Chapter 6

Stranger Parent

There was no full names or phone numbers exchanged between her and Aatreya… she was in Lonavala three weekends in a row, she now wasn’t even sure if she met him the first or second weekend

She hung out with a bunch of really “out there” girls and guys in the early 20s, spoilt rich, most of them brats, did not have any purpose in life except wait for weekends to lose themselves

It worked out great for Mrinalini, she pretended to go attend the IHM diploma classes during the day 3 days a week, the rest of the days and afternoons and evenings, she wandered and party hopped

if she slept in, there was no mother waking her up asking her why she didn’t show up for dinner, or why she was asleep at 10 or 11

Whenever she missed classes the fat cat private institute pinged Sagar to notify. He would have a “word with her”

Loud temper blow outs

“Your mother doesn’t respect me so you think you don’t need to”

She was beyond caring by 16, she would immediately concede and apologize and promise to never skip class ever again… until the next month or after 15 or 20 days

It was the same story all over again

Sagar was struck by how pretty she was, he wondered if she had a boyfriend

She though a party animal did not have a massive SM presence like the kids her age

He could not see any pictures

Whenever he brought up the topic with Falguni he got a

“You don’t want to fulfill your duty as a father and find her a groom? You want her to elope correct?” she would taunt him

“I am just asking, I have people asking me if she wants to do modeling or movies”

“Like father like daughter”

Thwack!

He flung a fat binder in her direction

“Try that one more time I will chop your fingers off” Falguni warned

They both did not know why they were continuing to stay in the marriage

He could “send her away” with a few crores and never see her ever again

She wanted him to take his 100s of crores and vanish and live on an island with h---ers and their h---kers

But here they were, trying to kill each other over life decisions of the only beautiful thing they had ever created together

Her parents did not have even a 1% good relationship, Mrunal had no template of how love should be, she watched them argue and threaten each other frequently

Many times when they pretended to be  “happy” in front of family or friends over dinner, and ended up hissing or yelling at each other Mrunal found herself challenging them 

“Tumi vegale ka rehata nai?”

One time falguni’s sister made a big deal of how Mrunal was crossing the limits and she should try to be a child and strictly a child

“Maushi Tula majhya jaagi rahayachey aahe kya?” (switch places?)

If looks could kill, Falguni’s would have that Sunday afternoon

Falguni hated when Sagar’s family complimented Mrunal on her looks or eyes

“Its not an Indian look” she would say bitingly

To her those eyes reminded her of her cheatin man

Mrunal generally never appeared in front of her parents without her headset on, the chance encounter when she did not she heard many earfuls of how they felt about each other

She was tall

She played basketball in high school

They had rarely shown up for any match, only Sagar did when said “a parent needs to be present”

She had a hoop in her room over the window

She flung soft toys and balls, always…. Always… scoring

She was really good at it

But no one knew

Even in matches where her Baba watched her score, there was no theatrical celebration, he took her to some expensive 5 star for food.

She hung with a group of 5-10 SoBo (South Mumbai) brats. They took trips to Goa together and Mysore and even to Dubai once

She was too afraid for her own personal safety, no her mother did not refuse permission to go anywhere, her own timidity and reticence curtailed her from going to Europe or backpacking in Machu Pichu

She was too afraid of how the drugs made her feel so after experimenting she had just stopped

She could buy all she wanted and inhaled and smoked as much as she wanted

Early on itself Amruta appeared smitten with Sagar she had noticed, she always wanted to know what his favorite color was, how tall he was, and how amazing he dressed, and why he stayed out so much

Mrunal in her most horrific nightmares hadn’t imagined they would hook up actually answered every query sincerely

No clue no suspicion of a growing closeness, disturbing association forming under her own eyes

Amruta went with her to Lonavala and Goa and Pune and all weekend shenanigans. 

These parties were teeming with people, over 100 usually, many times even up to 200.Rashi (Shaurya’s GF), Amruta, Hemang, Manas and Nilesh, Shaurya, Lobo (guys she would go somewhat out of touch with the last 10ish years, not because of any falling out but because she would choose to keep the baby and didn’t have anything common anymore with the wild partying boozing lifestyle)

The odds of everyone knowing who everyone else was close to zero.

The lack of self awareness on her part was astounding, while her fears about being trapped in a room in Dubai with a psycho never materialized, she willfully went all the way with a man she had met for the 3rd time in three weeks and never saw him again

After discovering she was pregnant, she had driven to Lonavala to figure out WHO she had chosen to have hot steamy s—with one whole night. Amruta supported her and distanced herself all at the same time

Very weird?

Yes

But Mrunal would later find out it was because she had begun seeing Sagar Ghatge

In her weeks of asking around nobody knew who Mrunalini even was talking to that night at Lonavala, leave alone who she had departed with.  Crowded, noisy, poolside, with decibel level music blaring, people stoned or wasted… who even had time to care for Mrinalini Ghatge

There was no pact between Hemang Amruta, Manas, Nilesh and Shaurya that they all had to meet at some spot at 2 AM and head back to Mumbai, or ensure the others were safe. It was common for the wealthy to just have a good time, they were not each others’ keepers

The night/trip she spent with Aatreya, Amruta did not go with her, “cramps” she said, truth would come out later….

Years later in passing conversations with Hemang and Lobo, over lunch one afternoon, looking at pictures, on Insta and FB accounts, she had seen his name pop over his head “Atreya Rao” in one of those smoke filled hazy visuals

She didn’t know anyone in those pictures, but she had a baby from one of them…..