fat, you can’t shame someone.’

Anu did not know whether to laugh or to cry. ‘Sanju, have you ever seen me shame anyone? Is that how much you know me?’

‘I thought I knew you but tonight you proved me wrong. My mistake to think you would cooperate. You are vengeful because we moved against your will.’

Anu’s heart sank at Sanju’s accusation. She did not want to cry. She did not even want to explain to him why she did what she did. Ten years of togetherness and he did not even give her the benefit of the doubt.

That night as Anu stayed awake late into the night in the guest bedroom, she felt depressed and lonely like never before. They were not a couple who bickered. They had mild arguments but they had never gone silent on each other. As she tossed and turned, her mind rewound to how they had met, dated and married.

13

13

Sanju was the new kid on the block while Anu, Sameer and four others were born and raised in adjacent houses and knew each other all their lives. Sanju moved into their neighbourhood when Anu was twelve and in the sixth standard and Sameer in the seventh. Sanju was in the eighth—fair, lanky and bespectacled.