‘So maybe you are in the wrong place, Megha,’ Sammy said, looking straight at me. ‘Have you ever considered that?’

I gaped at her. ‘You mean I should consider quitting my job and working in an ad agency instead? ’Coz that’s the right place for me if I want to do the kind of work I really, really like doing. But Sammy, nobody quits from the client side to join an agency. I mean, it’s the other way round! Everyone is usually looking for ways to move to the client side so they can get a move up in life. I’ll be regressing if I make a move like that and, besides, the money totally sucks.’

‘I can’t tell you what to do,’ Sammy shrugged. ‘I’m not even trying to. All I’m saying is that you should think long and hard about this. If you know what you really want to do in life, what really makes you happy—and few people do—then I think you should just go for it. Sure it’ll have consequences just like any big, life-altering decision, but that’s something you’ll have to live with. And if you’re following your heart it won’t be that hard, will it?’

I sat down on the burnt-orange rug and hugged my knees. I knew Sammy was right. She was just articulating what I’d vaguely known all along but had been too confused and wimped out to do anything about.

‘Don’t take everything in life so seriously,’ Sammy continued, getting up and pulling some CDs out of the arty-looking CD rack Rishi had got for her recently. ‘I know it’s not easy, but these things have a way of working themselves out over time. Just give yourself some more time. I’ll tell you what—do you want to try some power yoga? The Momster got me these CDs last week and the stuff seems awesome. It says on the cover that it’ll help us tap into our inherent inner spirituality and connect deeply with our inner being.’

I held my hand out for the CD but the door slammed before Sammy could hand it to me and Rishi barged in, holding a cranky-looking Aryan. ‘Sammy, I think you’ll need to feed him. I did my best to distract him but the boy will have none of it.’

Sammy cursed in a completely non-spiritual way and took Aryan from Rishi’s arms. ‘He just had eight scoops of Cerelac!’ she groaned theatrically. She’d been trying unsuccessfully to wean him for the last two months but Aryan was not letting go of his favourite beverage so easily. He snuggled up to Sammy now and cooed into her face and she smiled back at him tenderly. ‘Okay, small rakshas, let’s go!’

She took a few steps towards her room before stopping short to turn around and look at me ‘And Megha, about that Yudi guy, just give that some time as well, okay? Wait and watch!’

‘What?’ I frowned at Sammy, feeling totally confused. ‘What do you mean give it some time? Give what some time?’