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Back Meet Me In the Middle Save as PDF
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

Anu laughed. ‘From his kitchen! He cooked all this if you can believe it.’

While Anu and Pete talked, Pooja mostly ate and kept checking the phone each time it beeped. Finally, Anu couldn’t resist asking. ‘Expecting a message from someone?’

Pooja shrugged. ‘No, just that some of my old friends are planning to meet in the city.’

‘I have never seen you hang out with the kids here. Are they aliens or vampires in the disguise of humans?’

Pooja laughed. ‘Most of them are! But I don’t hang out with them because they don’t want to.’

Pete cleared his throat; that was an indication for Anu to back off. But she pretended not to hear him. ‘Why wouldn’t they? Because you are not a vampire or a werewolf?’

Pooja grew serious. ‘Long story.’

Anu pulled the chair closer to Pooja. ‘Oh, do tell. Pete is in no hurry to get rid of us.’

Pete cleared his throat again and Anu pushed a glass of water to him, flashing an innocent smile. ‘Drink water, Pete. Your throat will feel better.’

‘A guy who is in my lane asked me to join him and his friends for a night party last week. Never thought their night would go on till beyond midnight. My mom, in a state of panic, rushed into the pub where we were, yelled at me in Tamil, and I left with her like a lamb.’

Anu knitted her brows. ‘That should make them not want to be around your mother. But why not you?’

Pooja flashed Anu a look of incredulity. ‘Are you serious? Who wants to be with someone whose mom yells at the top of her lungs? I never got near that group again. I hide when I see the guy who invited me.’

Pete sat right there but pretended to be not too keen on the conversation. But Anu was sure he was very clued in. She turned her attention back to Pooja. ‘You should talk to that guy and laugh about it. All mothers are lunatic to some degree. His mother will be too. It comes with motherhood.’

Pooja sighed. ‘You think so?’

‘Hey, I know so! I was a teenager only a decade ago. My mother still embarrasses me.’

‘Let me think. Maybe when I see him again, I might talk to him.’ Pooja smiled. ‘If he runs away, Pete has to make you play half-an-hour extra for a full week.’

‘Deal,’ said Pete raising his cup.

24

24

Images

The next morning was not any different with Vicky. On the other hand, it got a lot worse because the puppy had developed the courage to leave its habitat and had wandered away. Anu finally had to promise Vicky that they would look for puppies in other streets and he could play with them for ten minutes.

‘I want my old school, Mumma. I don’t want to go here,’ he sobbed.