The Roommate Therapy ✓

39 • Cranial Tornadoes

"I called the Karthik's boy for a cup of coffee at the little cafe down the street yesterday." My mother stated softly, staring ahead as she spoke.

I whipped my head to her side so suddenly that I was lucky I didn't get a catch in my neck.

"You what?" I asked incredulously, a confused- almost angry burst of emotions manifesting as a frown.

"I take it that Vinay didn't tell you anything about it. I made him promise me that he wouldn't," a ghost of smile made it's way to my mother's lips as she spoke, "Don't worry though, Akira. I did not try to drive him away. It was something I thought of doing because he does not deserve a wonderful young woman like you, but I didn't dare to. Your little extempore the other day woke me up. You are truly a woman now, an adult who has the right to make her own decisions."

"I am." I nodded, unfazed.

"Which is why I had a nice, long talk with Vinay. He is far from perfect but I guess he really fancies you, so I think I can be civil as long as he keeps trying to be the best possible version of himself for you." Ma said jubilantly, "I think I can live with that. Men aren't born mature. One can say they are like pickles. Some age well and some just don't. There's no concrete reason for it, just dire circumstances."

"I'm glad you realised that, Ma." I sighed.

"It was hard but I'm glad I did too." Ma nodded slightly, fiddling with the wedding ring on her finger.

I found it all too good to be true though. There was a time when I strongly believed that the world was a complex mixture of trust, faith and a pinch of pixie dust. But that was before. A time when I lived a more sheltered life in my own happy bubble.

I mentally smacked my head.

Akira, she is your mother! Stop blowing situations out of due proportion inside your head.

"So you wouldn't mind if Vinay moved back into this flat?" I asked, pushing my luck.

My mother stifled a cough.

"As long as I don't have a complete menagerie of grandchildren running around my house." Ma asserted in a no nonsense way, "They call this kind of relationship something these days, I think it's living in. Live in?"

I chuckled nervously.

"Live in." I said, taking my mother's hands into mine, "And that's not how our relationship is, Ma. We're just roommates and we like each other. We have separate rooms for heaven's sake. I just want you to trust me a little."

"I do trust you, immensely." Ma smiled tightly, "Besides, I realised that everyone should have the liberty to make their own mistakes and learn from them. Even I had a beau in college and it would be hypocritical of me to go to arduous lengths to prevent you from having the same. I suppose it's the mother inside me overpowering my feminist side."

I grinned elfishly, turning slightly so I was facing her now.

"So tell me about this beau of yours. You've never told me his name." I prodded.

My mother's face reddened instantly and she swatted my arm lightly, hiding her soft giggle with her long, delicate fingers.

"Out of everything I said, that is what you chose to ask?" she asked, raising her brow.

I nodded, a devious glint in my eyes.

"His name was Yashwant Modi. Everyone used to call him Yash. He was tall and easy on the eyes," Ma started dreamily, "Once it was raining and I ran for cover into the local library. We unexpectedly stumbled into each other at the..."