Chapter 83

Squeezing out fairness

The most non pretentious, simple, but absolutely delicious meal. No caviar or fine cheese, or pate’ or filet mignon

Just regular drumstick saaru (sambar) yogurt spinach gravy, tomato rasam, and two bhajis and fried papad

It took longer than he had planned

She fidgeted in the living room on her phone, he called out to her and gave her the work of grating carrots and squeezing a lemon on top and adding coconut as a side salad

“Do you like to cook?”

“I want to say I do but if you hate the food I don’t want you to think I am smug”

“Would matter what I thought?” she thought

He worked with concentration and humming under his breath

She wondered how much a happy well adjusted healthy childhood might have impacted her

“Who taught you to cook?”

“Amma” he paused to turn toward her and smile

“Ah”

“Who did u learn from”

“Umm.. we had help” she was ashamed

The help were her best friends, she sat in the kitchen and watched them cook many evenings

She didn’t pick up much but tried to recollect as she lived in Sai’s house post partum

Sai taught her a bit

“I have a neonatal nurse friend who helped deliver Dhru, she is my best friend she taught me too” she said slowly

“That is great can I meet her?”

“Why?”

“To ask about what she thought of Dhru when she first saw him?”

She was beginning to realize most of her fears about him were misplaced, he didn’t want to meet Sai to ask if Mrunal was a crazy woman, nope!

“I can show you videos and pictures if you like” she mellowed a bit

He froze and turned around as she rinsed the lemons before squeezing

“Oh wow!”

“I have all his pictures and videos on cloud, I can share” she nodded

“Will you?”

“OK”

“Thank u”

“Does that mean you no longer fear me?”

She didn’t answer

He just smiled

“I promise you I will never hurt you” he said grimly

“I am all hurted up, its full” she thought

“Shall we eat?”

“It looks great I wish you had told me what the menu was I would have dressed up in traditional attire”

“I am not wearing a dhoti either so you are fine” he smiled

They stood staring at each other in the kitchen

Yet another moment?

Dhru yelled something loudly in Marathi

She rushed off to check on him

“I am not staying OK?” “I wont stay if you are not going to stay with me” he said suddenly panicking

She wondered if she had gifted him the anxiety as a life gift

“Sshhhh… Dhru, don’t shout” she hugged and rocked him

“Can you stay?”

“Umm.. no shakkara”

She realized she was reneging on her side of the bargain by refusing to let him stay over

He still called him Atty

He still treated the man as a friend not a father

She refused to accept financial reimbursement for school or living expenses

This is was mostly a “Mom’s friend so I visit his house” relationship for Dhru

Her belly churned with anxiety as she assessed the unfairness

She wandered his balcony worrying

“Changed ur mind about dinner?” he leaned on the doorjamb and smiled

“Umm.. he doesn’t want to stay, (Aatreya’s expression tightened) If I stay one night maybe he will agree?” she offered

His eyes lit up in shock

“Really?”

“I can leave when he falls asleep I wake up 10 times a night I am afraid of sounds and such”

“Absolutely”

“I am making arrangements for him to stay over at ur place” she blurted

“U just told me”

“I mean for myself” she said

He was confused

He wondered why she couldn’t go back to her Chembur flat

He had no idea how terrified she was about sleeping alone

She had… never… ever

She wanted to ask Sameena or Sai or Shaurya or Rashi or Mrunal her friends that remained in Mumbai as of date

Getting ready for work picking him up etc would be big mess

She couldn’t tell him she was afraid to be alone

They sat down to eat........

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Will finish this chapter tomorrow