As Anu had expected, the receptionist asked what exactly Anu was looking for. Feeling pleased with her ingenuity, Anu gave the name of the kit Sumitra aunty had bought and the name of the seller. ‘I heard this is the only place where it is sold.’

She made the same call to ten other schools before she got super tired. She could call the others later. For good measure, she also called the seller posing as a school owner and asked for that same kit.

Then she got dressed all determined to start tennis. She had picked up her sports shorts from her parents’ house that she had worn just once to run a marathon. That was a few years back before she had Vicky. To cut a long story short, Anu had to abandon the marathon after just a kilometre because she thought she was having a heart attack. Sanju had to stop too and rush her to the hospital where they said she was not having a heart attack but was just not used to running.

When Anu wore those shorts and a matching dry-fit T-shirt that morning, she suddenly felt ultra-sporty. Then she made the mistake of looking at herself in a full-length mirror. The horror of horrors! She looked like that chubby dancer who gyrated far behind Madhuri Dixit in the eighties. Anu knew she wasn’t fat (no way!) but probably not yet toned enough to look good in those shorts.

She settled for something a lot less ordinary—track pants and a loose-fitting T-shirt. Picking up Sanju’s racquet, she peeked into the mirror again. Now she looked quite nice to herself. She had read somewhere that one had to be a great player or a girl in a ponytail to be accepted into a sports club. She prepped up her high ponytail once more before stepping out.

Rathnamma flashed a dispassionate look at her new avatar but said nothing. Anu missed Radha who would have gushed and said how pretty she looked. That didn’t matter. She was going to start a new life. A life full of tennis, swimming, and fancy eating to compensate for the calorie loss. Anu strode confidently towards the tennis court.

She went to the gate that she knew opened into the tennis court. She had done that research the previous evening because she didn’t want to look foolish walking all around the property searching for the court. She flashed a bright smile to the Jackie Chan-lookalike guard and walked towards the gate. She had seen people do the same the previous evening.

But Jackie Chan, who never stopped anyone thus far, stopped her! ‘Madam, have you signed up for this session?’

Anu was stumped. What was this signing up thing? ‘Hmm … no. I can do that now.’

The guard flashed her a wicked smile. ‘No, madam. You have to book the court in advance.’