I changed the topic swiftly to the reunion being planned at home. ‘Can you believe they’re thrilled about it? Imagine meeting everyone after more than twenty years.’

‘I think that would be nice,’ Anirudh said, with a faraway look in his eyes, as though he was picturing it.

‘It would be if you’ve achieved something in life. What if you haven’t done anything worthwhile?’

‘Um, your mom has achieved a lot okay? She’s heading corporate communications at a big software firm. So I don’t know where you’re going with this,’ Nisha frowned.

‘No, not Ma,’ I said hastily.

‘Even Aunty V sounds super cool,’ Nisha stated.

I made a face and exhaled loudly. ‘No, it’s not them. I was just thinking about us,’ I said finally.

‘What about us?’ she asked.

‘If we were to meet after twenty years, you . . . you’re going to be a great architect and Anirudh will be a successful doctor and, who knows, maybe the two of you will be married and have a bunch of cute and geeky kids. While I will have no idea what I would be,’ I said softly. I didn’t add that I might probably be alone and still fat.

Anirudh’s mouth dropped open. Then, with a funny look on his face, he turned to Nisha. ‘How many is a bunch?’ he choked out.

Nisha rolled her eyes and laughed. ‘That’s your takeaway from what Ananya said?’ she asked him, shoving at him.

He scratched the side of his head and smiled at me. ‘You’re so mad, Ananya. Worrying about something that is twenty years away! And now you’ve got me thinking about all the possibilities,’ he said.

Nisha rolled her eyes and turned to me again. ‘It’s all right if you don’t have it all figured out.’

‘Easy for you to say,’ I remarked. ‘But . . . what if I don’t find what I want to do? What if I just waste my time and never accomplish anything?’

Nisha shook her head. ‘Give it time. You don’t have to be clued in right away. It will come to you.’

I didn’t reply to that because the bell rang and a group of boys and girls came inside for the next class. As we got up and left, I realized I was still resentful of how the two of them, and even Raghu, knew what they wanted to do with their lives.

20

The next two weeks went by in a flurry of activity. I thought I wouldn’t see much of Raghu but he kept surprising me by insisting that we go to the park every morning. Some days we walked briskly, some days we jogged, and some days we sat down on a park bench and played chess. Ma, Papa and Aunty V joined us sometimes.