1.1 | Under The Clear Summer Sky | ✓

1 | first meeting

It was not an unusual practice to greet neighbors with sweets, especially when you were moving into a new house. The practice had numerous benefits. The foremost benefit was creating a good impression so it doesn't become awkward to ask for help if a situation calls for it. The other benefit was getting a feel of what sort of neighbors one had. 

So Nina Gupta, who had moved into the 1102 apartment, didn't find it awkward to bring sweets and introduce herself to Anita Anand in the 1101 apartment. Anita didn't find it unusual either. In fact, she had been expecting a visit ever since she caught sight of helpers moving in and out of the neighboring apartment and cardboard boxes littered around.

What surprised the two ladies was their children. 

Vineet, the eldest son, had accompanied his mother to greet his neighbor. 'Forced along' would be the right term but to Nina, his mother, that was all semantics. 

Anita, who prided herself on her ability to judge people by the vague & elusive 'glow' in their faces, immediately judged Vineet as an academic boy. He had a quiet charm to himself and was rather good-looking.

When Nina caught sight of Anita's daughter, seated by the dining table and poring over her exam papers, she was instantly impressed. The girl had a bubbly face with growing maturity sprinkled in her expressions. She appeared to be devoted to her studies, judging by the books scattered around.

Nina had always a soft spot for studious children. A girl like Anuradha, who was also rather cute in terms of looks, immediately landed a spot in her good books. The wonders outward appearances could accomplish!

This was the starting point of the casual friendship between the two ladies.

After the basic introductions, the mother and son were ushered to the couch and made comfortable with water and snacks.

"Which grade are you in, Vineet?"

"12th." was the quiet answer. He managed an awkward smile. He didn't know what to do with his hands and his mouth. He wished there were lessons for these sorts of things. Unit 1, Lesson 1 - 'What to do with your hands when you visit someone else's house?'. He simply stared down at his feet and sat rigidly straight.

"Oh! Anu is also in the same grade. What a coincidence!"

Anuradha's head bent up from her stack of papers, at the mention of her nickname. Sending a soft smile at the older neighbor, she glanced at the boy seated next to him. Boy was he handsome.

"Which stream are you in?" Anita prodded.

"PCMC."

"Oh my! This has to be fate. Anu is in the same stream."

Nina leaned forward, interested. "Really?"

"Indeed. Which school do you study in?"

"I've transferred to Chrysalis High."

Anita placed her cup down, her eyes growing wider with each answer. "Which section have you been placed in?"

"K"

Anita heaved a sigh. "Well, there ends the string of coincidences. She's in the J section of the same school."

Nina glanced at Anu. "Does she study well?"

"Oh, she does. She's very hardworking. But," Anita glanced at her daughter, worried. "Her marks had dipped a little in 11th grade. She's trying to get back on track now."

Nina nodded, vigorously. "That's very normal." 

In her mind, Nina was a little disappointed. Having a son as brilliant as Vineet had warped her mindset a little. If another child wasn't as good in studies as her son was, she looked down on them slightly. She stole another glance at the girl, who was now engaged in circling questions, with scrunched eyebrows.

The girl is definitely a hard worker, Nina concluded. But perhaps not as smart as Vineet.

"She performed well in 10th grade. Got 97%." Anita laughed, pride decorating every syllable. "She's an intelligent child. I'm sure she would do well this year too."

Nina nodded, slower this time. Vineet had scored 99 in 10th. This child is not too far off. She really must be an intelligent kid.

The intercom rang. Anu hopped up from her seat and hurried over to pick it up.

"Hello? Maya?" She answered the call. 

"Hm." 

"Hm, I know." 

"I can't play. I have to study."

"Yes." 

"Yes, bye."

The fact that Anu had chosen to study instead of hanging out with her friend appealed to Nina. Her mind wandered to her second son, who was probably still swinging about in the playground and getting his clothes dirty in the mind. She let out an involuntary sigh.

Vineet simply stared at his hand the entire time, not knowing what to say or what to do. He finished his glass of water, thinking it wouldn't be right to waste the water. He wanted to glance around the house and take a look at his peer seated at a certain distance from him, but the loud beats of his heart thrummed against his chest, drowning his confidence and bravery.

Nina placed her cup of water down. She, too, had finished it.

"It was nice meeting you, Anita." Nina stood up, gathered her bag and placed her sweet box square on the table. "I'll be right next door. Let me know if you need any help with anything."

It was highly unlikely that the ladies would do anything more than chat with each other or shoot a 'Hi!' if they spotted each other. But formality presided over conversations like these. What had to be said must be said.

"Of course, the same goes for you." Anita stood up along, with the duo. She shot a warm smile at both of them and led them to the door. She waited until the duo opened the door to their house and then locked her own.

The little meeting ended. Anuradha had managed to peek at the boy, several times. Thankfully, she went unnoticed each time. The boy was handsome. At the front, his jet-black hair was raised, his forehead briefly visible. On the sides, strands of his hair fell easily over his ear. He did not have long hair but he did have a voluminous one. 

Plus, he wore glasses. That already scored a point for him in Anu's eyes. 

Anu sighed, dreamily. As her eyes returned to her books, she felt like cold water had been poured all over her. She grabbed her pen and went back to her work.

✿

[behind the scenes]

Vineet hadn't managed to take a good look at Anuradha. It wasn't until later that the hazy image of her in his head became a clearer one.