Read the prologue and first chapter to understand the characters and the writing style before you purchase the book.
PROLOGUE
Hello Readers,
Before we dive into the lives of the four main leads of our story – Akhila, Diana, Gayatri and Jewel, let’s first get acquainted with them. We’ll get it straight from the horse’s mouth. Below is a sneak peek of the interaction between the author (myself) and the characters.
AKHILA SHEKHAR
“Hello, Akhila here. I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, so let me just say I am a celebrity journalist. My mother and my job are the only things that matter in my life.”
Adhiti: Hello, Akhila. I am sure many of our readers can resonate with an independent career-oriented badass woman.
Akhila: I really don’t care what people think, Adhiti!
Adhiti: Typical, Akhila! Anyways, let’s come to the main point. Tell me, what does friendship mean to you?
Akhila: Just the same as it would mean to anyone else! I had some cool friends during my college days. I am still in touch with them, though, not regularly. But yes, we know what is happening in each other’s lives and have reunions when we all have the time….
Suddenly, Akhila went silent.
Adhiti: What happened?
Akhila: I just realised I haven’t talked to them in months. Life got so busy that I cannot remember when we had our last get-together. If I am honest, I don’t know what is going on in their lives other than the obvious! My career has eaten into my time with them!
And that happens to most of us, right?
*
DIANA JOYCE
“Hello, I am Diana. There is nothing much to say about me. I am a homemaker and a mother.”
Adhiti: Hey, you cannot end with only a one-liner. My readers would like to know more about you.
Diana: But this is my identity today; nothing less, nothing more!
Adhiti: You do not sound too happy about it.
Diana: I am happy.
Adhiti: Hmm, let me ask you something. What does friendship mean to you, Diana?
Diana took a moment to answer.
Diana: Respite; friendship means respite to me. During my college days, Akhila, Jewel, Gayatri and I were a group. I think our friendship thrived on the ready acceptance of everyone’s different opinions on diverse things. We were all maturing, leaving the teen years behind us and slowly evolving as adults, and that combination of teenage craziness and adulthood maturity was crazily normal.
Adhiti: Are you in touch with them today?
Diana: Technically, yes. We have a WhatsApp group which is generally dormant unless we ping each other once in a while. At times, we have our reunion, but since I am in Bangalore, I often miss it.
Adhiti: Do you miss them?
Diana: I…I think I do!
Diana’s life got uprooted from Kerala after her marriage, and in the process, friendship suffered, becoming collateral damage. Again, that too happens quite often, right?!
**
GAYATRI MADHAV
“Hi, I am Gayatri, the Branch Manager at Federal Bank, Aluva. I come from a middle-class family. For most of my childhood, money was an issue at home. Therefore, I worked hard and got into the banking sector. Today I am well settled and can support my family the way I always dreamt of. Moreover, I am happily married to Madhav, and we have a beautiful daughter. We live a simple and happy life,” she smiled.
Adhiti: That is good to know, Gayatri. Your words are dipped in pride, and rightfully so. I bet my readers will be able to connect with you because you are one of them.
Gayatri: I hope so.
Adhiti: As you know, we are here to discuss the core theme of our story. So tell my readers, Gayatri, what does friendship mean to you?
Gayatri: Well…I had a cool gang during my college days. We still have a WhatsApp group, though it is not always active. When I need a break from my busy life, the chats and reunions we plan are my lifelines. During certain phases of my life, my friends have had my back without any judgment. But yes, I wish we could meet more often and be a little more involved in each other’s lives. Lack of time is a villain, or maybe…it is a lack of intent!
Lack of intent, yes; that is the correct term. WE need to make time to unwind and chill with our friends; otherwise, a once treasured friendship will wither away in no time.
*
JEWEL LOIS
“Hi, I am Jewel Joyce, a doting mother, a loving wife and a mediocre teacher by profession. My family means everything to me. I am grateful to God for showering his blessings on me.”
Adhiti: Wow! You look so content with life, Jewel.
Jewel: Indeed, but my professional life is a bit of a sore point. Though it was my choice, I did not bargain to teach notorious students or work under ruthless school management and unfriendly colleagues who made my job more difficult. But my personal life more than makes up for it. Moreover, one needs to be happy with what one has; that is what my mother always taught me.
