I stepped inside. A maid gestured for me to follow her. Five
expensive cars—an Audi SUV, two Mercedes Benz, one Bentley and
Riya’s BMW—-were parked in the compound.
I entered the house, and found myself in a large living room with a
shiny white marble floor. Glittering chandeliers hung from the fifteen-
foot high ceiling. Three sofa sets, upholstered in expensive silk, were
atranged in a U-shaped configuration. A teak and glass coffee table
occupied the middle of the room. This is what a real palace would
look like if royals actually had any money. I thought of my haveli, with
its peeling walls and cracked floors. Forget chandeliers, we felt lucky
if we had less than five-hour power cuts.
Suddenly, in this lap of luxury, I felt lonely. I missed home, my
hostel room and my mother, all at the same time. It is funny how class
works. The moment you are placed in a higher one, a part of you feels
terrified and alone.
‘Come this way,’ the maid said as she saw me stand still.
We reached the back garden. Loud music and a waft of cool breeze
greeted me. I saw the manicured, basketball-court-sized garden lit up
with small fairy lights. White-gloved servers manned a buffet and bar
counter. In the right corner, water shimmered in a small swimming
pool. Most of tile eighty-odd guests had gathered around the pool.
Everyone was dressed as if they had just participated in a fashion
show.
People chatted in small groups. Everyone seemed extremely happy.
I looked around for the tall girl who bad invited me. However, this
party had several tall girls, a lot of them on account of their three-inch
heels.
‘Hey, Madhav!’ I heard her voice.
I squinted to find Riya waving at me from a distance. She walked
towards me. She wore a wine-coloured dress which ended six inches
above her knees. She had applied light make-up. Her face looked even
prettier than it did every day. She wore dangling diamond-and-white
gold earrings, with a matching necklace and bracelet. She had dark red