Chapter 34

Furtive & Fast cars

She sat up sighing and texted Aatreya Rao for the very first time

“Do you have a car?”

“I do” he said almost immediately

He felt a strange rush, his heart going swoosh swoosh when he saw “Mrunalini Ghatge” text

“Is it a fast car?” she wanted to know

He laughed out loud

He wondered why the first Q she would ever ever ask him be about a fast car

“Depends… not in Mumbai” he said politely

“Hmm”

He paused and 5 minutes later asked “Who wants to know”

“Me” she said literally

He laughed out loud again

“fair enough” he sent a smile

I am not going to say my son wants to know, or your son wants to know…

Umm no…

Hope he has an old beat up Maruti, Jai wont like him

The goal is to find ways for Jai to not like him

If he happens to then I must convince him….

A small voice warned her not to do that

She got up and paced the living room, watched young people walking in pairs below enjoying an ice cream, waiting for the rains to come

“What car is it?” she asked after an hour suppressing her inner voice

“Don’t wish for bad things Mru, he is the father of your child”

“Dhru is the only person I have, he has a MOTHER a FATHER and such”

Mru and Dhru a friend at work had made art work on wood, she had hung it between two windows

“There is no room for a third person on this” she argued with that voice

“Unbelievable” the little voice hissed

“😊” a smiley face appeared

Then a  “Tesla S”

“Oh? Is it fast?”

She didn’t know much about cars, she didn’t care either she bought her Honda for reliability

“Pretty good”

She read up furiously about the S in the next few minutes

Went off to make lunch, watched a interior video, imagined her lil Dhru in the passenger seat

Then wiped her hands on the kitchen towel

“He has a car seat he cannot sit in the passenger seat, though he is tall like 97th percentile for his age he is only 24 kg”

He smiled again

He wondered what was causing her to ask all these Qs

“Understand” he said calmly

She began to cry

“Its over now” “He has a fast red car”

She went over to the bedroom

Jai gave her the sweetest smile

“Aai if my finger does not hurt can I go watch?” he tilted his head toward the hallway

“Shakara… the mother… umm.. Āmhālā ā'īcī paravānagī havī āhē (we have to check with his mother)

“To WATCH?” he was furious

His first brush with friendship had crash landed quite literally

“First shower shakaraa?” she cooed leaving him, returning with home clothes from one of the cupboards Mrs Gomes had built in the nook by the kitchen, she was obsessed with quilting

She had stored 10s of quits and material for 100s

“Aaai”

“OK Fineee”

Her phone buzzed

“Can I see him this evening?” Aatreya had asked

“NOOOO… Saturday nights are for Aai and Dhru:

She sat on the kitchen floor and made sense of it all

How come he is the most unique father? No father cares for their child so much

He has never even seen the boy. My father does not care!!!!! He hurt me he slept with Amruta!!!

She went and threw up and brushed her teeth

After Jai had showered, eaten, and watched those kids play inside the flat, they came up to the grill door every now and then to communicate in sign language

Jai was delirious with joy

He showed them his finger brace and his swollen upper lip, went to the fridge grabbed the two kinds of sorbets she had bought just for that to show them

The boys drooled from not far away

He came in to ask if he can share

This boy was just the cutest she thought

He insisted he put almost half of each in two bowls and slid it across the tiny hallway

They opened and grabbed it and shut the door with a bang

The mother Kirti appeared Jai fearfully showed the containers

“Ho” she nodded, and yelled at her boys not to eact before lunch

Mrunal watched it all

“First time… or until he is comfortable I want to be with him” she demanded after a couple hours.

Deal” he said immediately

“At 6?”

If he is sleeping then 7”’ the demon reappeared as she stalled the inevitable!

“Sure”

It irritated her that he never got angry… why? Ughhh!

In that case he wont mind if I don’t send him

“If he has a fast car?” she asked Jai as she cooed to him

His finger was hurting, and so was his lip from moving his mouth for lunch she gave him the antibiotics and and a painkiller

“Aaaiii” she scowled

“He wants to see you” she muttered

He didn’t care as the drug kicked in

Mother and son took a nice afternoon nap, the spirit in the toilet did not bother her during the day

The sounds from outside, cars, hawkers, people chatting etc was comforting

She slept in the upper berth of the bunk she told herself when he became a preteen she would start sleeping in the living room

Her father texted “Why did you have to leave? I never asked for the apartment back”

She didn’t respond

She had more humungous worries now

He arrived at 6

She opened the door groggy, wearing  a simple readymade cotton salwar and a short kurti she had bought near Sai’s home

He looked like he was going to a party

“Hello” he smiled

“Hmmm?”

“He is asleep”

“Well you didn’t text” he insisted, unwilling to leave