Anchored Tempest - Page 36

Terra-fist

“He met my parents… over FT” Aatreya announced

She didn’t answer, just cried

There was no weapon left in her arsenal to fight this battle!

“they would like to meet you” he said and called

“They met Dhru? I mean Jaidrith” she enquired

“I know who Dhru is” he chuckled

She wanted to correct it because according to her, he needs to address the kid as Jaidrith and think of him as Jaidrith, just very very formal

“Has he met?” “When?”

“Yes he did” “Briefly”

She conjured up a scene where over Monday (yesterday the first day of suspension) and Tuesday today, he somehow flew her son to Bangalore and back between 8 AM and 5 PM

And Today Tuesday was not over yet

“Kase?” she muttered (How?)

“Did u go to Bangalore?”

“Mrunalini, I am in Khar right now, working from home” he had no idea she was this crazy

“OK” she muttered

“I will bring him home at 6 PM?”

“OK” “I have to leave early”

“I have an appointment” he said quietly

“OK I will be home at 6”

“Can you pick him up please?”

“OK”

She wanted to ask what do you have to do? He didn’t tell her

She didn’t get off work until 6, but the last couple days had been paradise actually being able to work uninterrupted without fear and without worrying about who was bullying Jai

“I will bring him from Khar”

“OK” she muttered

“We can do FT now u can see he is right here at home with me”

She was ashamed but would not admit it

“I understand ur fear though I would be fearful of me as well”

He was teasing/flirting unknowingly

“Why?” she panicked

“I don’t have a rap sheet, I have committed no crime I was just joking” he laughed under his breath

“OK” she nodded

“Can you please think about it and tell me when you can meet my parents?”

“Did he have any allergic reactions?”

“No he did not”

“OK” she sighed audibly

“I gave you my word, I got rid of all the nuts at home, except one” he joked again

“Oh… he cant have any”

“I will try to get rid of the other one as well”

His eyes were twinkling, he was holding back his laughter

“they gave him additional projects to do”

“Yes I saw ur email”

“Are you helping him with Math?”

“Umm.. no” he lied

“Please don’t help him”

“Yes Ma’am”

He knows, he is a brat”

He flashed his teeth and closed his eyes

“Is he in Social Studies class now?”

“Yes, would you like to see him?”

“Umm.. its OK “

She checked the location of his watch

“Let us meet my parents this weekend”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cut to Sameena’s house, Wednesday of suspension week

“I don’t know you know there are people that manufacture parents and a happy family”

“Why would he do that Mrunal?” Sameena was shocked

“He seems way too nice” she was distressed

“That is a problem now?”

“I mean agreeing to everything?”

“That’s good na?”

“He… wants me to see his parents I think maybe they will offer me money to go away?”

“They wont” Sameena squeezed her hand

“I have yelled at him so much over the weekend and evenings about the suspension what if he chooses this man?”

She cried and cried

“Your fear is unreasonable Mrunal it will swallow you

“He is all I have… did you notice how he entered your house and said, can you make her stop yelling?”

“He was just being a child”

“He broke 3 things, he is so careless and naughty”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was Friday of the suspension week

“I play with Zainab but they don’t live close

“Oh? Where do they live?”

“Over there” he pointed randomly

Aatreya thought he was the cutest thing on the planet

He dressed carelessly he realized Mostly jeans and a tee but the way he wore his belt and hair, he looked, like a very handsome young man

“Is your Mom friends with her Mom?”

“NOOOOO she is OLD” he giggled

Ah” he was curious now

“She brings you to Zainab’s just so you can hang?”

“and she does the… he thought.. and thought for the word… they were building the London bridge with Legos

“She is her “twera fist” he said firmly

It didn’t take him long to figure that one out, therapist….

All the crying fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle

“Oh?” he tried to be cool

“She cries and cries” he said with a faraway look

“Are u right there?”

“Nooooo… I am playing with Zainab, when Zainab’s Mom opens the door to give them chai, I see Aai walking fast fast” (mimics the walk in Aatreya’s living room) and she is wiping her eyes

He does that

“Hmm”

“Do you give her a hug?”

“NOOO SHE GIVES ME a HUG…. A giant giant giant hug” he said with a smile

“That’s nice”

“Like THISSS” he spontaneously ran up to him and hugged him

Aatreya Rao received his first hug from his little human

A hug that was granted to show how his Aai hugged

“She has a tight hug doesn’t she?” he spoke from memory

“Oh sorry” Jai giggled

Pulling away

“She does” he nodded

“Do you want to pick something nice for her today she let me care for you for 5 days?” he smiled and winked

“A giant house?” he threw his arms up and gestured

“She wants a big house?”

