Wishful Paternity
“Don’t man!” mendy handed him a beer, warning him not to go over to the hotel again
“Aaj kya day hai?”
“Friday… oops”
He took it back
“To usko fizzy orange de na” Lynn urged
Lynn was making dinner today, she had the day off
The men were helping cut veggies since Aatreya was a vegetarian it had to be clean and tidy
“I wasn’t going to follow her”
Atty sat on the dhurrie and began to cop onions
Mendy shelled peas as Ira and Iris ate from the bowl he was putting the peas in
“Saare NAI khaane kaaaa” he yelled “Lynnn dekh rey inko”
“Puppa… one more… one more…” Ira squealed
“Don’t follow her, don’t intimidate her, that behavior is going to come off clearly as stalkerish dude
“Thanks” Aatreya shrugged
“So u think the baby is urs?”
Lynn peeked from the kitchen
“ISKA baby honey waala hai? Man mujhe kaun kahega?”
“Nai rey baba” Mendy rolled his eyes
“The woman who I shared a spark with… I suspect she has a baby”
“Suspect nai, she HAS a baby… aur ye hero abhi se excite horela hai”
“He is 9? Almost 10?” “She ran when the guy handed her Rueben signed forms”
“U were nosy, you showed up at her workplace and demanded to meet her husband, and asked her if you remembered, I don’t remember anyone from 10 years ago”
“I don’t remember anyone ELSE from that far back” Atty sighed
The long muggy rainy night was explosive
They were like a couple in love
They took tiny naps and woke each other up, like they had had known each other for years. He whispered in Kannada in her ears, some words were similar to Marathi, those made her blush
He was her first, she didn’t have to tell him that, but he worshipped her like she was his dream and was going to dissolve at sun rise.
“Does he have blue eyes?” Mendy used Lynn’s dupatta to tie up the girls wrists to the sofa leg
They squealed and tumbled over each other
“Whats that going to prove?” Aatreya looked at him like he was crazy…
“Matlab…” Mendy was sheepish
“He needs to be TALL”
“U said she was 5-10”
“OK never mind… this doesn’t seem to be going my way” Aatreya laughed
“Did u feel a thing?” Mendy asked quietly
“Does it sound disgusting if I say I did?”
“It does bheedu” Mendy laughed at having nailed him
“Well… I do… I don’t think Ive had had better s—”
“That’s a clear lie… how can you remember every encounter”
“That’s the thing right… I had ONE with her…. I mean one night… multiple… but”
Ive been your voice of conscience” Mendy was proud of himself
“Yeah… a negative, pessimistic killjoy”
“Hamari English teacher tere se khush ho jaayega mannn”
“There we go”
Atty snuck a handful of peas to Mendy’s girls the whole time
“u did everything… abhi chhod dene ka, u were able to find her, see her talk to her, ask her for a coffee date, tell her about urself”
“U left out everything about her dudeee”
“Keh le na”
“Married or single with a kid, who strangely happens to be 10”
“Yai… yai pe maar khaati hai teri theory, u are acting like she was in Lonavala ONLY to hook up with you”
Aatreya looked a lil bummed
He wanted it to be that way
He was an idiot he realized but weirdly he wanted it to be the best thing that happened to her that weekend
For him surely it was…
He had kicked himself for not going after her
He was too elated about Wharton so there was that…
“Not my kid huh?”
“Ive not seen a guy so DESPO man to want some random kid to be his”
Aatreya laughed out loud
Mendy realized how strikingly handsome he was
Unassuming and introverted but very good looking
“Tere ko lekar KJo ko pikchar banana chahiye… teri story boss, Ive not met a man who is so desperate to prove his paternity
Aatreya laughed some more
“Who would play me?”
“Main kar lega”
“Dekh isko haan?” Lynn warned “Isko Deepika ke saath romance karne ka hai”
“She is as tall as Deepika” Aatreya exclaimed
“Ab bacha nai… MA bhi maangta ha isko”
“I am probably never going to see her again” Aatreya told himself