A Quiet Dissonance, page 17
“Why don’t you just ask them what’s going on?”
“I’ve tried, but no one gives me a straight answer!”
“Then call them over for an evening here. That way you can figure out where the problem lies.”
“That’s a good idea! I could do a little pre-Christmas drinks evening. Call a mix of ladies and that way it won’t be so apparent.”
“Do it, Anu. I’ll take Neha out for the evening, maybe go see that Narnia movie with her. That way we’ll be out of your hair, and you can have a proper ladies’ evening.”
She leaned over and kissed Ravi on the lips.
“You’re so good to me.”
He turned over, placing his book carefully to one side.
“How about showing me just how good?”
She giggled and locked their bedroom door before getting back into bed with him.
* * *
“Guess who's stalking me on Facebook?” Cathy laughed while picking up Mel’s toys from the floor. Anu had just parked her car in the drive after dropping Neha off at school when Cathy had called out, asking her to come in for a cuppa.
“I’m not even sure what Facebook is? I keep hearing about it.”
“You’re not on it yet?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, come on! I have to get you signed up. But first that cuppa I promised you.”
Cathy had the kettle boiling in the background while she placed a few biscuits on a plate. Anu played with Mel, looking through her well-worn story books and exclaiming at exactly the right places.
“So, this chap I used to date much before Andy asked me out contacted me out of the blue. And now he comments on everything I put on there. It’s kind of funny but also annoying.”
“What is this about?”
“Oh, it’s like a platform where you can connect with old friends. You can put pictures up, what’s going on in your life, stuff like that.”
“Sounds intrusive though, with this chap from your past able to see everything.”
“Oh, no! It’s great fun. Let me show you.”
Cathy pulled out her laptop, signed into Facebook, and immediately a screen popped up with pictures of her and Mel laughing into the camera.
“Everyone is on it, Anoo. It came out a few years ago, and like you, I was pretty leery about signing on. But I promise you, you’ll never be bored if you do.”
“Okay. What am I meant to do?”
Cathy talked her through the process, and Anu created an account for herself.
“You can add a profile picture later. Just remember your password, okay?”
“What if I don’t find anyone on there?”
“Here, I’ll be your first friend. I’m sending me a friend request through your account. Once I’m signed into my account, I’ll accept it. I bet you’ll find plenty of friends on there. It’s a great way to reconnect with your folks back in India too.”
“Oh, let me check if Noni’s on here!” Anu typed in her name excitedly, and sure enough, Nonita appeared, looking all glossy and gorgeous in her picture. “That’s my best friend from Mumbai,” Anu said proudly.
“She’s very pretty! Go on, send her a friend request.”
Later, after having exhausted her curiosity, Anu sat back and dipped her biscuit in the tea.
“Are you excited about Mel starting pre-school?”
“Yes, and no. I’ll miss her like mad, but it’ll be nice to get a few hours to myself. Maybe I can finally get to grips with the house,” Cathy chuckled, looking around at the mess.
“Say Cathy, would you like to come over for drinks next week on Saturday?”
“Just me?”
“Yeah, it’s like a ladies’ evening. And it’ll give you a night out. Will Andy be okay with taking care of Mel?”
“He better be! I’ve let him have enough evenings out with the blokes. I’d love to, Anoo! Anyone I know coming?”
“I was thinking of calling Susan too, and a few other mums from school. It’ll be a small gathering, a pre-Christmas drinks do.”
“Sounds lovely! I’ll be there, with bells on.”
* * *
❖
That afternoon, Anu took the bull by its horns and approached Julie in the playground.
“Hi Julie!”
“Oh, hi Anoo! Where have you been? Still caught up with all your sketching and painting?”
Julie appeared just as warm as before.
“No, all that’s over and done with. I was wondering if you and the other ladies would like to come over to mine for drinks next Saturday?”
“Anything special happening?”
