Chapter 100

Keeping secrets safe

The first few months of discovering he had fathered a child he was sleepless due to euphoria now digging in slowly, he was mostly sleepless because of not knowing how to handle the various moving parts

She was absolutely gorgeous, and completely anxiety ridden and stressed and untrusting. Now things were slowly making sense, the ghost in the bathroom, the intense fear of being alone, extreme possessiveness of Jaidrith, unwillingness to seek help, suspicious of any and every one… the list was endless

He imagined what his father would say “You cannot make a decision because something looks attractive today only to realize you don’t have the energy or time to maintain and care for it”

She was defenseless and vulnerable, who would not be after undergoing trauma from  train wreck of parents like hers

She hadn’t mentioned the first name, she said “He does many things, around town including real estate”

It wasn’t a difficult search

“Sagar Ghatge” was a splitting image of Mrunalini, the same stunning ble eyes as his son Jaidrith, tall exceptionally handsome almost like a Russian model, just now being brave enough to expose his side burn greys

Why should he, especially when he is hooking up with a woman 30 years his junior

There were 100s of photos, many with Amruta, it all came back to Aatreya

He recalled seeing Amruta with Mrunalini on both nights, yep that’s the face…

He sighed and leaned on the rail looking inward into his flat

He was moving out in January

His mother had brought up his marriage “We all make mistakes, Pa is happy you did not lie or prolong the misery for her… or for u… and walked away peacefully”

“Did he expect me to vandalize her car or house?” he laughed

Pramila had smacked him

“U know what he meant”

He didn’t tell his mother he was in a iron clad prenup contract with a trust fund baby who was worth 100s of millions of dollars, he would have been sent away even if he as much as thought of harming her

His parents were simple uncomplicated people

They didn’t understand marriages for s—or marriages for convenience

“I just started my job 4 months ago, returned to India 5 months ago, do you really want to see me married?” he laughed

“You cannot raise that child as a single father forever”

“Sure… point taken Ma”

“When Apurva and Mihir bring their kids to family functions I want u to bring ur kids and wife also”

“U think me raising him is a defeat?”

“Yes… in Pa’s family it will be” Ma spoke honestly

“I am already on a short leash with him”

“He is not crazy to punish you… imagine how a person like him will feel if the child shows up with a 10 year old? Aaatreya?”

He nodded soulfully

This man has been by the book… his whole life, when we didn’t have the car, he would be at the bus stop 5 minutes before the bus and people would set their watches to it” Pramila choked up

“It’s a bus…. Cmon now”

“No its not a bus… its values and discipline”

“I am not abandoning my child Ma”

“Not after you announce to us” Pramila warned shaking a finger

“Think about HER Atreya she will want to settle down also correct?” Pramila speculated

His heart skipped a beat

He was hoping his mother saw a connection

But they say the ones closest often do not see whats staring them on their face

“Hmm”

“You do your job well, support her, do your duty so she can relax and think about her future also”

“U are sure she wants to get married?” he chuckled

“U think it’s a joke putta (dear), a young girl who voluntarily chose to keep the baby never buckled under her family’s pressure to get married because she feared her new family will not accept the child? It’s a very big sacrifice”

Tonight he had found out Mrunalini’s  parents did not give a rip about her… child or no child they were self absorbed mean spirited immature humans whose only goal in life was to play tit for tat

But that realization did not help Aatreya, It only made his case worse in front of his parents

“When u get married.. You HAVE TO promise me…please don’t tell ur wife all this OK?”  “Promise?” “Do u promise?”

Mrunalini whispered extracting a passionate promise. She didn’t want to be seen as a rejected child of an unhappy marriage, who had thrown her life away at a summer pool party. Hooking up with a stranger and then going on to have his child and raise it

“If I married you your secret would be safe with me” he said it out loud

And slowly went into the flat