“she is not afraid of the ghost” he went offtopic

“Oh great”

“I miss the Bandra house, Aai said we can go”

“Oh really?” he looked at the little guy with compassion

He had an incredible childhood, teen years and adulthood

He could go to his parents with anything

He could not imagine spending a week in a stranger’s flat and yet be so incredibly well behaved

He had tried to peel the layers off why he was resorting to physical retaliation

(next chapter)

Aatreya gave him tons of choices of what they could buy for Mom

He could not decide

He asked him if he had gifted her anything ever before he claimed to have made gifts in class for Diwali and Mother’s Day for her

“What about Birthday?”

“Hugs” he nodded thoughtfully looking up from his anime book, as Aatreya drove

“You have a phone you should save her Birthday” he pointed

“Oh yeahhhhh” Jaidrith looked up again to smile wide

As if that thought had never occurred to him before🤣

Atty has a very important clue now. The therapist and Mru's crying. He has no idea yet about her irrational fears.

I was wondering what the title meant.

As always. Wonderful title.

Nisha comes up with the most innovative titles ever.

Mistakes & Options

Jaidrith couldn’t tell him what snack she liked or music she liked

He decided against giving her any flowers

Jaidrith would tell her at night about how Aatreya asked to buy a gift for her for allowing him to be at his place

“You coming back is my gift” she said staring into identical blue eyes

“You don’t like him?” he asked candidly

She froze, she had no idea her face was so expressive

She quickly shut the bedside lamp and snuggled by him

“I don’t know him”

“U said you know him and he is my Dad”

“Shakaraaa”

She hated the game of million questions

The kid just did not shut up

Why what

When where

Who

Why

What

“I feel weird calling him Dad”

Then don’t” she said smugly

That made her happy

She hugged him tight he smelled like Aatreya’s

house she realized

“Do you like going over there?”

He looked at her face carefully in the dark

He didn’t want to admit he did

Tū mhaṇālāsa kī āpaṇa sid'dhīvināyakākaḍē jā'ū śakatō āṇi maga tū malā ghē'ūna jāśīla

(U said u will take me to Big Mike's Indoor arcade in Hiranandani after going to Siddhi Vinayak no?)

She had forgotten in all the stress

She was doing almost daily therapy calls this week with Sameena

This was getting real bad

Talking to his parents, and being judged for her decision was going to be terrifying

Maybe going to Siddhi Vinayak on Saturday would avert that

“Saturday?” she kissed his forehead, getting off his bed

There was no call from him on Saturday, she worked remotely to impress Sen so he would not ding her for so many therapy apptts during the week, she was on the verge of being broke this month due to moving, new furniture and down payment and advance electricity and water dues and society dues

She knew a day spent at an arcade meant at least Rs, 5,000

Jaidrith received an invite from Lynn, early afternoon

Mrunalini would later discover SHE was not invited though all parents were

Mendy offered to pick him up and walk with him to his terrace for an evening of games

Jai was enjoying all the sudden attention

A lifetime of being lonely and one month of being liked

He spent his afternoons after school staring out his front steel door at Ulhas and Utkarsh

Kirti Sahasre appeared to be softening but Mrunal could not get overconfident

No parent in Amaltas had ever bothered to return her call after the first play date

“He is weird, he sits in a corner and reads”

“He brings a weird medicine bag”

“is he bionic boy”

Like there was a clique and it was impenetrable

The few times he got to hang out, he did not play basketball or soccer well enough

He was a bookworm who didn’t care to play

She let him be, and so there could be no happy medium

Mendy asked her if it was OK for Jaidrith to return at 10, she couldn’t let him stay that long, since he could not eat anything before she tested it so she went to pick him up and found 25 parents

Lynn just smiled and waved

Aatreya was missing too

She would ask him at night and he would say “I don’t know”

Which she would later find out as well on Sunday when Jaidrith would ask Aatreya where he was any why he didn’t go to Mendy’s

“I was out with friends bud”

“Aaai he was out with friends” her son informed after the call

“I can go to the school for getting myself an ID on Tuesday at 4? Will that work?”

