Chapter 1 Cookie
June 1993
Her family had relocated for the third time — this time to a far-off suburb of Mumbai. These relocations were exhausting, both physically and emotionally.
For her, they were especially difficult. Every move meant a different curriculum and different people to deal with.
It also meant making new friends — the biggest challenge of all. She was going to turn seventeen in July and was tired of making friends. So, this time, she decided not to make any. Being a typical Cancerian, she was becoming increasingly withdrawn. At seventeen, she already felt older than her years.
With this new resolution, she heaved a sigh of relief and began unpacking her things. There were only a few unfashionable clothes and a pink-and-white teddy bear in the heap.
She quickly arranged the clothes in the cupboard. That hardly took any time. Then she sat down with her teddy bear. She was extremely fond of it and called him Teddu. Her mother had given it to her in 1990 — most probably on 14 May — while they were in a different place.
She sat by the window with Teddu on her lap, staring outside. Suddenly, she heard her mother calling her. Her mother needed a few things to start cooking. She took the money and went downstairs to buy them.
Slowly, she descended the stairs. They lived on the second floor. When she reached the first floor, she noticed a girl, around twelve years old, standing near the door. She was all set to ignore her, but the girl had already smiled.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“What’s your name?”
“J. And yours?”
“Aashu.”
“Where are you going?”
“I need to buy some things. I’m looking for a grocery store.”
“Should I come with you?”
“No, it’s okay. You must be busy.”
“Not at all. I have nothing to do.”
“Okay, come.”
The two of them walked to the grocery store together.
J prayed silently that this would be the first and last meeting with Aashu. She was tired of making friends. Friendships only caused pain because eventually it would always be time to relocate again.
“I saw you yesterday evening while you were unloading your things.”
“Hm.”
J seemed lost in a dream.
So you were spying on me, she thought.
“Where have you moved from?”
“Durgapur.”
“Oh.”
Please don’t start too much conversation, J thought. I’m not enjoying this. I’m already beginning to dislike you.
She tried to ignore Aashu as much as possible.
After walking for a while, Aashu stopped near a grocery store.
“We buy all our groceries from here. It’s a very nice store. My brother loves the cookies they sell here!”
“Okay.”
So, you have a brother too, J thought. A cookie-eating brother. Oh, come on. Don’t tell me. Do boys really eat cookies? He must be one of those cranky little boys who roam around with cookies in their hands. Your brother must be as annoying as you are. Annoying brother, annoying sister.
J tried hard not to roll her eyes. It was a humongous task.
She quickly bought the things her mother needed.
“Okay, done! Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
As they walked back, Aashu suddenly stopped.
“What happened?”
“I have to buy some cookies for my brother! He’s coming home tomorrow evening. He studies in a hostel.”
Okay, so this annoying girl’s annoying brother studies in a hostel, J thought. He must be one of those studious, spectacled boys who think too much of themselves. The over smart kind. J was already beginning to dislike the brother as well. She spontaneously nicknamed him “Cookie.”
J and Aashu went back to the grocery store to buy four packets of cookies for Cookie.
“Aashu, I’m getting late! Mother has to start cooking. She’ll be upset if I delay any longer.”
“Done, done! Let’s go!”
Since Aashu hadn’t brought a shopping bag, J asked her to keep the cookies in her bag. Aashu volunteered to carry the bag, but J refused.
“It’s okay. I’m already late. Let’s not waste any more time.”
“Okay, sorry.”
“Didi?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you keep the cookies with you for the night? I’ll take them from you tomorrow. I want to tease my brother before giving him his favourite cookies!”
“Okay, as you wish.”
You and your cranky, cookie-eating brother can do whatever you want. Just leave me alone, J almost shouted inwardly.
Soon they reached home. Aashu rang the doorbell. While the door was being opened, she said,
“So okay, Di, you keep the cookies with you. I’ll take them tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
J was done with this annoying girl. She was running out of patience. She wanted to be left alone now.
She ran upstairs. Her mother was already upset.
“How late you are! What took you so long?”
J said nothing. She didn’t want to tell her mother about the annoying girl she had met. The whole incident had left her exhausted. She wanted nothing more than a good night’s sleep.
Soon after dinner, she could barely keep her eyes open. But before drifting off to sleep, she made a decision: she would avoid Aashu at all costs. A new friendship meant new heartache. She wanted to avoid heartache this time.
No more friendships — especially not with a twelve-year-old girl whose brother ate cookies.
With that comforting thought, J fell asleep.
At seventeen, she had already mastered the art of leaving people behind. Or at least she liked to believe she had.
Suddenly a book fell down. She woke up to with a start and picked up the fallen book and placed it back carefully on the pile. Inside the book was an old photograph from her previous school. A group of smiling faces stared back at her — girls who had once promised to stay in touch forever.
Most of them never did.
J slipped the photograph back between the pages and closed the book quickly.
Outside, the distant rumble of a local train echoed through the night. Mumbai seemed restless even at this hour. It was nothing like the quieter towns they had lived in before.
She turned toward the table and looked at the cookie packets with growing annoyance.
Four entire packets for one brother.
“What sort of boy likes cookies this much?” she whispered.
Teddu, of course, offered no answer.
