Cheers!

‘Please tell her I am with you! You don’t know my mom, she’ll tell my dad and he will kill me if he ever found me drinking in a pub, he’s so protective… Please please…. (to the smiling waiter) Give me an elephant Budweiser…(then to her friends) I am feeling nervous. (she gives the phone to her friend)... here… talk to my mom… please save me, I promise you a treat!'

‘Aunty, don’t worry Sunita is with me, we are working on a project… this Monday is the deadline. What? You want her to return by 8? (Sunita is desperately saying no… Lata sees and nods)… but aunty please allow her to stay with me, we are planning to finish the project by tonight, it will be really late. What? Sure aunty… she will reach in the morning sharp by 8… please, aunty please. Thank you aunty, thank you so much.’

At the end of this nail-biting conversation, all friends gave a grand high fiver in the air and burst into a thunderous laughter. Just then, Manjula’s mom called. No one panicked.

‘Hello ma… I will reach very late tonight; around midnight. I am chilling with friends at the pub. Yes ma, I am okay, don’t worry. What? No way! I don’t want baba to come here and wait for me… I don’t know when this’d end… don’t worry … we will come on our own... what? Ha ha ha!!! Obviously we will book a cab. Oh I think I understood what you're trying to say… we made sure no one brought their vehicles, two wheeler or four... so rest assured... and ma... I am sorry I should have called. Love you.’