Chapter 86

Mint & Aatreya

he whispered teasingly

“I already have a therapist” she laughed weakly

“Let me know when u are in the market for another one” he whispered

“OK” her usual standard response to everything was what he got

She lay in bed in one of the bedrooms as Jaidrith slept soundly

She sat up and stared out the window

His teeshirt went down to her knees almost she didn’t have to wrap a sheet around

His house smelled like incense and curry leaves, far cry from her parents’ 

He made the house, she realized, it was him everywhere, unpretentious furniture though high end did not swallow the room

It looked comfy and airy

He had pencil sketches of places he had lived in? or traveled to all over the house

His words were thoughtful, his décor was too, none of what he did seemed forced. He wasn’t cooking French pastries and souffles or casseroles to reinforce he had lived overseas the last 10 years

There were digital frames in his living room that displayed him at temples in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu with his parents in a white dhoti, shirtless, with a wrap around sarong like sheet, offering prayers with his forehead smeared with vibhuti or Chandan

There were pictures of him sitting on the floor eating out of a banana leaf

She didn’t know how he was as a friend or a boss or as a son, as a parent of her child he seemed really fine.

Going to bed with her and impregnating her might be the only terrible thing he possibly could have done his whole life

Such a charmed life!

Sigh!

She couldn’t sleep she went to the kitchen and figured out how to operate his US style range stove and made some chai and was about to take it to her balcony when he opened his door and appeared in front

He wore shorts and a tee

“What did u need?”

“I just made chai”

“New place effect?”

“I guess”

She sat in the living room, after shutting the door to Dhru’s room 90% in

“Did I freak you out by giving you a check?” 

He had given her a check for Rs.2 lakhs for maintenance for the last 4 months

“Umm.. no, you said you wanted to”

“ You should try to sleep, since we plan to be up early” he suggested

“Where are you taking him?” she asked wistfully

“He wants to drive to Pune, on the “BRIDGE” he laughed

She nodded

“If Rs. 2 lakhs is really ridiculous, we can talk about how to divvy up the expenses, I am willing to do 40% or 50% or 60%?”

“I will just open an account you can pay into it if you want, it will be his, you can be his custodian” she said quietly

“I don’t want it to be saved up for later, I want it to go toward his school or his after school activity”

“You cut out all of that by picking him up every afternoon” she pointed a little sullenly

“Did u want him to be in after school care?”

“Umm.. it was not a choice.. I work until 6”

“I am sorry umm I”

“U can be irritated with me, u know” she said nervously sipping her chai

“What do u mean?”

“I notice u act like u are walking barefeet on nails”

He squirmed

“Is it because I told u I have a therapist?” she couldn’t help tear up

“Not at all” he was devastated

“Do u think I am like like crazy person who had your child you have to make this work because I might bolt with the child?”

“Why do you always believe one of us is running away with the child?”

“Because he is all I have”

“Relax and let him be Mrunalini” he was visibly irritated

“So u don’t like how I raise him?”

“I certainly do not like how you let paranoia drive you”

“Thanks for being honest, but its not paranoia”

“What would u call it?”

“Love for Dhru”

He breathed audibly

“Look you don’t have to agree with me, we don’t have to pretend even I am happy we are civil with each other I am glad you took care of me when I was sick, I am doing everything I can to be accepting”

“I understand that and I appreciate it Mrunalini, I don’t think I have ever been pushy with you, not once”

She wanted to disagree

“I have given you weeks of not months to ponder over every new thing I have wanted to be involved in’

“U do realize it’s a ridiculously bizarre situation don’t u?” she looked up at him 

“I do”

“I don’t know of any one, not one person who is in a situation like mine and had the parent come back to claim his or her rights”

“I don’t either so that makes two of us”

“Hmmm”

“I didn’t want to send u a lawyer notice or a list of things you had to agree, I am willing to wait”

“I don’t know… maybe that would have been better I don’t know what else is in your mind what else you are going to spring on me a week from now, play dates, school pick up, activities, staying over, contributing financially… I don’t even know what else I owe you” she began crying softly

“Please don’t cry”

“Sometimes I wish I knew everything upfront, sometimes I wish I don’t hear about one more thing”

She sniffled and cleared her throat and got up to go grab Kleenex from the bathroom and settled down

“More chai?”

“Hmm”…. “Thanks” she 

He got up to make more

She walked over to the kitchen and leaned on the door jamb

“Both the Juhu and Versova apartments have kitchen in the center” he laughed

He set water to boil and leaned on the wall and crossed his arms across his chest

“I don’t know how much and how long you can be so involved”

“I plan to be involved the rest of my life Mrunalini” gruff

“Do u not plan to get married?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well.. if u do I am sure you will have to check with her first”

“Have you not heard of people with kids remarrying?”

She nodded as a big lump rose to her throat, she knew of two, her own parents who were with other people but did not care about her

When the wave of grief subsided she realized who ever comes into Aatreya’s life is going to find out about Sameena and her parents

That thought gave her a severe panic attack

She returned after throwing up, and crouched on the couch

He brought chai

“I don’t want anyone to know about me seeing a therapist” she said quietly in a hoarse voice

“Whoaa?”

“I mean if you get married I don’t want the new person to know, I think people think only crazies seek therapy I am not crazy” she whispered fighting tears

He picked up a cup and sat close to her and handed it to her

She accepted it and set it back on the coffee table

“Mrunalini, umm.. can I give u a hug?” he asked gruffly

“Umm.. yeah maybe”

She looked forward

He breathed deeply and waited

She turned slightly and reached for his shoulder for a polite cursory hug

He gently enveloped her in his arms, looping his arms underneath hers

They both sighed audibly and stayed still for a few moments

She gently extricated herself and awkwardly tried to put some space in between, he turned to the other side and hit a couch side lamp

“You can pay his school fee if you like” she said quietly

“Thank u”

“I will pay for his activities and transportation though he takes the bus mostly I tend to drop him if I am late

“Got it”

“Do u need any help in working with him?” she turned to him

“Umm.. I don’t know yet” he said politely

“He is growing many nerves and they all seem to be getting under my skin simultaneously”

“Are you worried for a teen Jaidrith?” he laughed

“God! No! I am afraid already… I hope he is not the male me”

He laughed under his breath heartily

“I am not reserved or arrogant, I know… some think I am” she defended herself so he would take that statement to Lynn

“I can vouch for that” he muttered

She turned to him and found his eyes sparkling like jewels

The light from behind threw half of his face into a shadow and half glowed saturnine

She picked up a cookie and bit into it nervously half of it falling off on his knee

She went to grab it

“Great! This is how u thank me for the second cup” he laughed

Grabbing the cookie himself before she could

She reached again, his toes brushing against her calf, she pulled away backing away from the sizzling contact

She remained still wild warmth flushing her body head to toe

“U can give my cookie back”

Her toes curled when his toes touched her calf again as he tried to push the coffee table forward

“I ate it” he said putting it in his mouth and chewing noisily

He reached toward her with his arm and his hand encircled her throat, drawing her face closer as she stopped breathing completely

His fingers tunneled under the nape of her neck to drag her scuncie down, loosening her curls

She watched in utter disbelief, he slowly brought his mouth down on her lips… she realized he didn’t taste better, he tasted delicious, like mint and Aatreya, the first sip accentuating the hunger causing her to cling to him