Kat ***

“Hahaha… that’s awesome lar Kat.”
“Rinny, do you remember BJ? What a woman! Hahaha.”
“Hahaha… she was a real nutcase. I loved her pranks lar. And Chegu Nina got the brunt of it!”
“Kat, it was hilarious lar. Hey woman, we gotta do a movie real soon lar, the whole gang.”
“Hey how about right now?” Kat giggled.
“And after that let’s do something really crazy. Hahaaha. Hey woman, call Bina and Liz. And BJ too – how can we go without BJ? Hahaha.”
“Hahaha…”
“You know, Rinny, we gotta be like this all the time. Together, laughing. Having fun.”
“Yeah, who wants marriage and children- a nuisance lar. Hahaha. ”

The garbage truck out front blared the horn suddenly. Kat sat up, startled. She looked around her. Everything was perfect. She had all the luxuries. She looked out the window. The neighbours, Valli and Siva were sitting in their swing in the garden, lost in idle chatter. Their grandchildren ran around squealing. Kat looked at her hands. They were wrinkled and shook a little. She looked around the house. It was quiet. Too quiet. And then, the telephoned rang, its jarring tone shattering the silence and giving Kat a mild start. Someone was calling ! A smile lit up Kat’s face. She shuffled over quickly, lifted the phone and spoke anxiously.
“Yes, Kat here. Who is calling?”
“Ohh.” Kat put down the phone slowly. It was a wrong number.

She knew then. She was no longer Kat, the effervescent, ever laughing teenager. She was Kathyayini, the aging spinster, alone in her home, among her material riches, with no one to share her joys and sorrows.