Secrets & Royalty
“Oh yeah” he was unfazed, went back in flushed, washed up and reappeared
Nothing irritated him, she realized
“I will have to change my strategy” “This whole thing is so overwhelming to me” “This man shows up a month ago and is here “chillin” Gawd!!”
She was more irritated at not being able to irritate him than the fact that he had used the toilet at night and made it out alive
I know… she wanted him safe that’s why she wasn’t letting him in , she feared for his life
Now she cant wait to get rid of him
As she leaned on her favorite kitchen window and watched the rain come back again
He went to the bedroom, it was fun and playful he realized, with a bunk bed and lots of room all around
“Do u sleep on the top bunk?”
“Mmm.. mmm Aai sleeps” he said looking up from his anime comic
He even SAT like him, Aatreya realized
Stretched out, feet crossed at the ankles
He put his book on his lap and looked up at him with a fond smile
“Can u keep a secret?”
“I don’t know man” Aatreya whispered sidling up to him
“OK then I wont tell u”
“I am totally kidding”
It took some pretend coaxing
Jai was happy to share he had not shared anything with anyone except his Aai in 10 years, he finally had someone who hadn’t birthed him to hear his secrets
“I HIDE TWO BOOKS under, I mean inside my pillow, after Aai sleeps I use my phone light and read” (he had told Aatreya, he couldn’t find his phone in the morning so Aai had scolded him soundly, so he just told Aatreya the number for now and Atty wrote him his on a post it)
“Holy cow!!! Holy Cow!!!” “I mean DUDEEE This is BIGGGG” Aatreya pretended to fall sideways under the “weight” of the disclosure
Jaidrith sat up worried
“U will tell her”
He sighed pretend audibly and sat up again
Jai looked reassured
“Only if YOU keep my secret”
His eyes lit up like blue fireflies
“YOUR secret?” Nobody had ever ever said any secrets to him
Umm.. well Zainab had but then he got into trouble for not telling Zahra aunty, Zainab liked to hide food she didn’t want to eat under the couch
“Yep… I mean u have to promise”
Jaidrith copied Aatreya in automation and put a palm over his heart
“I might have killed your ghost” Aatreya pretended to be fake casual as if he slayed ghosts for a living
Jaidrith wanted to peek he slid off the bed
“REALL…”
“Sshhhhh shhhhhh” “YESSS” Aatreya nodded his eyes twinkling
“I can go at night?”
“Look for yourself” he whispered, grabbed the boy kneeled down by him and showed him the toilet door
No swaying, no swooshing… no mug shaking back and forth
He looked at Aatreya like he had suddenly produced 10 best friends for him
He hugged him tight spontaneously
Aatreya found himself choking up
Jai was a bit tearful too
“I mean I told Aaai I will do it, but I am not big no?” he defended himself
Aatreya wondered HOW he could love this kid anymore
“Zahra aunty says IAM the man of the house”
“Oh really?”
The men sat on the floor
“Yeah, when Aaai talks to Sameena aunty every week… Zahra aunty says “I AM THE MANN”
He stood up straight, stretching his neck up, on his toes
“I AM tall”
“U are extremely tall” Aatreya played along
“Can you have sleepover in my house?” Jaidrith asked
Aatreya visualized how delicious that could be potentially
But the woman that didn’t even SEE HIM see him walked in
“Dhruuu…. Mī tulā āṅghōḷīlā jāyalā sāṅgitalē (I asked you to go take a shower)
She looked furious
“Aaai Mī kapaḍē ghālūna bātharūmamadhūna bāhēra paḍū śakata nāhī (whispering, signaling Aatreya as Aatreya stood up) (I cannot comeout of the bathroom with just the towel wrapped no?)
“OK go now… Tū bāhēra yēśīla tēvhā tō nighūna jā'īla (he will be gone when you come out)
“What was that?”
“Umm.. its late, he has school” she said primly
“I told Aai I cannot come out in TOWELLLL” Jaidrith spilled the beans
Mrunal turned red when her son disclosed it to Atty
They were never going to be THAT familiar or close to this man
Nobody is going to come out of the bathroom in any state of undress
She told herself
“I will see you soon bud” Aatreya shook his hand and did a V with his fingers on his heart and winked privately to remind Jaidrith that they now were “secret sharing buds” (The Mendonza girls were watching on Jai's ipad they just followed him unhappily)
He asked for permission to chat with Jaidrith on the phone
“You can totally read every word” he offered
“I will think” she said not giving in
Jai was delirious, he showered whistling, didn’t complain about drinking his milk at night
Packed his backpack obediently and when mother and son cuddled before saying goodnight
He spilled the beans
“He KILLED the ghost” he said slapping a palm over his mouth
She looked at him curiously, her heart skipped many beats
And then rolled her eyes at him, got up tucked him in and climbed up to the top berth muttering
Tyānē bhūta māralē tara mī rāṇī ēlijhābētha āhē ( “If he killed a ghost then I am queen Elizabeth”)
Jaidrith broke his mother’s rule and began texting Atty
This was the first line he sent, didn’t have a Marathi app, he tried to relay that line in broken Marathi
Atty spit out his late night coffee all over his keyboard when he ran it thru Google translate.
Shiv Shakti
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Arjun
