“Daddy is right,” Sanket added. “Come to Dubai. Stop working for a while.”
“I’ll see.”
“We can stay back and take you, if you want?”
“That won’t be needed. I have checkups to go to. If I decide to come after that, I will let you know.” Nilay got to his feet, sensing the uneasy awkwardness of the room. Sometimes, you came too far from your blood to ever trace your way back. Today, he wasn't reticent or angry or even hurt by them. It wasn’t petty revenge that made him not engage with them. He had just liberated himself of that life, of those bonds, and of that person. He would fulfil any duties due to him as son and brother, but comfort or companionship was not found here anymore. Maybe never was. It had always been Mummy sticking them all together.
They followed his cue and got to their feet. Without a word, he and Ritu walked them to the door. There, his father turned to Ritu.
“I thought you were going to marry him. But you saved his life. Thank you.”
Ritu smiled. The maturity that she was wielding in this hotbed of unease was remarkable. He was so grateful that she was by his side today. And so, so proud.
“I will call you,” Sanket told him. “Plan something once the doctors allow you to travel.”
“Yes.”
The elevator doors dinged open and out stepped Maya, Gautam and MM in his arms. Nilay felt his face brighten up. When the little girl finished gawking at her surroundings like a chicken and met his eyes, and a toothy smile bloomed on her lips, he felt his own answering grin open his mouth wide.Hi,he mouthed, opening his arms for her. Gautam crossed his father and brother and deposited MM into his waiting chest. Nilay squeezed her close, kissing her cheek, and saw his father and brother gaping at him as the elevator doors closed on them.
“Googoogagaa…” MM grabbed his beard with both hands.
“No sunflowers today but do you want rides in my private elevator?”
“Yay!” Maya’s cheer. “Nilay!” Gautam and Ritu’s deadpan.
19. Tip Tip Barsa Paani
— NILAY —
“We could have kept MM with us,” he breathed, eyes closed, exhausted after hosting. He had hopped parties and events and meetings only a week ago without exhaustion, and here he was, done for after a low-key dinner with Maya, Gautam and MM.
“And what would Maya and Gautam do without their daughter?” He felt a velcro snap and the cuff come around his bicep. He did not even have the energy to play with her and get that kiss. He would welcome it, of course, but didn't have the bandwidth to do it himself.
“They could go on a date, take the night off…” he managed as she pumped the machine. He no longer panicked about the results. Whatever it was, Ritu would adjust his dosage if needed.
“Gautam would never do that.”
“Daddy-daughter bonds are special, but he just has it bad for her.” Nilay mused. “Anyone would, if it was a baby as cute as MM…”
“He has proven beyond a doubt that he will never let MM even think about her actual father.”
“Wait, what?” He snapped his eyes open. “Actual father?”
The cuff deflated around his bicep and she unwrapped it. “I thought you knew.”
“Knew what? That Gautam is not MM’s father? That’s not possible. He told me himself…”
“What?”
Nilay thought back to that night, their first business dinner at Copper Chimney. He had flirted with Maya as she had gushed about his work. And then she had stood up from the table to go to the restroom, and he had discovered she was pregnant. Gautam had been attentive and besotted. He had apologised immediately but Gautam had been distracted, waiting for her to come back from the restroom, eyes only on her and then on her belly. On MM. He couldn’t have been anyone but the father.
“I just assumed,” Nilay wondered aloud. “And he let me… wow. Wow.” He was… ‘impressed’ would be the wrong word. “Wow.”
“MM is a lucky girl.” Ritu wound up the BP machine.
“She so is. It would have been fun if she had been here with us all night. You saw how she went to sleep on my stomach? She didn’t even twitch when I covered her with the throw.”
“And who would take care of her when she woke up?”
