Chapter 72

Mr Nightingale

Half way through the night she woke up ina sneezing bout, and realized she had body ache and fever again, she got up to go to the restroom

She noticed Dhru asleep under what looked like a tent of sorts in the living room

The front door had two chairs and a couple of indoor plants stacked against it

She wondered how he did all that by himself

She went back to the room and found ATTY in the upper berth fast asleep

She froze wondering if she should wake him and kick him out

She walked closer to the bed, and stared at his face under the blue night light glow

He looked unperturbed

He had stayed afterall? Why?

She went to the kitchen everything was put away and spotlessly clean, the morning breakfast mess was also all washed up, a load of laundry had dried in the annexe and the light glowed green

She wobbled back to her bed lay on it and wept softly

“Oh why did he have to be a kind man?” “He shud have been a jerk like Baba”

“I want to hate him”

She wondered if Shyamal was OK with him staying over

She wondered where e his phone was, it lay charging in the bedroom in the corner on a desk, she walked over and tapped it

There were pictures and emojis from Shyamal she went back to bed

“Did u need anything?” he asked gruffly

“No” she sniffled wiping her tears off

He got off and stepped down

“Some tea or hot water before u take ur body ache meds?”

“No” she rolled over facing the wall crying again

“What is going on?”

“Nothing I just have a cold and I feel miserable”

He had watched her check his phone

He reached and felt her forehead

She pushed his hand away, and turned to face him

“Can I just have the meds? I can make my own tea?”

He left her and returned with the tea and handed her two pills

The tea was fantastic

“Are you hungry?”

“No”

He sat there motionless not saying a word

“Why did you stay?”

“I knew you were sick right?” he growled

“Ive managed before u know”

“I know you have”

“I mean I have my parents in town too”

“I know you don’t” he said firmly

She looked at him in horror

“Stop lying to me”

“I have never” she accused

“I am not going to start a fight at… he looked at the clock on the wall, 2:22 AM”

“I have parents”

He didn’t answer

“I will bring you water”

“You could have asked Dhru to sleep in the top berth”

“And wake up every time you sneeze?” he smiled

“I just have a cold”

He nodded

They both went back to their beds

She didn’t wake up at 7 or 8, she foggily recalled seeing Dhru as he was herded to school

Aatreya returned at 10 AM ish

She was still asleep, she heard cooker sounds, it reminded her of childhood and the sounds from the kitchen, her mother rarely entered it, mostly an army of help flit in and out

Even while dreaming She wondered what her mother cooked today, in her new marriage she apparently was quite the culinary expert

He worked in the living room until,  she heard him talking laughing, giving directions, chuckling as he worked his Zoom meetings

He took a break 2 ish and got up to fix himself lunch

She got up a couple times to go to the bathroom to throw up and went back to sleep,

She had no energy to fight him

 suddenly realized she had subconsciously transferred power to this man and did not know where her son even was

At 2ish she charged into the living room panicking “I will lose my job” “I forgot to tell my boss”

“I think he knows, I called to inform on your sick line”

“Oh” she went back to her bed

“Did you shower in my bathroom?” she demanded when he came in around 3 with some food

“I can if you want me to” he mocked

“I don’t” she said firmly

“I go from a kidnapper to a molester now?”

She ate the khichri quietly, it was delicious, it had coconut and curry leaves in it

Hers had garlic and onions

“Did you make it?” she asked raising a spoonful of dripping ghee scented goodness

“I did” he sat by her on her bunk and ate from his bowl

“Thank you for taking him to school”

“You are welcome”

“If my fever doesn’t go away I want to go see a doctor, can you want him in the evening?”

“I can go with you” he said firmly

“Uh”

“I will head out soon to go pick him up, will you be OK?”

“I think so” she leaned back and closed her eyes, she had just taken her medication and drank two glasses of water

“Don’t buy him too many snacks” she ordered weakly

“Hmm”

“I know you are trying to slowly earn his love and win him over. He is the only one I have” “I really don’t want much from life you know. I am not very career oriented, I don’t have any money, I have few friends, and I have him. I have a bad boss, he wants to fire me. I hate him too. I didn’t listen to my parents when I was a teen and I was in my early 20s. I was too focused on having a good time. I only have Dhru now, most of my friends are not married”

She went into delirium and said things she wouldn’t have otherwise if she was lucid

“You are good cook a great boss, a wealthy successful man, you really should leave us alone”

“Done?” he sighed

“Food?”

“No… umm.. ur thoughts?”

“I am not joking, I am conscious, I love Dhru, he is allergic to 100 things, he has no friends but we have each other so please don’t break us up”

“Got it” he held his breath in shock

“I like Mendy” she whispered slipping back into sleep