“No, just a pre-Christmas drinks thing, before everyone gets too busy with family events.”
“Sounds nice. I’ll check my diary and let you know. Have you spoken to Jem and Lou already?”
“Not yet, but I was planning to. Oh, here they are... ”
Jemima and Louise walked in with Jill next to them. They approached them casually, not betraying the tiniest bit of surprise at seeing Anu standing next to Julie.
“Hey girls, Anoo here would like us over for drinks at hers next Saturday.”
Anu felt herself cornered into inviting Jill as well.
“Y…yes, if you’re free. Just having a little get together at mine.”
“Nice! Are you making Indian food again?” Louise asked, smiling at her. “I adore Anoo’s cooking.”
Jill wrinkled her nose. “Oh, I’m not a big fan of Indian food! Bloats me terribly.”
“Well, actually I was just going to do some knick-knacks, not a full meal.”
“Want us to bring anything?” Jemima asked.
“No, just yourselves. I’ve called a few of the neighbourhood ladies too. A small group of us, it should be nice…”
“Okay, why not?” Jemima nodded. “What time?”
“7 p.m. onwards?” Anu asked.
“Sounds good.”
“Hang on!” Louise said. “Next Saturday? Oh, I’m out with Bob. Some work do. Sorry Anoo, I’ll have to give this one a miss.”
“Never mind, Louise, there’ll be other occasions.” Anu smiled at her, hoping Jill would back out too.
“Actually, I think I’ve got something going on as well…” Jill said, right on cue.
“I suppose it’ll be a smaller group then, hey Anoo?” Julie laughed, not unkindly.
“That’s okay. We’ll still have fun!”
❖
Busy planning her evening, Anu nearly missed the flyer in Neha’s bag, almost throwing it out with all the other scraps of paper Neha had collected in the course of a week.
Smoothening it out, she read:
‘Fundraising Ball for Brownies.’
She remembered hearing the mothers discuss how much fun it had been the previous years and wondered if she could go, regardless of Neha not being a Brownie. Noticing the number at the bottom of the page, she rang it quickly before she lost her nerve.
“Hello?” A friendly voice chirped at the other end.
“Hi, this is Mrs Dhawan. Neha Dhawan’s mother. She’s in Year 4. I was wondering if it would be possible to buy a couple of tickets to the Ball?”
“Anoo, it’s Natalie here! Rebecca’s mum? Of course you can buy the tickets.”
“Oh! Hi Natalie. Even if Neha’s not in Brownies?”
“Goodness! That doesn’t matter. Any idea where you want to be seated? Wait, there’s still two places available at Julie’s table. You’re good friends with her, why don’t I put you down there?”
“That’ll be lovely. How do I pay you?”
“No rush on that, lovely. Pay me cash whenever you see me, okay? As long as it’s before the 15th . You know that the ball is in January, right? Normally January is so gloomy after Christmas, so it’ll be something to look forward to.”
“Yes, you’re right, it will. Thank you, Natalie, I’ll bring in the money as soon as I can.”
“No worries. Take care, Anoo.”
Anu replaced the receiver, wondering if she should have run it past Julie first, but then decided to let it be. It would be nice to sit with someone they knew rather than at another anonymous table. Now, to convince Ravi that this impulse purchase had been worth it.
* * *
“Who will take care of Neha?”
“Helen has given me the number of this girl who babysits for her occasionally. She’s reliable, a sensible sort apparently. Ravi, we haven’t been out together in so long. This will be fun.”
“It’s black tie Anu. I don’t even own a dress suit and bow tie.”
“We can hire! That’s what most men do, anyway.”
“I can see you’ve done your research. So, are you hiring your outfit as well?”
“Actually, there’s this dress I’ve seen... ”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He grinned down at her. “Okay, why the heck not? Time to break out of the parent mould and have some fun.”
“Aww, thanks Ravi! I’m going to pay for the tickets tomorrow then.”