Adhiti: Interesting, we are short of time. So let’s get straight to the point, what does friendship mean to you, Jewel?
Jewel smiled.
Jewel: I don’t know about it now, but previously, it meant everything to me. When I hear that word, the first image that comes to mind is all four of us sitting in the class, chatting about random things. We used to discuss and debate anything and everything under the sun. Our topics ranged from politics, literature, movies, gossip, sex and current affairs to literally anything. My time with them helped me evolve as a person. I believed in the black and white compartmentalisation of life and often had a narrow mindset due to my upbringing, but they broadened my horizons with diverse and outrageous perspectives. Good Lord, it was such a fun time! Now that you asked, I am missing them all and must leave a message in our group today.
She immediately took her phone to do the same when her son came crying with a wound on his leg. Sure enough, Jewel got busy tending to her son, and by the time she was in bed, she had totally forgotten about leaving a message in their WhatsApp group.
I’m sure many of you have had this day and moment in your life where you would have wanted to reach out to your friends to relive the past memories but had to channel your energies elsewhere. The procrastination never ends! *************
Now that you are familiar with my lead characters, let’s plunge into their diverse but unified world to know about the twists and turns that are about to come. Will their friendship survive the test of time? Let’s find out.
CHAPTER 1: Setting the Stage
Bangalore, Karnataka
Diana got up at five in the morning, as usual. Her husband had odd working hours, and the traffic did not help. Joyce walked into the kitchen to get his tea and wished her good morning with a peck on the cheek, to which Diana gave him a half-hearted smile. He scrolled through the iPad for the latest headlines before entering the washroom.
An hour later, Diana saw him at the door, well-fed and ready for the day. He kissed her forehead before leaving for work. She waited till the lift doors closed and went to wake up her four-year-old son, Ashwin. As usual, he was cranky in the morning, but Diana managed to bathe him and got him ready for his playschool. She took the wheel and, after dropping him at his playschool, went for some grocery shopping. A few years ago, her mind and thought revolved around politics, feminism, reform measures and empowerment of lives, but now all she could focus on was the price of onions and pampers.
Feeling the frustration opening its lid, she stopped at a pastry shop and bought different varieties of sugary treats. She sat in her car and devoured each of them while trying to divert her mind from painful thoughts. ***************
Kochi, Kerala
Gayatri woke up to the sound of the alarm and went about her daily routine quickly. She had a busy day at the bank today and had to leave earlier than usual. At the sound of the cooker’s whistle, Madhav stirred from his sleep. Esha was already lying awake on the bed, sucking her thumb. He immediately got busy with his daughter and got her ready for playschool while Gayatri started preparing their breakfast and tiffins. During breakfast, Gayatri informed him that she would get late from work today. Other than a curt nod, she got no response. Madhav got engrossed in feeding their daughter and laughing with her, completely ignoring Gayatri. Her heart sank. She tried hard to digest his deliberate avoidance. But when Madhav saw her toying with the food on her plate, he couldn’t resist his concern.
“Eat your food. You just said you have a busy day. Don’t ignore your meals.”
She gave him a small smile which he didn’t return. She knew she would have to succumb soon. The pressures from their parents were also mounting. Her promotion was around the corner, and her professional life would get busier. And most importantly, she was not mentally prepared for another child. For someone who feared injections, Gayatri prided herself on surviving her first pregnancy. But that was it. She had already decided not to have a second child, and Madhav reluctantly complied with her wish. But life did not always go as planned. Now that she was pregnant again, Madhav wanted to keep the child, while she did not. This situation had brought definite fissures into their relationship. Even Esha picked up the coldness between her parents. Gayatri knew she could not drag it for long. With a sigh, she went back to her meal. ***************
Kochi, Kerala
A family of four were on their knees with their eyes closed and lips moving in a prayer. The moment it ended, the house was filled with chaos and laughter. Jewel had a loving and level-headed husband in Lois, who loved and cherished her. Her two kids, Susan and Sandra, were mischievous brats. Her home represented the image of a happy family and tonight was no exception. As the prayer time got over, the kids started screaming for dinner. Jewel went to lay the table while Lois helped her with the dishes. Once settled, Lois was, as usual, scrolling through the news channels when Jewel and the kids screamed out for a movie or cartoon channel instead.
