Vanity Fair

Saraswati bustled around, calling up caterers and making arrangements for her son's birthday party that week. Her phone buzzed. She looked at the name that flashed and rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Hey Saras! Are you very busy?"

"Yes Rekha," she replied. "Tell me, is it something urgent?"

"Hmmm... Actually, I posted a poem in the morning... I wondered why you hadn't liked or commented..."



"I have been real busy, Rekha... Not gone to Facebook since morning..."

"What are you busy with?" Rekha asked, curious now.

Saraswati sighed without sound. "Just this and that..."

"Being secretive?" Rekha asked half-jokingly.

Saraswati couldn't contain the sigh any longer. "Just organising a party for..."

"Party!" Rekha intervened. "How come you didn't tell me about it? Am I not invited?"

"It is Ashish's birthday party. For his classmates."

"Oh... ok... Still, you could have informed me... So... About that poem. I have posted the link on FB but you have to click it and like in the site where it is posted The one getting the highest likes will be the winner."

"I don't think I will have time to read through," Saraswathi said honestly.

"Oh you do that later, when you have the time. Now just press like."

"Sure," Saraswathi said after an imperceptible pause. 'Whatever,' she mumbled to herself as she ended the call.

Another call distracted her. "Hi, I am Ashish's classmate, Pranav's mother..." a voice spoke hesitantly.

"Hello, how do you do?" Saraswati enquired politely as her mind parallely tried to process the friends her 7-year-old had wanted to invite. She didn't remember seeing a Pranav in the list.

"I believe it is Ashish' birthday today... Please wish him on my behalf. You have a birthday party this Saturday...?"

"Errr... yes..."

"I think you missed out Pranav by mistake. He is in the same class."

"Oh," Saraswati said as she quickly jumped back to the day Ashish told her whom to invite. He was firm about not inviting a couple of his classmates. Though Sarawati had tried to get him to invite all, he had said, "Pranav is always complaining and Sudesh does not like playing football."

"Is that so?" Saraswati asked the mother as if she were not thinking so much. "Actually, he only called the friends who play football with him," she tried to explain.

"Pranav does," the lady insisted. "He heard about the party and is inconsolable that he was not invited. He feels left out... Can you please invite him too?"

Saraswati had to agree though that would mean dealing with her own stubborn son. "If you insist," she said wondering if she would ever be reduced to begging someone to invite her son... If her son would want to go to a party so desperately...

'Have you liked it? Please? Can you also share with your friends? Like not in FB but in the site' Rekha reminded her.

Saraswati decided to give in rather than resist and looked for her friend's poem. She saw the first four lines and frowned. Good for an amatuer but competition? She looked at the time and uttered a soundless 'O'. Time to pick up Ashish and her teenage daughter Aahna from school. She hurriedly clicked the link, put a like and reported dutifully to her friend.

'Thanks, remember to share... Means a lot to me...' her friend persisted.

Seeing no escape Saraswati did that too as she walked to her car, remembering to add, 'Hey, my amazing friend Rekha has penned these BEAUTIFUL lines. Please encourage her by liking it in the site...'

Her children took their own sweet time waving byes to their friends before getting into the car. Even before the car started, Aahna had taken Saraswati's phone and went to Instagram. "Wow!" she said. "You remember the story I posted yesterday? I have got 50 likes! Mom, who is sexysinger? Do you know him?"

Saraswati was upset. "Put the phone away and don't entertain such..." She struggled for words. But her daughter was busy going through the phone to hear her mother or bother about it. Ashish started narrating his day's activities and said, "Badri has bought Nike shoes. Will you get me one for my birthday?"

"But you are already getting the games you asked for! Which one do you choose?"

"Why does it have to be this or that?" he argued and his sister jumped in to support him. Saraswati had quite a headache by the time she reached home as she tried to reason with them. It aggravated when she told Ashish about Pranav. It required all tact and patience to make her son see it from Pranav's point of view. Even then, Ashish had the last word before he gave in reluctantly , "But I am the birthday boy! Doesn't what I wish count?"

The evening of the party came and further shocks awaited her. Many of her son's friends walked in with their siblings - older and younger. She had not factored them in for the food or, more importantly, the return gifts. "I can't leave my other one alone..." said one seemingly apologetic but already having decided that she had no choice. "They always go together," said another proudly, as if this was a special sign of undying sibling love.

Saraswati had to ration out the food. She had to scramble through her stock of unopened things to see if they could pass off for return gifts.

And amidst all this, walked in clearly Rekha, dressed for a party. "Hey, I thought I can help you!"

'Just don't get in the way,' Saraswati thought as she smiled and nodded. Before the cake could be cut, Rekha made sure that it was photographed, with her in the foreground. She took selfies with the children. With the balloons... With some of the mothers lingering behind...

The morning, it was there in her feed, 'Had a blast with Saraswati's kids... The lovelies...'

The mandatory, 'cho chweet', 'awww', 'gorgeous' followed.

Saraswati chewed her lip as a whole lot of unparliamentary words floated through her mind. Finally she typed, hoping Rekha will understand the sarcasm, 'What a timely help in handling the sweeties, Rekha. I would have been lost without you, thank you.'

'Love ya' Rekha replied predictably. 'Anything for you.'

A few of their common friends complained, 'Why didn't we know about it?'

'Sarawati! You traitor! We would have helped too! Rekha, sly one! Getting invited and not letting us know!'

Saraswati felt blood rush to her cheeks. A children's party had assumed grand proportions online. She wondered if this would alienate her from her friends. She hesitated and then called them one by one, seemingly for a casual chat but assuring them that they were not forgotten. A plan for a party formed and they took enough selfies to post on their pages that night.

And she felt good. She felt she belonged.