* * *
Excited, Neha made her way towards Natalie in the playground, clutching the money in her palm. Zoe and Dawn were standing next to her and as they saw her approaching, they said something to Natalie and walked away.
She turned as Anu approached, her smile as friendly as always.
“My, you’re prompt! Normally I’m the one chasing people.”
“Yes, well, I thought I’d give it before you got busy with other things.”
“Good call! Now, let me just find the papers.” She rifled through her bag, pulling out a sheaf of papers. “Here we are! Okay, there’s your name, so let me tick you off as having paid. And here’s the seating arrangement... There, I’ve got you sitting with Julie, Jemima, Jill, Louise and all the husbands. Ten to a table.”
“Thanks, Natalie.”
“No problem! Look forward to seeing you at the ball. Are you going to wear a beautiful sari?”
“Umm, no. I was planning on wearing a dress.”
“Sensible, I suppose, with all the dancing, but I love the Indian saris. Maybe another time you could wear one?”
“S... sure.”
“Any plans for Christmas?”
“Not really. We were planning to go to Dubai to see Ravi’s brother and family, but that got cancelled as my sister-in-law has to visit her parents in India. How about you?”
“Scotland, to see my folks. I am looking forward to it... ”
As they chatted, Anu responded mechanically to Natalie’s questions, barely keeping up her end of the conversation. So Julie had booked a table for all of them, without even asking Anu once if she’d be interested. Admittedly, Ravi and she had never been to one of these balls, still it would’ve been nice to have been asked.
“Have a lovely Christmas, Anoo. Maybe you’d like to come for one of our Friday coffee mornings next year? It’s been a while since we saw you there.”
“Sure, I’d like that.” Anu smiled wanly, watching the children emerge from their classrooms.
Later she decided she would mention nothing to Ravi. Maybe her imagination was in overdrive, fabricating a deliberate exclusion. These were her friends, and they’d all agreed to come to her drinks evening. Why would they leave her out? It must have been an oversight.
* * *
❖
On Saturday evening, Ravi and Neha left at 6 p.m. for their movie. Before leaving, Ravi gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, mouthing, “Have fun.”
She had the Prosecco and white wine chilling in the fridge; the ice was already in the ice bucket in case people chose cocktails, and a few bottles of red wine stood on the sideboard alongside the wine glasses she’d lined up. For snacks, she had samosas1 and pakoras2 with mint chutney, some nibbles by way of cheese sticks and crisps, and bowls of peanuts dotted around the room. She recalled Cathy telling her that the mark of a good party was the amount of booze, not the amount of food, and tonight she was going to test that theory.
The living room had a cosy vibe to it, with the fragranced candles and tea lights she’d placed all around. There were cushions and throws for people to get comfortable on. She hoped it would be a nice, relaxed evening. One in which she could find out why she’d been feeling a change in her friends, and whether it was just in her mind.
Shortly before 7 p.m. she got a text from Jemima:
“Sorry, have had a bit of an emergency. Won’t be able to make it tonight.”
And just like that, she was down to three guests. Anu felt a slight twinge of shame looking at the extent she’d gone to in trying to create a perfect evening, but calmed herself down. It would still be okay, she assured herself under her breath.
“Hope everything’s ok? Take care & don’t worry about it.” She texted Jemima back and waited for a response. There was none.
Just then the doorbell rang. Susan was at the door holding a pretty bouquet of lilies and a bottle of wine.
“How lovely you look, Susan! Do come in. You’re my first guest. Sorry, a few people have dropped out so it will be quite an intimate gathering.”
“That’s all right, my dear. Even if it's just the two us, it will be fine.” She placed her bottle next to the others on the sideboard. “The house looks very nice. I like all the candles and is that a new rug?”
As Anu handed Susan her drink, the doorbell rang again. This time it was Julie. Hiding her relief, Anu ushered her in.
“Glad you could make it, Julie. Oh, Lindt chocolates… my favourite! Thank you.”
