‘If I remember correctly, you told Aunty V that it’s all right if Raghu wants to take some time to figure out what he wants,’ I reminded her.

Her face paled when she remembered her words. ‘You know what? You kids are entitled,’ she said.

I grinned as I got up, feeling a little better that they hadn’t taken the news too badly. I met Aunty V who was on the phone outside and she smiled at me as she finished her call. She had been talking to Raghu.

‘I’ve booked his ticket for the next weekend,’ she told me.

Raghu would be here soon! I think the smile on my face was too wide, so I dialled it down a bit.

‘Are you going somewhere?’ she asked.

I nodded. I had made plans to meet Nisha and Anirudh.

‘Come sit for a little while with me?’ she suggested.

Oh no. I didn’t want to sit and talk to her about the links she’d been sharing with me. I think she noticed the panic on my face, but she smiled grimly.

‘Just a few minutes please?’ she said.

‘Uh, why?’ I blurted out.

She didn’t answer as she led me to the living room where we both sat down. She was uncomfortable too, I could tell. She cleared her throat.

‘So, I’ve been sending you a few things to read these past few days,’ she began. She looked nervous and took a deep breath.

I made a face, but didn’t say anything.

She looked down at the carpet. ‘The world was a very different place when we were young, Ananya,’ she said.

I nodded, because what was I to say to that.

‘In our days, our parents often body shamed us, made us feel inadequate, made us feel like shit if we didn’t fit a certain idea of what we were supposed to look like.’

What?

‘Surely not all parents?’ I said.

‘Of course, not all. But my mother and your nani were definitely guilty of that. My mom would go on and on about how I was too short and she made me feel terrible. I don’t think she meant to, of course, but I was there in front of her and it was easy for her. As for your nani, she would keep comparing Chitra to a stick, saying she needed to put on weight,’ she said.

I frowned. Aunty V and Ma were not childhood friends but they were close enough to have shared their traumas growing up.