‘This afternoon,’ she replied, as Ma placed a plate of sandwiches before me. I took one and bit into it hungrily. Yum. Ma had shredded tandoori chicken and mixed it with mayo and grated carrots for the filling.

‘Raghu!’ Ma called out and I started.

‘Raghu’s here too?’ I asked in surprised excitement.

Aunty V nodded and gave a strained smile. They had to call him twice before he came, looking more tanned than ever. He had cut his hair really short and he’d grown taller. He waved at me before sitting down at the table, looking sullen.

‘Where were you?’ Aunty V asked him.

He shrugged, pulled the plate of sandwiches towards himself and started eating. I stared at him. I always looked forward to Aunty V’s visits because of how much fun Raghu was. But he barely looked at me now as he scarfed down the sandwiches. Aunty V stared at him too, but didn’t say anything and turned away.

Ma and Aunty V were back near the sink, talking in low tones, so I couldn’t really hear anything.

‘What’s up?’ I asked him.

He shook his head and then slightly inclined his head to one side, indicating that I follow him. I got up and together we walked out of the apartment, down the flight of steps, past the other apartments, into the garden and sat down at the swings.

‘My parents are getting a divorce,’ he said, kicking his feet into the sand and pushing back so the swing moved.

‘What?’

He continued swinging back and forth, but didn’t offer any more information.

‘But why?’ I persisted.

‘No idea,’ he replied finally. ‘They had a huge fight and Mom said she needed time to think and then we came here.’

I didn’t know what to say to that. I didn’t really know his father because I had rarely met him over the years. Soon, the other kids from the apartment started coming into the park, as we continued swinging in silence.

‘Do you mind?’ Esha asked, arms folded across her chest.

I looked up at her, surprised. Mind what?

‘If you’re not going to use the swing . . .’ she added impatiently.

‘Oh, right.’ I got down in such a hurry that I twisted my ankle and fell down in an ungainly manner. I was mortified.

Esha was new to the apartment complex and she was everything that I wasn’t. I could stare at her for hours—she was perfect. We were apparently the same age but she looked like a model. She had straight hair, straight teeth and beautiful, big eyes.

I got up wincing, dusted my knees and limped away to make way for her.

Raghu slid down from his swing easily, unlike me. I waited for him to join me but he was staring at Esha.

She turned to him, propelling herself daintily with her feet. ‘Hi, my name’s Esha.’

‘Raghu,’ he replied.