Chapter 75

Carrot & Stick

“Did you make the card?”  she asked

“I am not useful at all with graphics but I tried” smiley

“Its cute”

“Oh? Thank u”

“I am not a blonde”

“I read a disclaimer first”

“Dhru thinks you are accurate”

“Does he?”

“Thank you for the soups and other care items”

“U are welcome” “How are u feeling”

“I have a really terrible cough I am going to the Doc again tomorrow”

“U went once?”

“I did, I had asthma as a child so sometimes when I get a cold as an adult I get wheezing”

“I am sorry”

“That’s fine”

“I can pick him up tomorrow”

“I don’t know when the appointment will be”

“Oh? Do u want to text me?”

“I can do that”

“No problem consider it done”

“Thanks”

“What is he up to”

“Sulking and not eating his dinner”

“He has friends now go easy on him”

“I cannot be like you, I am a single parent”

“I thought we changed that recently”

“U cannot be la dee da about him always”

“U think that’s what I am?”

“I think u keep buying him toys, he goes on fun adventures, he eats sorbets everyday he is allowed to say no to every food”

“Umm”

“I cant keep up with that”

“Its  not a competition”

“Well u see IT IS”

“I am jumping on a call right now can we talk at 11?”

“I will be sleeping”

“Tomorrow?”

“I will text you if I am awake”

“Thanks”

She tried the new soup, Dhru as usual loved it and the crackers and the chips and wanted a fruit smoothie with oats

She wanted to text or talk to him

She was tired of the impersonal chatter on her WhatsApp friends groups and the “Are u hitting up XYZ sale” “So and so is getting married lets plan a early vacation before shaadi” type exchanges

She loved watching old Marathi comedies and romantic movies late night

Dhru was trying to be a “man” and refusing to let her sleep on the lower birth

He spread all his comics and games out to deter her

She fought it a couple days

Tonight she just decided she was going to crash in the living room

She placed the same chairs and potted plants by the front door as Aatreya did

Around 11:20 she texted him

He probably must have been on the chat window and noticed the ……. Appear

“Awake?”

“Almost asleep” she said and shed her anxiety and typed “ What type of work do u do”

“Oh? Can I call?”

“Umm yeah”

“Well I work on three different things…..

He spent the next 12 or so minutes explaining what he did for the bank

Nothing made any sense to her in her cold fogged up state and half asleep but his husky nasaly voice was beautiful

“I mean don’t you think….” He questioned

“I don’t know anything about banks”

“Where do u keep ur money?”

“Umm there is… umm.. I mean I don’t think too much about it” she laughed 

“Boy ur voice is hoarse”

“I like my husky growl” she laughed

“Do u now?”

Silence….

“I called to tell u to be strict with him”

“Oh yes”

“U are a pushover and that’s not good”

“I am not going to be a bad cop”

“You don’t care what he thinks about me?” she was outraged

“No you are doing what works for you I have showed up in his life at age 10”

“Don’t go overboard”

“u know what we are just going to go around in circles and never agree” he growled

“He is not going to respect my rules if you let him do whatever he wants, he basically just snacked on all the rice crackers and chips and did not eat a morsel”

Her voice was hoarse and cracking up

“I don’t encourage him to skip dinner Mrunalini”

“He has this attitude now that he knows what will not pass in Chembur will be welcomed in Khar”

“I am sorry but I am not encouraging that behavior at all”

“I didn’t have to deal with this until you came into the picture”

“Getting rid of me is not going to get rid of the problem”

He read her tone

“I know that” she was bitter

“I am sure there will be teething pains”

“I don’t know he already had issues in school now he is acting up at home” she was distressed

“OK lets do this, lets talk to him after the rock climbing activity on Saturday”

“We are not AMERICANS We don’t “TALK” she mocked

He just burst out laughing

“Is that so?”

“Yeah if you talk then he will say he hates everything he hates Chembur he wants to go back to Bandra, I can never go back there” she panicked

“Whyy?” he asked rattled by her fear

“Its not my house, its my Dad’s” she said fearfully

“Oh? Umm..”

“He doesn’t understand all that, he hates Chembur talking to him will give him the upper hand”

“No Mrunalini” he was begging

“U have to let me do this”

“No I am sorry I will not allow you to make decisions for him”

“If he says he hates school will you keep him home?”

“That’s an extreme situation he wont do that, he loves Mechanics and Math he says”

She had no idea about Mechanics

She wanted to cry

Her Dhru was slipping away

“Is that why you bought the connect sets and the building toys?”

“Umm yeah?” he was nervous

“u ARE trying to steal him then” she said distressed

“that’s ridiculous”

“U think I am dumb”

“What rubbish”

“Anyone that puts out in their first meeting must be an idiot no?” she began to cry and hung up

All her stupidities were being displayed under flood lights at this moment

What his parents must think of her

What his sister must think of her tortured her until she fell asleep crying