Chapter 64

Incredulous!!

It looked like his own bank’s back office in Gurgaon and Pune. The cubicles were cramped and the windows were spaced out along the walls, the break room still smelled of stale coffee, though it was Saturday evening

There were motion sensor lights that were triggered as they walked

“Not many work the weekends I assume?”

“Most work from home if they have to” she mumbled

Jaidrith crashed into a tall trash can as he walked and played on his Switch

“Dhruuu kahitari vegale karanyasa tayara aahat?” (ready to break something else?)

He looked up at Aatreya and flashed the cutest smile

“Tee mala kadhicha visaru denara nahi” (she will never let me forget)

“Angrejita bola” (speak in English) she hissed

Before she said “Tumhi nukatecha kaaya kele te sangu nakka” (Do not repeat what you said now”)

Well.. too late

He did in English

“She wants you safe” Aatreya didn’t side with his son

“I hate the office I hate Chembur” he said loudly

“Ata tumhee maratheet bolu shakata” (Now you can switch to Marathi) she warned

She didn’t want Aatreya to hear what Jaidrith’s opinion was

“I have him for 8 or 10 hours usually Mrunalini, he is honest, you should appreciate that” he said softly

“Because he hates me and the things I offer to him?”

“No he hates one of the elevators in my building, he hates the pounding from the cabinetry in my neighbors’, he hates walking bare feet by the pool”

Jaidrith looked at her nervously

“Did you throw a fit?” she muttered

“Nakko” he shook his head

She nodded

He relaxed and smiled

“I cant give you coffee, I don’t drink office coffee” she mumbled

“I might know why” he chuckled

“They give us a few coupons a year for the hotel coffee shop I usually bring friends over there”

“That’s great”

“Yeah

She was beyond wealthy if only she made peace with her Baba and Aai

But she had chosen to give it all up for peace of mind

she had neither now

Jai ran to her cube, and pointed to his and his Mum’s photos, he usually gestured because he loved listening to music while playing video games

“Yeah I see that” Aatreya smiled happy

There were pictures he had not seen before, in a collage white board, Mrunal pregnant wearing a orange paithani and nath and wearing what looked like Chandan teeka on her forehead and cheeks, just like 10 people at the event

She looked incredibly happy

He tried not to stare but he had not ever seen a more beautiful picture of her

Dhru and Mrunal were busy discussing something on her ipad

“You finish this work first, we can talk about getting a soda”

“Aaaiii” Dhru ran off like a torpedo, upset and furious

“Dhru final offer 5 questions or zero soda”

“I WANT SODA, I WANT COKE I WANT COKE” he shouted

Aatreya turned toward the commotion

“Hey how about we get it, you watch it sitting on your desk dripping icy water vapor and finish ur work and I will open for you”

After a good 20 minute arguing back and forth, 

they walked back to the break room to get it, her card got stuck and the machine beeped

She somehow got it out

He handed her his card

They briefly gazed at each other, before she took it and waited for the card to be rejected

But the slim green line appeared indicating the machine was ready for a choice

“Can I get a water?” he urged

She ordered a sprite and a bottle of water,

“What about you”

“Umm”

“U can pay me back” he held a chuckle

She stared at the machine and got herself an iced tea

“Thanks” she muttered as they both bend down to retrieve the three things almost bumping into each other

He was so easy to talk to she realized

Casual, funny, and kind

“Changed ur mind?” he asked as she stared at her tea bottle without picking it up

She looked at him confused

“Ur tea?”

“Yeah” she picked it up and opened it to sip

“Dhru…amala lavakara jaave lagela” (time to go home soon) she pulled out one of his airpods to talk to him

“Aaaiii” he started to argue again, grabbing it back, fightin for it

“U suddenly love my office now?” she whispered accusingly

“I hate Chembur MORE” he responded

Aatreya chuckled silently

He had a mouth on him

“Thank Mr Rao”

“I already told Atty” he shrugged

It did make her uncomfortable that her son addressed his Dad with his first name

There was no one to police her, if he was getting policed about it he certainly hadn’t revealed it to her

They returned to her cube

“Did he behave himself?” she turned to him

“He always does”

“Because he gets anime books and Legos and swim days”

“He is easy to care for” Aatreya insisted

“Sure with outsiders” she nodded

His expression was grim

“You don’t know what you like more now right?” “Him becoming comfortable enough with me to throw fits, or me always being a stranger to him” he said quietly

They were fighting in her cube now, they seemed to be doing it at every occasion

“He is going to get comfortable sooner or later, umm.. the honeymoon will end” she could not hide her glee

“I am happy it brings you so much joy”

“Its just who he is, he is argumentative and adamant and refuses to eat and uses his allergies to give me the run around” she smiled squarely at him

“I am fine with it Mrunalini”

“I am sure you are, but don’t tell me I did not warn you”

“Warning received” he said silkily

“His allergies are a real thing, he should choose to eat what he likes”

“Umm.. that’s not how parenting works” she scoffed at him

“You cannot force him to eat things that might fill him up but taste like crap”

“Thanks for the tip but I cannot let him live on potato chips and sodas and candy for weeks”

“He didn’t ask for any of that”

“Well like I said WAIT for it”

“Don’t punish him under the pretext of resolving his food allergies” he mocked her

“You think I am using it to torture him?”

