Rekindle
You realize it’s a country of nearly 1 billion right?” Mendonza handed him a bottle
They were standing in the chhath or terrace of Mendy’z Chembur flat
It was a crowded bustling neighborhood
Mendy’s kids ran around both of them in circles, playing hide and seek
“Its not like she is a complete stranger
“No she is not” “But just like you got here from Bangalore for that one weekend?”
“I was here over 10 days I met her thrice”
“But you did not ask for a name? neither did u give urs”
“I gave her my name “
“Atty?”
Aatreya laughed and nodded sipping from the bottle
“I love this neighborhood
“Aaja yahin”
“Sure” he shrugged
He was not from an industrialist family or royal family, they were just comfortably well to do in Bangalore
He made lots of money in the US, not 100s of millions, not even 10s of millions, under two digits actually
“When I find her”
“Phir to ho chuka, nai aayega boss tu” Mendy poked him with his bottle
“You think I can’t?”
“I KNOW u can’t” You are not CM ka beta, ACP DCP ka beta, or underworld Don ka beta, you are a regular dude from Bangalore, who doesn’t speak a lick of Hindi”
“I SPEAK Hindi”
“Ya… Are you willing to waste time endlessly on finding her?” “Hindi mein bata”
“Naanu avalannu hudukutta varsapurti kaleyalu siddha” (I will look for her until the end of the year)
“Bhidu” Mendy laughed
His wife Lyn appeared in the doorway
“Mendy…. Khaane ko kya hai?” she looked tired she still had her purse and laptop bag
“Arey yeh khila raha hai, chal naha le” Mendy waved his bottle back and forth
The girls Ira and Iris clamored for a lift and hug
“Baat karo” she signaled her husband
“Arey kar lee baat yaar, jab taq usko who chhokri nahi mil jaati nai buy karega rey wo”
Aatreya laughed realizing what the joke was all about
“Phir nai haan?” Lyn was upset, turned and went downstairs
“Does she know the owner?”
“Yeah creche waali aunty hai, she wont sell until she is very happy”
“then FIND her mann!”
“Tere ko Maharashtrian kafi sari mil jaayegi, blue eyes dude”
“No” Aatreya sipped slowly staring out at the sprawl below
“I guess” he mumbled
He thought of her…
This is ridiculous he agreed
Life had happened
He had thought about her intensely at first for months, in fact after getting to Philly
He didn’t know many from the parties he went to, the pictures didn’t have a close up, an occasional blurry grainy image
Six months ago, when he decided to quit Wall St and return to India to be with his parents, after grabbing lunch from a truck when he walked down 10th avenue, he had noticed a billboard commercial of a woman’s perfume or makeup, blond… blue eyed…
The bikini was almost identical
The blue eyes exactly the same
He had stopped to turn and look at it many times, bringing back a flood of memories
Returned to Bangalore, visited with parents, and sister, and was now going down the memory lane in Mumbai
A friend’s friend had been amused to hear about his Lonavala opinion over drinks last week
Aatreya had happened to tell the guy, “It wasn’t all too bad, I hooked up with a nymph”
And one thing had led to another and the random guy had said he knew of someone in his building that had gorgeous eyes
Like a fool he had shown up there and described Mrunalini “Tall skinny blue eyes, wavy shoulder length hair”
The guard took him to be a creep and refused to divulge anything else
“If you find her, please tell her I would like to rekindle my love” Aatreya raised a toast
“Pakka boss… pakka…” Mendy rolled his eyes as the men made their way down
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