‘Please tell her to stop this madness.’

Anu could see what Kavitha’s mother meant. The house was filled to the brim with tacky decorative items that weren’t there before. To name a few, there were two gigantic elephants on either side of the front door as if it was a King’s court, an immense statue of Buddha with an attached water-fountain, tables of all sizes and plastic flowers of all kinds. As Anu gaped baffled, Radha came running from the kitchen and almost toppled hitting against a stone pedestal.

‘Akka! Where is Vicky?’ Radha smiled and then sobbed. ‘I miss you both so much.’

‘I miss you too, Radha. Here is something I got for you. And Vicky made this card for you.’ She had bought a big box of dry-fruits for Radha. Vicky had drawn a stick man and named it Vicky.

Radha smiled in happiness. She loved fruits of all kinds. She compensated for Anu’s bad eating. ‘Show me Vicky’s photos, Akka. I will bring you coffee.’

Wading through the home decors, Anu entered Kavitha’s room.

Kavitha had sprawled on the bed with a dozen home decor magazines all around her. ‘Anu! So good to see you! Sit here.’ She pointed at an ornate bench seat that had taken up half the room.

‘Did you see my decorations? I have so much time on hand, I am doing up the house big time, ya,’ Kavitha said with a dimpled smile.

‘Kavitha, how much money have you spent on all this?’ Anu pointed at a vase, a night-stand, a dresser, and a carpet—all brand new, large and gaudy.

Kavitha was taken aback. ‘Err … I don’t know. I am using Aravind’s credit card.’

‘Isn’t he objecting?’

Kavitha grinned. ‘He is afraid to, I guess. I am on bed rest and I have made sure he feels both sad for me and scared of me.’

Anu chuckled but only briefly. She had to be firm with Kavitha. ‘Listen, all this must go. You have a tiny two-bedroom flat, not an Ambani mansion!’

In the next two hours, Anu and Kavitha’s mother packed all the new arrivals and Anu, snatching the phone from Kavitha’s iron grip, put in return requests on all the items.

‘Kavitha! You have spent sixty-thousand on all this garbage!’

‘Must be six. See properly,’ Kavitha knitted her brows at the phone and Anu smacked her on the head lightly.

‘No more online purchases. Not even clothes till you deliver. Here, I thought we can twin in these!’ She draped Kavitha in a faux-Kashmiri shawl and wrapped a similar one around herself.

Kavitha burst into tears. ‘This is so pretty, Anu! Once I deliver, I will reduce my weight and we can twin properly.’