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Back Meet Me In the Middle
Chapters (45)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. Acknowledgements
  44. About the Book
  45. About the Author

What started the next morning, Vicky’s second day of school, was soon a pattern. He would start crying that he didn’t want to go from the time she parked her car. Then Anu would coax him for ten minutes, then bribe him with something new and different every day. A meal at McDonald’s, a pizza treat, a bike ride on the road, the best one that worked every single time was that he could pet the gnarly puppy that curled up next to the car at the school. Most parents flashed Anu a look that spelt part pity and mostly disgust at the sight of Vicky all over the puppy. Oh, come on! This is an adorable puppy, you snooty people! Anu wanted to shout at them but thankfully, hadn’t reached that state of insanity yet.

After somehow shoving a half-sobbing Vicky into school, Anu sat at her usual chair at Coffee Day and sipped Cappuccino with a book. The staff knew her well by then, the woman who entered the shop in a state of semi-daze but left looking normal after an hour.

That day, ten minutes into her coffee, Anu’s phone rang. Sameer! ‘Hey, sorry didn’t return your call yesterday.’ Anu felt happy to hear from him at a time when she didn’t have to rush anywhere or do anything.

‘What is new with that! Listen, can you meet me for dinner tomorrow?’

‘That is perfect! I am coming to Vijaynagar today evening. Meeting Shwetha today. Sanju is travelling, so I am spending the weekend there.’

‘See you tomorrow.’

The phone rang again. That was Kavitha who was put on bed rest. ‘Anu, I am dying of boredom, ya. Bed rest will kill me.’

Anu smiled. ‘You will have a healthy baby if you stick to the bed now. I will see you this weekend. Hang in there, soldier.’

Images

The moment Anu entered Vijaynagar that evening, she started to feel better. The familiar shops, street vendors who sold anything from food to clothes to sunglasses that said Rayybon, a fender-bender accident that had a gathered a crowd. Home! Mom’s coffee, grandmom’s snacks, dinner with Shwetha and the grand finale—the new chick-lit she had just started to read. Life was going to be bright and beautiful. And that was only the beginning of the weekend. She was going to be there for two nights. Sanju was going to join them on Sunday afternoon, and they were all going to drive back together.