A few years ago my family hosted a baby shower for one of my aunts. It was a lovely ceremony, and I, for once, actually figured out the names of some of my relatives.

A few months later, I am sitting at home, relaxing, zoning out. It’s a lazy afternoon, and my mom gets a call.

Since she’s in the washroom, I pick up the call. The name looks familiar. There’s an old woman’s voice on the other end.

    PERSON: Hello? (Pause) Yes we have delivered baby oil.

Baby oil, you might ask? Isn’t that strange? But a cousin who lived with us worked in fashion. There would often be small clothing samples, or pieces of cloth in the delivered packages at home. My Brain, in its infinite glory, assumed this was something related to that. So I go:

    ME: Okay. Nice day.

And I cut the call.

A little while later, my mother comes out of the washroom. As she is drying her hair, she looks at her phone and asks me.

    MUMMY: Saachi, did someone call?

    ME: Yes Mummy.

    MUMMY: X Called, what was it for?

    ME: Oh nothing, they are delivering baby oil.

    MUMMY: HUH? What nonsense are you saying?

At this point, I have also figured out something is wrong. So I quietly slip away, hoping to avoid this mess altogether. I can hear my mother talking to the person on the phone in the room in hushed voices. Whatever it is, it's not going to go well for yours truly.

She then enters the room, and looks at me dead in the eye:

    MUMMY: Saachi, They have delivered a baby GIRL.

I never even congratulated the woman who called us. Just cut the call on her. So it goes.