Chapter 128

Wedding plan and unplans

“I don’t want it to be a consolation prize Mrs Rao” Mrunalini had told her

“I have lived my whole life with not being accepted or loved by my own parents, I don’t want to be accepted because it’s the easiest way to get my son into the Rao family”

“Its not like that…”

“I am not your first choice… I never will be… you don’t want to hurt my feelings I know” Mrunal wiped angry tears

“I have to give you credit for being this much kind to me, my parents didn’t even worry about that”

Pramila did not know anything about Mrunal’s parents or their antics, the more Mrunal freely mentioned them the more intrigued she became and started doubting her own offer of “I am going to champion your cause with Mr Somesh Rao” plan

This was going to be so bad

Being from a different caste was a deal breaker for Mr Rao

Having the DIL be from a troubled family where the parents weren’t even living together?

That was umm.. beep

“Do ur parents live separately?” she asked gently praying that’s all there was to it

“No they divorced when I had Dhru and they were divorced from the time I was born actually, I just didn’t know it… not legally but emotionally and physically”

Pramila’s face froze in shock

Mrunal had gone from wearing dark contacts not befriending anyone, living in paranoia about being discovered as being the daughter of a philanderer, to this complete open honesty

It was better this way

She didn’t want to marry Atreya and have one thing after another unravel like they do in the Marathi soaps she had learned to love

She had gone from a  SoBo fashionable only English speaking drinking partying elite girl to a middle class mother that now lived in Chembur trying to make ends meet with a hotel back office job

Nothing about her today was fake

Pramila struggled to raise her hand and pat Mrunal’s

“Some times God wants different things” she blabbered

“God wanted me to have bad parents?” Mrunal sniffled and chuckled

“No, they have the concept of karma” Pramila started sounding like her husband now

She was no therapist or counselor, she didn’t know how or what even to say to a grieving girl

The height of grief in her last 37 years of marriage was Apurva being unable to have a child that was it

She knew Somesh would never accept Mrunalini

There was not an easy way for her to get out of this now

She didn’t even know how she could part ways this evening

Thankfully her son knew it or the universe informed him, he called her

She told him she was buying some stuff to take home to her coworkers in Bangalore. He didn’t buy it, but hung up

It was not a FT call so he could not see where Amma was

The universe also had other plans, Mendy stopped by after 20 minutes to drop off some gluten free cake for Dhru

He was shocked to find Pramila Rao in the living room

They chatted for 30 minutes, Mrunal made chai for both, and on his way back to his society he texted Aatreya

“Wedding plans eh?”

“What?”

“Mum’s here”

“At your place?”

“She knows where I live she doesn’t visit any more, she only knows one person now in Chembur” he sent a tongue in cheek emoji

Aatreya got a jolt, when he realized she must be at Mrunalini’s

“What the…” he said and stopped

By then of course Pramila had left Mrunalini’s and had asked Aatreya’s driver to head home her son called her

“Why did you go to Mrunalini’s”

“What is this question?”

“Because I know you didn’t go to pick a wedding date”

Pramila didn’t say a word

“Amma?”

“I went to talk”

“And?”

“We talked”

“And?”

“She got a call from a friend she was going to be long so I left” Pramila did not reveal she spent a good 2.5 hours between waiting and chatting at Mrunal’s

“Why did you go?”

Ninu avaru kavalugara?” (Are u her gate keeper?) Pramila was irritated

“No Amma… just want to know how much more pain Pa asked you to inflict on her”

“I like her, I think she is a strong woman” Pramila could compliment her genuinely for those

“But not good enough for the gotra or caste”

“Did you know about her family?”

Aatreya squirmed “Why the hell did she have to say everything to mother?”

“Why?”

“Her parents sound like train wrecks” (she used a word that was worse in Kannada)

“Not her… her parents”

“Do u think Pa will allow them inside the house?”

“She will be living with me”

“I tried to be cooperative, I tried to accept Aatreya” Pramila sighed leaning back on the seat, choking up

“Your lack of will power to fight Pa won” he said sadly

“Nivu Nimma tayiyannu avamana suttidiri” (U are insulting your own mother)

“You didn’t have to go Amma” Aatreya was  heartbroken

“Has Jaidrith eaten”

“He has, I am going out for a bit” “How soon will you be home?”

“In 10” she mumbled looking out the window

“K”

“U cannot go comfort her” she ordered

“That’s exactly what I will do” he said softly, hanging up