“Its his first week back after suspension I am hoping he can be in extra hour for Math etc”

“He is repentant, you should drop it” he was irritated

“Well, he had a choice and he screwed up”

“You’ve never made any mistakes?” he asked and regretted it the next second

“I am sorry” he said after a long pause

“So he will be busy at extra hour of every subject one day a week next week” she said quietly

She didn’t ack his apology, neither did she defend herself

“I can see if I can do this alone

“U cannot” she said quietly

“Did you have to accompany for ur parents” he asked casually

No response

“We can do the week after”

Aatreya hung up the call and wondered why Jai had no recollection of his grandparents

“Who are they?” he asked Aatreya in return

“U know what, lets go get a sorbet” he changed the subject

He wondered if they passed

But Mrunalini’s response and silence second time he had brought it up confirmed something was off

“Have u met her parents?” he texted Mendy

“Whose?”

“Mrunalini’s?”

“Nope”

“Hmm”

What happened?

“Not a thing”

“Phew” “U know, Vikas Bhasin right? His Mom had a stroke”

“really?”

He began calling Vikas and got distracted

“Hi! Saturday at 8?” he said the Friday after return to school week

“We cannot go Saturday” she said since she had appointed herself in chaperone role at all times

“Actually just him”

“I don’t know”

“He wanted to go to an arcade in Hiranandani”

She hung up the phone and became jealous of this man

He had every right to the child and had every option to entertain him

Atty, don't stop flirting with Mrunalini.

Also, I would rather like that you insist she accompany Dhruv. Or else how will you two meet and spend time together 😉.

This will not sit well with Mru. First Lynn excluded her, now Atty has. Both are giving her the message that Dhru is the person they want, not her.

Just when she was going to take Dhru, Atty is there to fill in. And she was not invited. This has to hurt. Why did Atty exclude her from the trip? If Dhru mentions later that she was going to take him, would Atty realize what he did?

Gasp!☺️

That was just the beginning

His demands on Jai’s time became more acute, rightfully so, he was not part of anything for 9 ½ years

He had to make a course correction

A week later as promised he asked about when he could go with her to the school

Before that, one night he asked her over text the following:

I would like to take some pictures”

“We already do pictures in school thrice a year, Deepavali in traditional clothes and beginning and year book end of year”

“Me and him actually” he said calmly

She didn’t respond

For her it was quite unimagineable to even think of her boy in pictures with someone else

She was beginning to send Dhru over but the fear was on high gear

She had recently started getting nightmares of going over to his house on a weekend evening to pick up Dhru and no one knowing who Aatreya Rao is and what he looks like

She spent an hour crying on Sameena’s couch

I have been abandoned by my parents, all I have is him why does he want my child Sameena

Sameena had no answer

The universe wanted it this way it felt like….. to her Mrunal was devastated

“Do not think of losing your child”

“I have read about so many mothers who became complacent and lost their kids to their ex, this man has lived in the US”

“You have a 10 year multiple entry visa as well, you can go chase him down no?” sameena was quite naïve

As if that was going to be easy

“The country is 10 times the size of India and far less people”

“He has a Linked in presence it does not look like him, IT IS HIM Mrunal”

Sameena pulled him up with at least 100 endorsements from various people in banking jobs all over the US

“aap email karo in logon ko, ask him no?”

“What if he has coached them?”

Sameena got up and paced

“We cannot think this way”

“He had a welcome party at work at his boss’s back yard in Hiranandani, he took Dhru he didn’t event invite me”

“did you want to go?” sameena was shocked

Nahi… but I wanted to see who he was”

“the boss?”

“Yes I think it may be a she, I forgot”

“Ask him if you can meet people from his office? Politely?”

He doesn’t tell me where Dhru will be, I mean he tells me but I don’t know… anything more”

“You don’t want to tell him anything either Mru”

“But when he has my child, he should tell me everything no?”

Mrunal accused

“Did you ASK him?”

“ALL I get is “We will be home, we will step out” “We will be home we will be around the corner”

Mrunal’s voice indicated the sorrow of being excluded

“Is he rude to you?” Sameena sat by her hurriedly and squeezed her hand fondly

“No… just you know very business like, he takes my kid, he tells me the bare minimum and doesn’t say a word more”

“Hmm”

Sameena did not know how to reassure her

“When you come here or go meet Sai Didi do you tell him?”

She nodded her eyes filling up with tears

“I tell him I will be at a friend’s in Worli for u”

“What more do you want to know?”

“I don’t get to talk to Dhru when they are “doing stuff” Dhru doesn’t hear the phone

I track him on my app, I track him with his watch but that’s it”

“Is he nice to Dhru?”

“I think so”

“Hmm”

“Not any more than that huh?”

“reach out at the end of the meeting or visit and say, how did Dhru do? What did he eat, please don’t mind me asking, he has tons of food allergies and is so shy and awkward I want to know if he behaved himself, yadda yadda”

“I did”

“Then?”