“Come on, Lois. It’s dinner time, and no news channel, please.”
“Just a minute, Jewel. I am checking the headlines.”
“Daddy, please change the channel.”
“One minute, just the headlines. Please, just the headlines.”
The kids moaned in despair while Jewel sighed.
“Then put on the CVC channel.”
“Why don’t you just tell me you want to see your friend’s debate show.”
“Yes, please. At least, this way, I can see her face. I can’t even remember when we had our last get-together.”
“Here you go.” he played the said channel, and with both their parents on the same page, the children focused on their plates again, sulking. *************
Akhila was late for her live debate show and hurried through her touch-up while waiting for the camera to roll in minutes. A high-profile rape case took a new turn, with a minister from the ruling party embroiled in the case. Tonight, Akhila was leading the debate on the political pressure that would befall the case hereon. The executive producer, Madan Raj, approached her before the live show.
“Akhila, please tone down your aggressiveness. Our management does not want to get into a political battle, as of now.”
“For God’s sake, tell the management to grow a spine. Why are they so eager to sell out?”
“Well, maybe because our boss is aiming for a political career!”
“Oh, then it is time for me to switch channels. Tell them this is my show, and I am their star journalist. I work with my rules, or I am not working here anymore.”
Madan raised his arms.
“My duty was to inform you.”
“And you did that. You may leave. I am going live in seconds.”
He sighed and walked away, and Akhila Shekhar took charge for the next hour. As always, it was a nasty debate between different political party representatives, a reputed lawyer and a social activist. With Akhila’s sharp and on-point questions and the perfect punches, she scored at several junctures, and the show concluded.
“I am done for the day. How many threats so far, Susheel,” she asked her colleague who had her phone.
“The count is less today, but don’t worry. You will have your Inbox full by tomorrow.”
“Cool, I need a coffee. Care to join me?”
“With so many threats on your head, I do not want to risk my life, Akhila.”
“Oh, coward. Come, we will grab one from the canteen.” She pulled a laughing Susheel along with her to the canteen.
Two days later, their WhatsApp chat group came alive with Gayatri’s good news.
9.00 pm – Gayatri: I am pregnant again.
Half an hour later, Diana replied in their group.
9.35 pm – Diana: Wow, congrats, dear. Which month?
Forty minutes later, Jewel replied.
9.40 pm – Jewel: Hey, congrats, dear. It is always the one who vehemently denies wanting another child that ends up trapped.
An hour later.
10.05 pm – Akhila: Madhav rocks!
10.10 pm – Gayatri: Shut up, Akhila. Third month, Diana.
10.12 pm – Jewel: Cheers to the new mommy!
Lois hugged Jewel from behind, startling her. Sure enough, her phone lay forgotten on the bedside within minutes.
10.23 pm – Diana: What about your work, Gayatri?
10.25 pm – Gayatri: I will be going to work till the last month.
10.28 pm – Diana: What about your promotion?
10.30 pm – Gayatri: Since I am pregnant, I don’t know if they will consider me now. I will have to avail maternity leave. Shivadas will get an edge over me, for sure.
10.37 pm – Akhila: Wrong timing!
10.38 pm – Gayatri: Hmm. When are we meeting again? I need a break.
10.41 pm – Akhila: You plan it, Gayatri.
10.42 pm – Gayatri: Will you be able to join this time at least, Diana?
10.47 pm – Diana: Let me know the date in advance. I will try.
10.50 pm – Akhila: The usual reply!
10.54 pm – Diana: I will try my best, guys.
10.57 pm – Akhila: Jewel?
10.58 pm – Gayatri: I think she has gone to sleep.
11.03 pm – Akhila: Lois might be keeping her busy wink emoji.
11.05 pm – Gayatri: Haha.
11.07 pm – Diana: Take care, Gayatri. Good night, guys.
Diana kept the phone back on the side table. Her husband’s arm encircled her waist in sleep.
11.09 pm – Akhila: Goodnight.
Akhila hit her head on the pillow before putting her phone away.
11.10 pm – Gayatri: Goodnight, guys.
Gayatri placed her phone aside. She sat in the dining room staring into nothingness, with darkness around her.
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