During dinner too, Sulochana came to see Josh and took the seat next to me. I was getting really irritated with the girl.

"Hi", I said politely, unable to bring myself to smile.

"Hi babe!" she said cheerfully, "So do you think that friend of yours will want to go somewhere with me?"

Here we go!

Riya stopped eating and looked up sharply.

"Uh..what?" I asked.

"See", Sulochana said speaking matter-of-factly "I know you said he has a girlfriend from his school. But who knows if he'll even meet her again? Friends and girlfriends from school usually don't have much of a future".

This was a problem that I had not foreseen at all.

Riya cleared her throat loudly, "Excuse me Sulochana, but except for your cousin brother the rest of us were all in school together. And we will be together forever", she said in her pompous Riya way.

Sulochana gave her a sympathetic look. Riya frowned. She doesn't like such behaviour at all.

Meanwhile, I gulped trying to think of something suave to say.

"What's your favourite subject in school Sulochana?", I asked trying to sound like and adult.

"Nothing really", Sulochana shrugged. Riya's face softened. She totally likes this kind of answers.

"Physics?", I asked.

"Hate it"

"Maths?"

She shook her head.

"Chemistry?"

"Yuck".

I was liking the girl lesser every moment. She had just 'yuck'ed my favourite subject.

As if on cue to worsen the situation, Reyansh came with his dinner tray and sat down next to me. He smiled cursorily at Sulochana. I wanted to slam my salad bowl in his face.

"So Rey, are you free tomorrow evening?" Sulochana said.

Reyansh never points it out but he doesn't like it when people call him Rey. This stupid girl didn't know that.

The tiniest frown appeared on Reyansh's face (which Sulochana didn't notice, of course) before he said, "Um..no actually, I need to hang out with my friends".

I no longer wanted to slam the salad bowl on Reyansh's face. I wanted to pick the cucumbers in it one by one with my fork and feed it to him.

I also wondered what Sulochana would do when she went to college.

•••

Revathi squared her plump shoulders as the door opened and Mr Neel alias Sulochana's father and the owner of Bluepeaks resort walked in.

The man was nothing like his daughter. He reminded me of a strict no-nonsense headmaster with a commanding aura which made bystanders skulk back with intimidation.

Behind him, was a guy slightly older than us. Maybe Sanam's age. He walked in with a swagger unlike his father's strict gait. I knew he was Neel's son because the resemblance between them was uncanny.

Neel positioned himself near a huge black and white potrait that adorned the entrance of the staff building. I would find out later that it belonged to Neel's father who had founded Bluepeaks.

Neel looked around at all of us approvingly.

"Where is my nephew?", he asked in a tired voice that belied his crisp demeanor. Nobody answered.

"He has gone out", I said feeling that someone had to speak.

The guy turned his gaze on Revathi, "And what is your problem, this time?" he asked, "Why did you call for me?"

Revathi seemed to have been waiting for the cue and immediately launched into a babble.

"Sir I cannot run the show like this anymore", she said in an insistent tone which gave me the impression that scenarios like this had happened often previously, "You get these teenagers every year for the volunteer program who think they've come to some Switzerland vacation. They take full advantage of the free accomodation and cause some headache or the other. I really don't want to continue this. We should cancel the program after this year. Otherwise, I fully intend to go back to my hometown in Kanyakumari and join my family's fish farm."

"She has been giving this same speech for the past six years", the boy who had come with Neel snorted.

"Laksh keep quiet", his father said warningly.

"Sir I don't want to talk with your impudent in the room", Revathi said.

Neel crossed his hands behind him and sighed, "Are we not giving you and your husband enough money Revathi?", he chided "The camp is important for us. It's PR. We have to hustle. Is it such a big thing to handle some kids?"

"He too has been saying this for the past six years", Revathi mumbled.

"Appa, you needn't worry", Laksh commented "This woman isn't going anywhere. As if she can enjoy the same luxuries we give her and her gambler husband by selling some rotten fish".

"Boy, that is an unnecessary allegation", Revathi snapped at him and then turned back to Neel.

"Sir, what am I supposed to do with my husband, the good for nothing fellow? And by the way, who runs the gambling den where my husband and all the other useless men of this hill station stay like dogs? Why doesn't anybody just arrest that Chameli? But nobody even talks about her. They're after a poor woman like me just because I'm not as young or beautiful as I used to be".

"Oh and when was that? A century back?", Laksh taunted.

"Enough Laksh", his father said calmly but sternly and the boy fell silent. High time, I thought. If I had spoken like that in front of my father, he would have hung me from the ceiling fan in our living room.

"Revathi is much older than you. Show some respect".

"Show respect to your elders", Laksh recited in a monotonous voice "What a new advice! No wait pa..I think I've heard it somewhere".

"Laksh!"

"Appa you're old, man", Laksh remarked, his impudence returning with full force.

Neel looked at him with a mixture of weariness and disgust.Who could blame him? I would look at Laksh the same way if he was my son.

"Speaking about age", Neel said finally gathering himself "I think we can agree that you certainly didn't act yours last night".

"Appa it was just a party", Laksh groaned.

"Just a party with marijuana smoke all over my resort!"

"It was nothing. We just wanted to have some fun. What else are guys of my age supposed to be doing during holidays?"

"Oh I don't know...how about learning some discipline?"

"Appa, please!"

"Oh yes. As punishment for what you did yesterday - no - for what you did all these years, you're going to keep out of the penthouse, stay in the staff quarters and work in the resort. My resort".

"What?'

"Its the only way to teach you some behaviour".

I could sense Revathi bubbling with excitement even from six feet away.

"Appa! You can't do this to me. How can you make your own son work in your resort when I should be sitting behind a chair in an office?"

"The thing is son, you've sat comfortably on a chair for too long", Neel said with a grimace "And I know that's my mistake.You will work here with the other volunteers from tomorrow, staying in the staff house. When I feel that you've been punished enough, you can come back to the penthouse."

"You can't chuck me out of my own house", Laksh said "I'm not a kid!"

"Then why do you behave like one? Or if you feel this is too big a punishment, you can move out on your own and learn to make a living while studying. I'll be happy to have an independent son".

Father and son glared at each other for a few seconds until the father won and Laksh covered under his gaze.

"Amma won't like this..", Laksh made a final attempt at begging.

"I will talk to your amma when she comes back from Texas. I'm sure she'll agree that it's high time you learnt some discipline".

"I'll call her and ask her to come back right now".

"Your mother has gone to visit her siblings. She won't come back so easily. I really don't know what to do with a donkey like you for a son. Enough of this nonsense. You'll take your things and move here tonight itself. Revathi please show him one of the spare rooms".

"Oh yes, of course sir. It'll be my pleasure" Revathi said quivering with happiness.

Laksh followed Revathi out of the room looking sulky. I turned around to see Riya staring at Laksh's retreating back view which had as much swagger as his front.

This summer was going to be interesting man.