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‘Yuck!’ I said, disgusted.
‘You are a pig, Amay,’ said Anu, laughing nevertheless.
Pitajee, immune to our reactions, planted a big candle in the chunk of cake he had pulled out and lit it.
‘Cut it. Now,’ he commanded.
‘With? Where is the knife?’
Pitajee and Anu looked blankly at each other.
‘You lazy people!’ I shrieked, laughing. They had forgotten to get a knife!
‘Use your finger,’ Pitajee suggested. Anu looked like she was about to puke as I did exactly as I was told. Pitajee played happy birthday on his phone and began to sing with a lag, completely out of tune. Anu began the song a few seconds after Pitajee and sang it to some tune from Dabangg. It was in that mish-mash of hugs and laughter and shrieks and out-of-tune singing that I cut a chunk of pineapple-flavoured birthday cake with my finger.
As the song ended, high on giggles, we collapsed on my bed into a pile of cake-smeared arms and faces.
Pitajee got out of the bed and switched off the light.
‘What? Why?’ I objected. Pitajee crawled back into the bed and the three of us lay on our backs. I stared, open-mouthed, at the ceiling.
‘Buddaayy gift,’ shouted Pitajee, gleefully.
The glow-in-the-dark whale now had a friend! A glow-in-the-dark elf!
In all this madness, I had not even realized that Purva had not called to wish me a happy birthday.
8.00 a.m.
‘Bachche,’ said Anju Aunty.
Your son has not even called. Ninety-eight out of 140 batchmates from B-school, including someone called Pranav, whom I have no recollection of ever having studied with, have called.
‘Namaste, Aunty,’ I said, trying hard to keep my voice polite.
‘Happy birthday, Bahu Rani,’ she said.
Ugh.
10.00 a.m.
No call. Two hundred of his cousins have, however, called to wish ‘Bhabhi’!
Hmph.
1.00 p.m.
‘Dad.’
‘Yes, Beta.’
‘Purva has not even called.’
‘Why? Why was he supposed to call?’ asked Dad.
‘Dad! You just wished me a happy birthday. Don’t you think Purva should have done the same by now?’
‘Oh,’ said Dad, trying hard to keep the surprise out of his voice. ‘He has not?’
