“Doing it right now.”
“What are you doing for lunch today, aside from reading my immersive articles?”
“Making sure a little girl who crawls like a monster survives this apartment.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maya and Gautam have to go somewhere, I am looking after MM.”
“Alone?”
“With my husband and his family. Of course, alone.”
“Oh… So, while you are chasing this baby monster, will you need fuel?”
“I am not taking MM out to eat. I am good at taking care of her but not outside the confines of four private walls. She is climbing on sofas and crawling at 80 miles per hour.”
He smiled, thinking about Ritu chasing a toddler all around the house, screaming, getting worked up, becoming everything that she usually wasn’t. Just like last night. Nilay checked the sticky note pasted on the edge of his Mac. 8 to 10 was his own design review time, 10 to 11 was with his Publicist and then there was a lunch meeting at 1. He peeled the sticky note off and wrote a new one.
Reschedule after23pm
“I am sending a batch of groceries to your place, accept them.” He told her.
“What groceries?”
“You will be busy chasing, who will do the cooking?”
“Nilay…”
“You don’t want me to come?”
He hadn’t thought that. Was he pushing himself into her life? Was he pushing her? He had never given it a thought. His presence had always been welcome wherever he had gone, celebrated even. He had forgotten what it felt like to be rejected, not needed, not wanted. His father had reminded him last night. Was he blocking it out where Ritu was concerned because he wasthatblinded?
“No…”
His throat constricted.
“No, I mean, you are welcome here. But… you won’t enjoy it. MM is in her most active phase. She cannot take not getting attention. You will just be an unpaid cook here.”
The muscles of his face relaxed. “I thought I get paid 500 rupees.”
“That’s monthly.”
“Then let me earn my keep. What time are they dropping her off?”
“Any minute now.”
“Great. Call me once they do. We don’t want to hide inside bedrooms, do we?”
“Blocking your number.” She ended the call.
He grinned. Then because he couldn’t help himself, he went and found another article and pasted it in her chat from his second number.
NILAY PATEL
Nilay Patel: The Reigning Emperor of Indian Heritage Couture.pdf
In case you finish the previous ones and need more
