It was a lovely bright morning and the morning sun was just perfect for a walk in the park. There was one just around the corner from our house, but I’d never bothered going there. It seemed like a multitude of aunties and uncles were walking briskly or slowly in circles around the park’s walkway.

‘Come on!’ Raghu urged me as he broke into a jog. Reluctantly, I joined him and we left our parents walking slowly on the path as we jogged together. Raghu was taller and I had to struggle to keep up with him. By the time we had done five rounds, my calves were protesting and my lungs were screaming. I was sweating buckets.

I saw that Ma and Aunty V were sitting on one of the benches and Papa wasn’t with them. I slowed down near them and Raghu frowned.

‘You’re done already?’ he asked as he slowed down too. He was sweating too but apart from that, he seemed perfectly fine. I could barely talk as I collapsed on the bench with Aunty V and Ma.

‘You go on,’ I said wheezing.

‘Here,’ Ma offered me a bottle of water and I gulped it down gratefully.

‘Easy,’ Aunty V said, patting my back.

I was going to kill Raghu, I thought, as I saw him jog away. I liked to exercise at home, and I had thought I was fit with my yoga and my exercise apps that I used to work out every day. But I’d thought wrong. Slowly, my breathing came back to normal.

‘Where’s Papa?’ I asked.

Ma indicated another bench where he was surrounded by other uncles. Papa was relating something and they were all laughing.

I checked my phone and saw that I barely had time to get back home to get ready and leave for college.

‘Ma, give me the keys. I need to get changed for college,’ I said, getting up from there.

‘We’ll all come,’ she said, getting up.

‘No, stay here. Enjoy the sun and the air,’ I told her with a smile.

I took the keys from her and quickly left the park. Raghu hadn’t seen me leave and I hastened back where I took a shower and got ready. I felt flushed with energy. But more than anything else, I was feeling very hungry.

My battle with food had resulted in me learning to control my hunger pangs, learning to push them down, ignore them or satisfy them with fruit or crackers. But now, I found my feet moving to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and found the leftover potato masala from yesterday. I found the dosa maavu too and before I could stop to think, I was making a masala dosa for myself.