The evening unspooled in reverse. Kavita returned first, carrying a bag of fresh sabzi from the vendor who set up on the footpath. She graded papers while listening to a devotional song on her phone. Aarav came home sullen; he’d dropped from third to fifth in class rankings. Ramesh arrived late, loosening his tie, carrying a box of jalebis as a peace offering.

“Ramesh? Did you put the ghee in the tiffin for Aarav?” her voice crackled, slightly competing with a rooster in the background.

No one mentioned the rank. Instead, Ramesh asked, “Did you see the catch Jadeja took today?”