Chapter 110

Toy Story 2

“Hello Pa” he was unusually polite

“Yes have u had dinner?” Mr Rao questioned

“I just ate, at a friend’s” he smiled nervously

“Oh? U are enjoying ur evening call me tomorrow”

“Oh no I insist, I want to talk” Aatreya mustered up the courage

“Everything OK with job”

“Oh yes…. Its all great… why did u ask”

“these days so much merger and consolidation is happening in banking they will hire 100s only to change direction in 6 months”

“Good point”

“Mother and I worry about it”

“Please don’t it is all good”

“You have tried to establish a life over there, did not happen u returned, we want u to be happy putta”

“Thanks” Aatreya would have cried if such a meaningful wish had come under any other circumstance

“Mother worries a lot with the coparenting situation”

“Oh?” Aatreya’s stomach muscles tighetened

“Imagine raising a child like that for 10 or 20 years”

“Umm.. about that”

“Yes”

Aatreya made sure he had  a random tropical island background on his Zoom

He was sitting in the lower berth of the bunk bed

Jaidrith had returned after a fist fight and a whole load of crying

Mother and son were watching Toy Story in the living room on TV

“I think I want to get married” he said his voice literally shook

“You want to get married?” Somesh was stunned

“Umm.. yes”

“Who is the girl? Mother and I have visited you so many times, you have not told us”

“Umm.. I was still thinking about it”

“Is she in USA?” he didn’t sound happy

“Nope, right here in Mumbai”

“Oh” his face lit up

Mendy had told him during the day to distract Somesh with a proposal from his cousin in Pune, Sherry

Mendy knew Somesh would be livid, and then when Aatreya would announce Mrunalini’s name Somesh would be a little more receptive to the whole idea

But Aatreya did not have the courage

Apurva was texting him on the phone

“Are you planning to tell Pa tonight?”

“Telling him right now”

She sent a series of shocked faces

“Cant talk right now” he texted

“Who is it?” Somesh was nosy

“Just a work text” he lied

“Who is the girl” Somesh smiled

“Umm.. u know her”

“WE know HER?” Somesh was stunned

“Yes, Mrunalini” he said

He knew he was sweating bullets

He ran his fingers through his hair

“U mean the lady… Jaidrith’s mother?” he was frozen in shock

His wife joined him immediately with an equally shocked face

And asked Aatreya 100 questions in Kannada

Who what where why? Does Apurva know, why that girl? Was Mrunalini pregnant again? The father of course had left by that question

Pramila did not look happy

For a woman who gave sagely advice to Mrunalini about how “Making coparenting work is a wonderful thing, Somesh is the intolerant one, she herself on the other hand was very mature, very accepting and very happy of that young nephew of Somesh”

But now when he own son was promising to marry the girl, and secure a wonderful future for the grandson, no custody battle no daily arguments and fights over money she was not too happy about it

If only Mrunalini was listening to Pramila…

She was not fortunately

She had shared proudly how much in admiration she was of Pramila how mature she was etc

“Why do you have to marry her?” Pramila asked in Kannada distraught

“Oh I am in love with her” Aatreya’s found himself choking a little bit

Pramila watched her son be emotional with shock

“With Mrunalini?” she asked still staring at Aatreya’s face

“Yes”

“This is all very much a shock to Appa and I” she mumbled distressed in Kannada, “You are not a child, this marrying business is not a joke” “Its not play acting”

“Hmm” “I know” he growled

“We can talk about it Aatreya… don’t do what you did before” she warned

“I don’t want u to warn me like that, I am THIRTY THREE Amma”

Pramila looked a lot taken aback by that growling

“Umm… have you told her?” Pramila hoped if he hadn’t, she would influence him to change his mind

“She knows, I bought her a ring to propose”

“We have the family jeweler, in Hubli, why did u go to someone in Mumbai? Diamond should not be bought just like that… we buy, bring it home keep it for a week and if no bad events happen, THEN we buy”

She went off on a tangent

“I bought it”

“Remember what happened when u did everything by urself?”

Somesh walked back to the PC, his shoulders slumped, his glasses off

Pramila announced in Kannada he had bought a ring in Mumbai

“He keeps making mistake after mistake” Somesh ended the call

“Its done… I told them… they reacted just like we expected them to” he texted Apurva

Apurva called him back

“I TOLD U to wait”

“My first marriage and divorce are MY baggage Apu, you cannot help..”

“DID they bring it up?” Apurva was heartbroken

“You know them… principles and family honor and their rules are everything… of course they did”

Apurva wept softly

“But… now they know” he felt enormously relieved

Like he had been told he was not going to prison or something

“I am going to go watch Toy Story” he chuckled

“I am sorry Attu”

Somesh hated nicknames, he felt the full power of Sanskrit names would be corrupted with nicknames

But the siblings secretly used it for each other

“No… just congratulate me” he laughed

“Well, Congrats” she laughed

He left the room, she was trying to make the DVD player work

“What happened, he refuses to eat until I play Toy Story 2” she scowled

“Can I try?”

“Feeding him or playing the DVD?”

“Both”

She handed him the remote and went back to the divan, to curl up as it rained outside

“Are you going to stay?” Jaidrith jumped up and let Aatreya hoist him up high

“What do u say?” he laughed and kissed his son

“Just make him eat” she scowled

“I call dibs on this bed” he laughed pointing to the divan

“I DO TOO” Jaidrith squealed

“I am going inside to bed” she left them with a smug smile