Papa had gone out after breakfast and I didn’t know when he would be back. I had hoped to have more time to decide on a gift for Esha but I was feeling panicky now. Raghu was useless.

‘Gift? Oh right. I’ll think about it,’ he said and went back to playing a game on Aunty V’s phone. Ugh.

I called up Nisha and asked for help. Nisha was surprised because I hadn’t said anything about the party during school.

‘I must have forgotten. Help me out! Please!’ I said, clutching the receiver tightly. I couldn’t possibly imagine what sort of gift a girl like Esha would like. She seemed so sophisticated for someone who had just turned thirteen.

The invitation had come from her parents like she’d promised and Ma had been surprised and delighted too. She always worried I didn’t make friends easily and since I was close to Nisha and Anirudh, I didn’t bother making new friends.

‘Nisha! Help?’ I reminded her.

‘Um, I was thinking. It’s not too late to get a book for her . . .’

‘But what sort of book?’ I interrupted her. ‘I’ll go mad trying to decide!’

‘Okay, okay! How about you bake something and take it for her?’

I paused my frantic brain. Would something homemade be an acceptable gift?

‘Why are you overthinking this so much? I’d think myself so lucky if I ever got your triple chocolate brownies as a birthday gift! I wouldn’t share it with anyone!’ Nisha said.

That clinched it. ‘Aww. You should have told me before. I wouldn’t have wasted money buying you anything!’

I hung up the phone and glanced at Raghu, wondering if I ought to enlist him, but he didn’t really seem too bothered about the party. Funny, considering how engrossed he had seemed in talking to her on the swing that day.

Feeling better now that the decision was made, I headed to the kitchen where I told Ma that I was making triple chocolate brownies to take to Esha’s house as a birthday gift. Ma thought it was a splendid idea.

I made two batches. By the time I had taken out the trays, cooled the brownies, drizzled melted white chocolate on top and cut them into neat squares, it was almost evening. I looked at the clock and yelped. Why hadn’t anyone told me I was late? The party began at 6 p.m. and it was already 5 p.m.

I packed the brownies in the fancy light-blue cardboard box that I had bought at a baking accessories store, tied it with a fancier black satin ribbon with white polka dots and went to take a shower.