“You sound like you are being too disciplined”

“If u had a child with the amount of allergies he does then u will know”

“I do… Mrunalini” he said slowly

She turned red upon realizing Jaidrith was no longer hers alone

“I admit I was an absentee parent, but I am here now I hope to be in his life”

She swallowed not having a comeback for that

“We don’t have to like each other to make this thing work”

She looked up at him immediately

“Is he saying he hates me?” was the first thought in her mind about Atty’s statement

“I am fine with everyone hating me” she chuckled weakly smiling, shrugging with effort

“I am not in touch with the whole world” he laughed not connecting with her self insult

“ I am glad you are not sending people out to beat me up” he chuckled, his eyes twinkling

“I can’t… don’t do THAT” her mind voice warned

“As if that’s going to make you go away?” she asked seriously

“Did you CONSIDER it?” he was shocked for a second and burst out laughing, his whole body shaking with amusement

She stood there mortified

Jaidrith looked up from the anime comic he was reading on his ipad, and removed a air pod briefly and heard the laugh and stuck it back in and went back to read with a relieved sigh

“I wasn’t going to have you beaten up” she said a little ashamed her expression giving her away

“I would have totally considered it seriously” he said grimly, his eyes still reeling from the humor, full of laugh tears and twinkling

“Law is usually not very kind to men who plot such things, unlike women who do” she smiled a little

“Thanks for reminding me of my rights” he muttered

They looked at each other like they did at the poolside in Lonavala

Strangers in heat, flirting…

“I don’t have cash can I pay you next weekend or something?”

“You totally can” he nodded

He wasn’t going to force her to be comfortable and let it slide

He knew it was going to make her even more prickly and scared

“I am going to go to the “Meet the Scientist” event next Wednesday… so…” she left it at that

Basically urging him not to go

“That’s great you can pay me then? Maybe? I am going too” he insisted

“Dhruuu… say Bye, and Thank you” she pulled his airpod out

“Can I go to his house?” Dhru asked like he hadn’t spent the day with Aatreya

“Sure, and the next century” she muttered

“Aaai I always go to Chemburrrr” he howled

“Good to know”

Atty and him did a fist bump shake, the chill the nod.. until they both laughed

She only got a hug and many kisses, but she became weirdly jealous of the manly bonding

“Thank you” she nodded walking out with him to badge him out of the hall

“You are welcome”

“I don’t have to work next Saturday” she tod him “Don’t expect to see him”

“We can talk about it Wed”

“Why?” she paused mid track

“Because I want to see my kid every weekend” he said looking into her eyes

“Even when we are busy?”

“You are not Mrunalini”

“How do you know?” she hid the guilty flush

“I am just speculating” he muttered, his eyes roving over her face

“You want me to keep a log of every minute of our day to prove?”

“Would you do that for me?” he mocked softly, hands tucked into his pockets

He sounded sincere though he was taunting her

“U will just look for things I don’t do with him to tell the judge he should be given to you full time” she said spontaneously

“Woww” he was shocked at how paranoid she was

“Just because I asked you if you will care for him if you had him full time don’t think I will ever let you have him full time”

“There is no threat, stop fighting!” he warned softly

“You want to see him everyday right, how is that not a threat?”

“I am the DAD” he bit out angrily

“Umm”

“I know you want to defend urself but you do not see me as the Dad…I don’t think you are thinking of me that way at all” he sighed, “You think of me as a child abductor” “I am not even sure why” “I understand you love that kid… I do too, you’ll be amazed… I mean I think of him the first thing everyday (sighing) coming back to the issue…. I will not jeopardize my career, my family and my reputation, none of it, so I can put you in pain” he said softly

“I want you to put urself in my shoes” she said weakly

What he was saying made complete total sense, she felt like a fool

“I am trying hard to convince you I am not guilty of the crime you seem to think I am” a longish pause “At every meeting”

“U never listened what I said” she shrugged rubbing her forehead agistatedly

“I DID”

“You show up in my life you do everything by the BOOK, you send me an avalanche of documents, you are amazing wonderful kind and…. and funny,  and and… playful… the kid falls in love immediately! The kid starts thinking the world of you, he wants to spend all the time with YOU…. He wants to be with you (without realizing she continued on and on about Dhru’s feelings for Aatreya)”

He was dumbfounded, she was anxious and mistrusting and fearful he could tell

“So I must want to abduct the kid?” he was incredulous

“Why else will you be so nice?” she asked equally incredulously