Kulvinder uncle's birthday party was a grand affair. The lawn in front of the house sparkled with colorful lights. The neighborhood aunties came decked in shimmering suits and sarees, bearing the weight of gold on their weighty bodies. The men, uniformly potbellied, were resplendent in their colorful kurtas. Their teenage kids, attractive, flirtatious.

She dressed up too, in a crimson and gold churidar suit bua bought her, matching bindi and lip gloss, her hair open, falling ...