Chapter 27

Thumbnail Images

“What should I say?” she begged Sameena

Pacing the room like a mad woman

“You think he could be his?”

Mrunalini did not answer

She had made use of Deb’s sudden niceness to check out a couple hours early Monday afternoon and ran over to Sameena’s 

“I don’t want to share him… he must have a wife and kids and such right? Why does he need MY kid?”

Sameena swallowed awkwardly

There was an innocence in Mrunalini that was almost scary

“He has amazing friends, why does he need MY kid?” 

Mrunal looked for reassurance as if Sameena would wave a wand and make Aatreya magically disappear

“If you prove Jaidrith is not his, he will just go away na?” Sameena offered

Mrunal hated the idea

Her gut told her Aatreya is never going away

“Can I offer him money?”

“Mrunal I am telling you prove it to him”

“I could even sell the flat u know”

“Mrunal…. Shhhh shhhh” she stood up walked over and gave hera  hug

“U are shaking just sit for a bit”

Zaira peeked “Kuch laaoon?”

“Ammi Chai and paani”

“Sure beta”

“He could take the whole goddamn flat” Mrunal mumbled

“U don’t even have to give that to him if he is not Aatreya’s child”

“It was a stupid summer fling, u know I was different back then” Mrunal smiled wistfully, letting her mind free roll images from the past

“I can tell” Sameena chuckled sitting by her

“I partied like the world was ending”

“Nice”

“Yeah Amruta Hemang, Manas, Neelesh, Shaurya, his GF Rashi” “Every elite party in town we were there, I wore a bralet for a blouse even before it was famous” Mrunal loosened up laughing out loud

“I was skinny… and what guys would say HOT” Mrunall did air quotes

“You are not 80 now… or 50… or 40” Sameena comforted her

“I wear SAREE to office” Mrunal was suddenly very ashamed

“Ammi wears too”

“Exactly” Mrunal cracked up again

“I met him 3 weekends in a row in Lonavala” Mrunal stared out the window

“Hmm”

“Ive told u this before”

“Hmm”

“I was wearing a leafy blue-green bikini.. I mean IMAGINE  going to a party just wearing that”

Sameena realized she did have incredibly low self esteem if she did these antics in her early 20s

“My eyes popped I think, with the color”

“Hmm”

“He said something memorable… I cannot remember” she sighed

Sameena held her breath and waited for the admission

“The se—l chemistry was stratospheric” Mrunal lowered her gaze self consciously

Sameena urged her to agree for the test, explaining how it would be cheaper and safer, and how it automatically doesn’t mean the kid would be abducted

She realized she was not making a dent with Mrunal

She left to go pick up Jaidrith after the tea

The furniture was delayed

They approached the flat with trepidation

Night time was scary

She changed the light bulb in the toilet to a 120W or something and left it on and the door open

Made besan sheera for Jai

He had a terrible day at school

Didn’t want to go back he said

Strangely the nurse had not called her

He had broken out into hives on his left arm after accidentally putting his elbows on a unclean lunch table that might have had kaju burfi crumbs

His arm was still full of welts

She realized the school had texted her about giving Benadryl

When she didn’t respond they had called an left a message and eventually given him a smaller dose

She gave him his prescription allergy meds

She was afraid Aatreya would show up any minute without announcement

Mother and son took showers and she ate whatever she could from the housewarming leftovers and went to the pillow mountain they had in the living room

Around midnight when they both could not sleep due to the toilet light being on they shifted to the bedroom and shut and bolted the door

And crashed… unaware and unafraid of monsters

The alarm went off at 6 AM

They both were jolted out of their wits, scrambled to get ready to head out

Endless arguing about what to eat and how much

This kid drove her insane

But he looked really cute in the uniform she realized

“Why cant I wear contacts?” he yelled

“Because they require skills to wear and remove you will pull ur eyeball out”

“I get mocked for being a GIRL” he shouted

“They are stupid” Mrunal knotted his real tie, not the fake pin ones at his school

“If I wear black contacts no one will know

“Like mother like son… run and hide, run and hide” she mumbled under her breath

“I am NOT running OK” he shouted

“DHRU… shhhh” “Mee tujhee aai aahe” (I am your mother)

“Its NO for everything”

He had asked her if he can learn how to make a smiley face from Lynn’s “husband” LOL!

Jaidrith assumed he was Lynn’s husband

She had told him she would teach him instead

“Yes to protect you” she said

As Aatreya walked up the steps, checking his phone messages…

She had tied her wet hair in a high ponytail as she slapped lipstick 

Jaidrith read his anime without the sense of urgency, he did this thing where he traced his thumbnail with his index finger when he concentrated

Yep… that’s what he was doing

Hadnt packed his lunch, hadn’t done anything

“DHRU… tu tayar ka hot naahees? (why are u not getting ready?)

“Mmmm” that’s it

Doorbell

“DHRUUU Dwaar ghya” (get the door)

“Mmmm”

He sat

She opened it huffing

Aatreya stood reading an email running his index finger over his thumbnail