Chapter 81

Father Frenemy

“I have done everything you wanted me to Sameena” Mrunal was sobbing

“You do know you have to send him over for the nights don’t you?”

“WHY yaar?”

“I mean he is a parent, he proved it”

“I just feel that would be it, I am trying not to be overwhelmed by the onslaught of him taking over every aspect of child rearing, weekend dates, fun events, rock climbing, tennis, swimming cant I freaking have ONE thing? Damn it!? “

“U cannot have him go to court yaar, aapko ladna padega phir”

“I don’t want Dhru to be gone from my nights, he is already gone from my days”

“I have told you this many times before, aapko APNE baare mein socha hai na?” “You cannot be always be worrying, have you?”

Mrunalini waved her fingers “I don’t want any other man to hit him”

“Why do you always think of the worst?” Sameena was shocked

“I didn’t… u KNOW my Dad right? And my Mum? I WANTED to be loved”

“Umm.. I am so sorry, I mean… I mean.. I am sorry… please” sameena jumped up and hugged her patting and rubbing her back as she cried

“I wanted everything everyone else had”

“Aapke paas Dhru to hai”

“What if I am asleep some night he hates the quirky kid and does something to him?”

Sameena had no answer

“A man who loves you will NEVER do that” she said after some thought “WHY would HE hurt you?”

“Because Dhru is not his child”

“Ur life begins and ends with this kid, its… umm….. its umm…”

“Unhealthy?” Mrunal challenged

“U cannot completely arrest him in your love”

“I am protecting him, and I HAVE SENT HIM to a stranger’s house for the last 4 months no questions asked”

“Also you let him stay over when u were sick a couple weeks ago”

She nodded doubtfully

“Doesn’t that tell u something?”

“What?”

“He will not hurt Dhru at night?”

“I CANNOT BE without my Dhru” she wept and wept

“Kya yaar aap rona band karo”

Zaira peeked, paused and brought in tea

“Has he made new friends?” she smiled at Mrunal

“Who?”

“Badi badi stories keh raha hai bahar Zainab ko”

“Oh the boys across the hall sometimes play with him on the stairs, he broke his pinkie no”

“And many at his Dad’s?”

“He has no friends there” Mrunal couldn’t bear that

Nope!

“Aise kaise?”

“I am telling u he is just over confident”

“Ah” Zaira smiled fondly and left

“Does he talk about me?” she texted Aatreya

“Who?”

“Dhru, when he is at ur place does he talk about me?”

“Of course… all the time”

“OK”

“I can record him if u like”

“Oh?”

He was laughing

She took him seriously

“Will you be able to without him knowing?”

“ARE U SH----G ME right now?” was the Q that came to his mind

“I can try”

“Whats going on?”

“I feel he doesn’t care for me any more”

He had to jump on a call so he didn’t respond

“Will you agree I have been kind and generous in sharing Dhru with you?” she texted after an hour driving home from her appointment

“I absolutely do”

“OK”

“What happened?”

“I was told I am being selfish and stingy”

Sameena was making her cry even in the car

“Whoaa?”

They returned she tried making a new recipe for Dhru with poha and veggies, and non dairy cheese

He threw up after the first three bites

Angrily she cleaned up

And fed him rice and dal

“Does he throw up at your house when u ask him to try new things?”

“Umm.. he eats regular stuff, I am not a great cook” he lied

“So no throw up?”

“Umm.. no”

“No wonder he likes…” she began to type and erased it

Every little admission by Aatreya every word he was saying was cementing the idea in her mind that he was an adversary

“I tried a new recipe with non dairy cheese and he threw up” she said whimpering

He called her immediately

She was still crying

“I don’t know what I am supposed to do to get food into this kid” she wailed

“Mrunalini I am so sorry” he let her cry for a bit

She stopped after a few minutes

“Just feed him what he has eaten before”

“He cannot eat more than 10 things”

“I am sorry”

“Do u wage a war with him?”

“Umm.. he does pretty good over here” Aatreya spoke innocently he didn’t want her to think her son was a bad kid

“You know you have taught him well, he never misbehaves or declines”

“He must hate me then” she couldn’t even say it audibly