As she made the introductions, she wondered how this motley group of women would interact, but she needn’t have worried as Susan was chatting away merrily with Julie.
When Cathy finally arrived fifteen minutes later, they were debating the merits of the reality show ‘I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!’
Anu gasped when she opened the door. Cathy was wearing a gunmetal grey dress with studs all over it, and a pair of vertiginous black heels. She’d swept her chestnut-brown hair up into a French chignon, and a bright red lipstick adorned her full lips.
“My goodness, you look like a model!”
“Don’t be silly, luv!” She air-kissed Anu on both cheeks before making her way in.
“Sue, hi! Is this all of us?” She looked around the room, and when Anu nodded, she kicked off her heels. “Ooh, much better! They were killing me.”
Before long, she was absorbed in conversation with the other women as Anu kept topping up their wine glasses, handing out the snacks intermittently. Slowly, they all relaxed, dropping their inhibitions and chatting more candidly about their lives.
“Andy is a sweetie, but his family! They are so annoying. I never get a break from them. Every weekend it’s something or the other with all those nieces and nephews. It’s put me right off having more kids.”
Julie leaned in, fascinated. “How many do you have?”
“Just one little girl. She’ll be starting pre-school in January.”
“I think two is a good number. I have two boys and they get along so well. Any more than that and I think you’re asking for trouble... ”
“I have two grown-up children, but sadly, they don’t really see eye-to-eye. Brought them both up the exact same way, but they are as different as chalk and cheese.” Susan said.
“Oh, it’s the whole nature vs nurture debate, isn’t it? You can’t change who they are personality-wise, even if they’ve grown up in the same environment.” Cathy said.
“Gosh! You’re clever.” Julie looked at her. “And pretty. Anoo didn’t tell me she had a supermodel living on her street.”
Cathy laughed. “I just scrub up well, and it’s been such a long time since I went out anywhere I might have gone a bit overboard.” She looked down at her dress, shrugging in a self-deprecating manner.
Anu was hoping to have a private word with Julie, but so far Julie had stuck to Cathy’s side, so she went and sat next to Susan.
“What are you doing for Christmas, Susan?”
“Jan said she’d pick me up and take me to hers. I am looking forward to spending time out of my house for a change.”
“That’s nice of her.”
“Well, she was very upset when I wasn’t willing to sign the documents at first, but once I agreed to consider it, she suggested the Christmas plan.”
“I see. Did you find out any more about the legalities of it all?”
“I did, and as long as I have Mark listed in my will, I should think it will all work out.”
“As long as you’re happy with it... ” Anu said, trying to hide her doubts.
There was a sudden buzzing noise, and they all looked around for their phones.
“It’s mine, it’s mine!” Julie brandished hers, reading the text message that had popped up. “Oh, dear!” She bit her lip.
“Everything okay?”
“Lou’s locked out of her house, and Jem’s got the spare keys, but she’s not answering her phone.”
“I think there was some kind of emergency, which is why she didn’t come today... ”
But Julie wasn’t listening. She had already dialled Jemima.
Both Cathy and Susan had fallen silent, watching them with interest.
The phone rang for a bit, then Jemima picked up.
“Jem! Lou’s been trying to get in touch. What? Oh, you’ve given them to her. Good! She was panicking... Yeah, no, I’ll see you soon. Bye, luv. Bye, bye.”
“Crisis averted?” Susan asked Julie when she’d hung up.
“Yes, thankfully! Jem was soaking in the tub and didn’t hear her phone the first few times. But luckily she picked up soon after.”
“And the emergency?”
“What emergency?”
“Jemima said something had happened... ”
“Not to my knowledge. She just wanted a soak in the bath for a bit. You know Jem, she can be so lazy.”
Anu's heart lurched at the realisation that Jemima had lied to get out of the evening. What did that say about their once fast friendship?
* * *
❖
