chapter 10
354 Words
Six months ago
‘Tuck in your shirt' Saurabh said to me while buttoning up his own. We
had come to Lodi—the Garden Restaurant in Lodi Gardens. Saurabh had
already met Prerna twice and now wanted my approval. Of course, he had
already fallen in love.
‘This is a romantic date kind of place. Why here? I’ll be the odd one
out' I said. We sat at our table, under one of the canopies. Lanterns lit up the
place as sunlight waned.
‘She is coming with her cousin, Anjali' Saurabh said. He picked up the
menu and scanned it like a radiologist checks an X-ray.
‘Do you think we should order before they arrive?'
‘Saurabh, let’s talk about how you want to proceed with this important
life decision rather than choosing appetisers.’
‘You meet her first. Your view is important to me, bhai. Okay, how
about a mezze platter?’
‘Looks like you have already made up your mind.’ ‘Well, the
French fries look good too.’
‘I meant made up your mind about Prerna, Golu.’
‘Oh. I’m still trying to impress her. That is why I chose this fancy place.
I would rather go out for chaat, or some good Punjabi food.’
‘Golu, focus.’
‘Shh... Here they are.’
I turned around. Two girls entered the restaurant. They were the same
height and had the same fair complexion. One of them was overweight and
the other one was stick thin. From the pictures and video calls, I could
recognise Prerna. She wore a maroon salwar kameez with a mustard print,
had silver jhumkas in her ears and a tiny black bindi on her forehead. A
large black leather handbag filled with documents was slung over her
shoulder.
The girl with Prerna, her cousin I presumed, wore jeans tom at the knees
and a white T-shirt with several tiny holes, which, I understood, was an
intentional distressed look. She had short hair, and with her thin frame and
backpack, she resembled a boy in middle school. Prerna waved at Saurabh
as they walked to our table.
He stood up to give Prerna a restrained hug.
- Writer