He tells me in two or three sentences that’s it”

“that’s great na?” sameena was confused

“He asked me if he can take pictures”

“Of who?” Sameena was shocked again

“No not me” Mrunal chuckled sniffling “What will he do with my picture”

“His new kid I guess”

“Did u agree?”

“I mean he was going to go to court to prove paternity and demand custody I buckled in a week” “what am I going to do about pictures”

Sameena never thought reconnecting with an ex could be so painful for anyone

She had not helped too many in real life yet

Her therapy journey was less than two years old

She had to frequently consult books or articles and professors

For Murnal’s sake

But Mrunal was a mess

She wanted familiarity from this oddly structured relationship

How was it going to happen?

This was beyond Sameena’s expertise

“Do you care for how Dhru sees this man?”

“If he hates him then the next moment I will cut him off” Mrunal was a tigress

“You think Aatreya lives on pins and needles because of that?”

“He better” she said with conviction and zero shame

Back to the photos issue………

“What sort of photos, why? When where? Who is taking them? You on ur phone?

“Where will you be sharing them? Why?”

He answered patiently and politely

A day later he sent her a link to the pictures

They were the MOST gorgeous stunning pictures of her child

In random places and pretty places, casual and formal

No change of clothes no poses

Just the two of them in almost all

She didn’t even glance at the tall handsome guy

He stopped by to drop Dhru off Saturday evening

She had oiled her hair and never washed it, just stalking her son remotely

As the pictures came in, not 100s but 10s of them on his icloud

He had shared the link of his pictures, all 10,000 of them from 10? 20 ? years ago

She didn’t open any other folder except the one he gave the name for

She loved her child to the moon and back but did not like how he had presented her OWN child to her

She felt petty and jealous

They were PROFESSIONAL he better not lie to her, she checked the water mark of the studio, it was a woman a GORGEOUS woman with a camera with a mile long lens

No way

So sneaky… (it was not, but she want to believe that)

Knock on the door

An exhausted father son were all smiles

Mrunal mentally postponed to shampooing her hair until the morning so she could interrogate him

There was bags and bags of stuff being brought in

“He has a lot of food”

“I bet he does” Aatreya turned sideways to give hera charming smile”

“Majha foto pahila ka Aai?” (did u see my pics) Dhru was eager his cheeks were flushed pick with excitement

“Hmm”

“mee eka oocha paireevar chadhlo” (I climbed a TALL stair case)

He said proudly

“Hmm”

“I got THIS” he showed her a bag with a mechanical circuit game”

“He gets gifts for an occasion”

“He found his Dad” Aatreya muttered softly

Rocking on the balls of his feelt his hands tucked into the back pockets of dark honey pants

A red cotton check shirt made him look roguish

The front door of Sahasres was unbolting

Mrunal lowered her voice

“Is the photographer going to give you all pictures?”

He was confused

“I think so? Why?”

She leaned on the side wall, so Kirti will not see her

She didn’t want any awkward questions of who this man was

“Do you know the photographer?”

“Yeah? She is a really good friend” he nodded

He had a swagger she realized, his shirt somehow always untucked on one side

He smelled like he usually did, his self and some cologne

“she better not be selling them and making money”

“Whoaaa?” he was shocked

“U know they all love to do that all without permission” she pointed out all knowingly

“I don’t…” he began

“I have had friends who have had this happen to them” she claimed

“Ive known her.. 10 years? Maybe more?” he looked confused

There was a large crash

They ran in to check, he had as usual climbed on a cupboard shelf and had sent a bunch of games crashing down

They bend down and collectively cleaned up instinctively

She scolded him in rapid fire Marathi

He looked at Aatreya contemplating if he should cry to get pity points

AND…. He did

Aatreya gathered him in his arms

As Mrunalini sighed running her hand through her oily joora

“Dhruu” she summoned him

“Dhruu”

“Don’t do crazy things K?” aatreya reassured

Dhru sniffled and sniffled and took off

Sneaky stinker…

“Please check the credentials of the photographer, she could be a fraud” she said smugly

“I did” he was agitated

“U don’t look before you know it my kid’s

photos are all over the web” she accused hissing at him back in the living room

“she will not”

“You don’t know that, I need to see all the papers” she ordered

“Umm..”

“She doesn’t care I know but........... its MY child”

“Whole lot of assuming about someone you do not know” he said softly

Walking up to her…

She realized she was staring at him

Dhru had her eyes, but he had Aatreya’s lashes

Gasp!

To people who don't know her, Mru would come across as the crazy lady. Only the patient ones would bother sticking around to uncover the real person behind the facade.