Chapter 53

Mistakes & Options

Jaidrith couldn’t tell him what snack she liked or music she liked

He decided against giving her any flowers

Jaidrith would tell her at night about how Aatreya asked to buy a gift for her for allowing him to be at his place

“You coming back is my gift” she said staring into identical blue eyes

“You don’t like him?” he asked candidly

She froze, she had no idea her face was so expressive

She quickly shut the bedside lamp and snuggled by him

“I don’t know him”

“U said you know him and he is my Dad”

“Shakaraaa”

She hated the game of million questions

The kid just did not shut up

Why what

When where

Who

Why

What

“I feel weird calling him Dad”

Then don’t” she said smugly

That made her happy

She hugged him tight he smelled like Aatreya’s 

house she realized

“Do you like going over there?”

He looked at her face carefully in the dark

He didn’t want to admit he did

Tū mhaṇālāsa kī āpaṇa sid'dhīvināyakākaḍē jā'ū śakatō āṇi maga tū malā ghē'ūna jāśīla

(U said u will take me to Big Mike's Indoor arcade in Hiranandani after going to Siddhi Vinayak no?)

She had forgotten in all the stress

She was doing almost daily therapy calls this week with Sameena

This was getting real bad

Talking to his parents, and being judged for her decision was going to be terrifying

Maybe going to Siddhi Vinayak on Saturday would avert that

“Saturday?” she kissed his forehead, getting off his bed

There was no call from him on Saturday, she worked remotely to impress Sen so he would not ding her for so many therapy apptts during the week, she was on the verge of being broke this month due to moving, new furniture and down payment and advance electricity and water dues and society dues

She knew a day spent at an arcade meant at least Rs, 5,000

Jaidrith received an invite from Lynn, early afternoon

Mrunalini would later discover SHE was not invited though all parents were

Mendy offered to pick him up and walk with him to his terrace for an evening of games

Jai was enjoying all the sudden attention

A lifetime of being lonely and one month of being liked

He spent his afternoons after school staring out his front steel door at Ulhas and Utkarsh

Kirti Sahasre appeared to be softening but Mrunal could not get overconfident

No parent in Amaltas had ever bothered to return her call after the first play date

“He is weird, he sits in a corner and reads” 

“He brings a weird medicine bag”

“is he bionic boy” 

Like there was a clique and it was impenetrable

The few times he got to hang out, he did not play basketball or soccer well enough

He was a bookworm who didn’t care to play

She let him be, and so  there could be no happy medium

Mendy asked her if it was OK for Jaidrith to return at 10, she couldn’t let him stay that long, since he could not eat anything before she tested it so she went to pick him up and found 25 parents

Lynn just smiled and waved

Aatreya was missing too

She would ask him at night and he would say “I don’t know”

Which she would later find out as well on Sunday when Jaidrith would ask Aatreya where he was any why he didn’t go to Mendy’s

“I was out with friends bud”

“Aaai he was out with friends” her son informed after the call

“I can go to the school for getting myself an ID on Tuesday at 4? Will that work?”

“Its his first week back after suspension I am hoping he can be in extra hour for Math etc”

“He is repentant, you should drop it” he was irritated

“Well, he had a choice and he screwed up”

“You’ve never made any mistakes?” he asked and regretted it the next second

“I am sorry” he said after a long pause

“So he will be busy at extra hour of every subject one day a week next week” she said quietly

She didn’t ack his apology, neither did she defend herself

“I can see if I can do this alone

“U cannot” she said quietly

“Did you have to accompany for ur parents” he asked casually

No response

“We can do the week after”

Aatreya hung up the call and wondered why Jai had no recollection of his grandparents

“Who are they?” he asked Aatreya in return

“U know what, lets go get a sorbet” he changed the subject

He wondered if they passed

But Mrunalini’s response and silence second time he had brought it up confirmed something was off

“Have u met her parents?” he texted Mendy

“Whose?”

“Mrunalini’s?”

“Nope”

“Hmm”

What happened?

“Not a thing”

“Phew” “U know, Vikas Bhasin right? His Mom had a stroke”

“really?”

He began calling Vikas and got distracted

“Hi! Saturday at 8?” he said the Friday after return to school week

“We cannot go Saturday” she said since she had appointed herself in chaperone role at all times

“Actually just him”

“I don’t know”

“He wanted to go to an arcade in Hiranandani”

She hung up the phone and became jealous of this man

He had every right to the child and had every option to entertain him