In your mind..
As he drove, he told his Mom about Leela's call
Trisha sat upfront in his Land Rover, with a surreal feeling, as if the things she was experiencing were happening to someone just like her but not HER.
"She yelled at me about Manav" he said with a childlike voice
Mandira was squirming in the back, she absolutely did not want Trisha to know anything about her daughter
"You know her... silly girl" Mandira mumbled
"You should quit poking and let her see the guy" he said looking at his mother through rear view
"You should relax in the back seat and let the driver drive, because you are still in PT" Mandira said cleverly
"My shoulder is sore only in the mornings"
"and you fell over a bicycle two days ago in an elevator"
"the lights turned off as the doors slid open" he claimed
"Trisha tell me how do you like Bangalore weather?"
"Its nice... but not like Ullal"
"Ofcourse I would live at the coast if I could"
"You have been to Ullal?" she asked surprised
"Umm... yeah, a couple times, Ive been to a couple beaches around there, so many small towns"
"ullal is pretty" Trisha was firm
"I agree" Ashvin grinned looking at her sideways
"We have the biggest Someshwara Temple" she said
"Oh yeah, Dadu was saying you took him around and Rachit"
"Yes.. that and the fort... and the beaches, and the market" she sighed
"Ashvin loves the water, he doesnt do much history" "Give him a surf board and some friends, you wont see him for months"
Trisha nodded...
They waited at a traffic stop, Ashvin pointed to a medical shop with a red plus, "You should get some of what you wear for Leela" he chuckled casually
"Kya maanga usne? I am going to Venice with friends, I will get what she wants" Mandira said
"She said she wanted what Trisha wears on her face"
Mandira smoldered in the back, the fumes floating to the front
"Thats strange" she mumbled
"Its just Indian" Trisha said calmly
"Just Indian?" he teased
"Ashvin will drive you crazy" Mandira supplied
Trisha smiled in response
"I mean only I am talking... you dont talk?" Mandira asked when they were seated at a cozy Indian eatery
"I talk when I know people. I dont speak Hindi... umm.. I think in Konkani, so sometimes by the time I think of answer its too late" she said candidly
Mandira listened carefully
Something about the girl was charming... it was undeniable
"Umm.. what language do I think in?" she pondered... "Mostly Hindi, sometimes Punjabi, sometimes English" she smiled
"so many languages" Trisha smiled
"Ashvin's Dad spoke many languages" Mandira said somberly
Ashvin looked visibly sad...
The mother son exchanged a quick look, Mandira squeezed her son's fist
"You always bring me here" she smiled
"You hate it?" he grinned
"Umm.. I wont say it" Mandira was polite
"what will you have?" Ashvin looked at Trisha warmly, his gaze sliding slowly from her high cheekbones to her slender neck
"What are you having?" she asked
"Not fish.. I think..." his lips twitched
"I dont eat fish everyday" she said primly
Mandira watched the slow banter
"Just like you dont wear glasses everyday?" he whispered
"You are just too..." Trisha stared at him thoughtfully "Umm... umm.." she fumbled
"Ashvin..." Mandira scolded
Ashvin reluctantly turned to his Mom
The waiter appeared, took their beverage orders, and appys
"Have you two spoken about the future?" Mandira asked
Ashvin shook his head firmly
Trisha was nervous
"There was no ceremony, umm.. Dadu doesnt even know how official everything is"
Trisha listened...
"This is a strange situation" Mandira insisted
"You should let us figure it out" Ashvin said silkily cutting her off
"Listen... bet"
"Mom...relax" Ashvin said firmly
"You know our family?" Mandira was insistent
The appys came...
Mandira was like a book left open under the fan, she fluttered and fluttered until settling down quietly after a bit of coaxing
"What is your Ph D in?" she asked Trisha
"A protien that causes infertility" Trisha said pleasantly
"You love chemistry?" Mandira asked
"When I get the results I want" Trisha said honestly
"You speak very directly" Mandira said
"Chemistry... is very.."
"Action reaction" Ashvin supplied for her
She giggled happily
"You have a sentence finisher!!" Mandira was heart broken her son had a sync with her!!!
"I must think in konkani too" Trisha said happily
Mandira felt the opposite
They ate talking about cuisines
When they drove back, Mandira was dozing in the back.
When he parked outside the building, Mandira got off
Trisha tried to as well
"Do I get help carrying the food up?" he asked pointedly
They had ordered a few extra servings for the next day since he no longer had a cook
Trisha waited, and they rode the elevator up...
Mandira was texting on the couch
"I can put it in the frig" Trisha offered
"Looks like MJ knows you are here" Ashvin looked at his text as she gracefully put everything away in the frig
"Can I bring him?" she asked eagerly
"Your husband doesnt care for cats remember?" he challenged
She blushed intensely
"In your mind.. are we still roommates?" he asked pinning her on the frig
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