Chapter 109

Sprouting understanding

Sprouted matki usual cooked in coconut paste, stuffed baingan, koshimbir, tendli bhaat, aamras, varan bhaat, she went all out

Dhru was getting his favorite food too jowar rotis, a sweet mango chutney

She was still cooking when he knocked on the door at 8, he knew his Dad must be waiting

He wanted to savor the “home coming”

He didn’t know if she was going to marry him

He didn’t know if Pa was going to approve

This was the closest he was going to get in his lifetime of coming home to his wife cooking a meal, however misogynistic that thought was at the moment

He paused as the light turned green, and got honked at mercilessly and cursed at

He wondered how it would be if she stayed home and he had a job

“Getting carried away aren’t ya?” his mind voice mocked him

“Can u blame me? Pa will never agree these thoughts are all I have. I am smitten. Let me live in a fool’s paradise please”

“You can be happy and marry whoever your parents approve, don’t get all melodramatic dude”

“I am not”

“U shudnt have proposed to her when you don’t have the b---s to stand up to ur Dad”

This thought was a recurring fear the last 3 days “Did I pop the question too soon”

“What if Pa doesn’t approve” “Am I going to elope again?” “Is it fair to her?”

“Jaidrith will feel betrayed” “How could I have been so reckless when there is a child in the picture?”

“She cannot begin to heal until she allows the damage to control her life”

He sighed and punched his thigh, and scowled

“Hey thanks for making dinner, why did u refuse the idea of take out” he entered the flat loosening his tie, almost yanking it off his neck

“Do u have to wear a tie everyday?” she asked

“If I go into the office yes… I probably have 50 shirts and 50 ties” he laughed

“We don’t have clothes for u to change into if u want to take a shower?”

Kirti Sahasre stood by her grill door and openly stared

Jaidrith had no interest in Atty this evening choosing to give the Sahasre boys longing looks

“Dhruuuu” Mrunal growled

“Its OK” Kirti smiled cloyingly sweet

She had realized by now, any act of warmth in front of Aatreya will be handsomely rewarded

“Can I play with my best friends?” Dhru begged

Mrunal rolled her eyes

“Everyone is your best friend?” she whispered, buttoning his teeshirt

“Aaaiiii”

“Sshhhh… come home for dinner in one hour”

“One hour 15 minutes”

They argued for a solid 15 minutes

Aatreya was in the shower

She wondered with amusement if he was going to wear his sweaty work clothes

AGAIN

She went back to the kitchen to cook, as Marathi FM played on the window radio

He appeared showered and dressed in shorts and a white collarless tee

“U have clothes?”

“I sometimes run in the work gym”

She didn’t turn back again to look she knew she would stare

This was new… cooking for him pretending to play house

His ring still sat near the window on the curio table

“Whats the menu”

She told him what she was making

“Holy moly”

“I can cook” she nodded

He walked by closer and dipped a finger into the chutney

She slapped it

“Oh! Sorry, did I just ruin Jaidrith’s?”

“No its coconut… he can’t have “

Then” he dipped again

She didn’t hit him this time

“thanks for cooking”

“Were u supposed to call ur Baba?”

“Umm..” his stomach muscles clenched

“We can eat first” she eased his pain

His jaw dropped

He just stared at her back

When he didn’t respond she turned around

“You want to talk first?”

“No” he shook his head vehemently

Just from his expression she could tell he was terrified

They stared at each other for a few

“U can help cut up the cucumber and tomato and whip up the curd for koshimbiri” she offered

“Putting me to work” he muttered

They worked quietly

She hummed along when one of her songs played

“Does Jaidrith like those boys”

“He loves everybody, nobody likes him” she laughed matter of factly

“That’s not true” Aatreya was deeply hurt

“He is very nerdy, he is shy, he has tons of allergies he cannot go to birthday parties and eat everything, that means u are a pariah in the school system”

“He is funny and a handful” Aatreya insisted

“u don’t want to be the parent of a kid that’s not popular?” she smiled somberly

“I want to be Jaidrith’s parent” he said looking into her eyes deeply

“then u are in the right place” she laughed 

“Thanks for inviting me”

“That’s the 3rd time, u owe me a shirt” she smiled waving the ladle

“Ughh” he scowled staring pointedly at her reddening face as 

he wished she would ask for lingerie

“Nah!” she chopped his wandering thoughts with a mischievous smile