Page 71 of Made in Mumbai

“It’s also hopeful,” he blinked, thinking about Maya’s baby for the first time as a baby. It wouldn’t be scary. If it was anything like Maya, it would be a ball of sunshine. It would come laughing and kicking into this world, shining its light on everyone.

“Hey,” Maya returned. “You kept standing for me?”

Gautam nodded, taking the clutch from her hand to help her slide inside. Once he took his seat and their food started arriving, their conversation turned to business. And true to his honour, NiP did not flirt with Maya again.

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“Mmmmm…” his new roommate licked the spoon like she was licking a whole mountain of chocolate. Still in her pretty white dress, tiny heeled sandals left on the side, clutch abandoned, she reclined on his sofa with a tub full of Chocolate Mousse Royale from Baskin Robbins. Apparently, it was better than Mississippi Mud. He didn’t agree, as he sat on the far end from her, in his full formal wear, quietly eating his chosen flavour from a small cup. How she had convinced him that ice cream was theonlyhome remedy for acidity was beyond him.

“I can’t believe NiP is going to partner with us…” she moaned around a spoonful.

“Nothing is set in stone yet.”

“Didn’t you see? He was so,” she did some sort of wave dance with her hands, spoon in mouth, “when he came into the restaurant. And by the time the food arrived he was talking serious business. Must be all my ego massage.”

“This ego massage?” Gautam imitated her wave dance and knew that he botched it. She stuck her tongue out, scooping more ice cream into her mouth. “Oofff!” She jerked up, hands on her belly.

“Maya!” He ran to her, “What is it? Do you need to go to the hospital again? Should I call your doctor? I told you eating so much ice cream at once is not good…”

She smiled. His eyes squeezed shut in relief. Gautam kneeled down between her feet, automatically smiling — “Is this something to joke about?”

She shook her head, still smiling, eyes not on him but somewhere else, hands still on her tummy — “It’s kicking.”

“What? The baby?”

“Yes! Yes! You are real!” She murmured to her tummy. “Shi… I mean, wow, you are real. Hello! Do you like ice cream too?” Her eyes were tearing up as she glanced back down at him, so much emotion pooling in her two dark irises. “G, this is so awesome. This is… how do I describe it, it’s…”

“I know,” he reached out and rubbed the tear from the corner of her eye. Her smile widened. “Come, you wanna feel it?”

Before he could make a decision, she had pulled his hand and thrust it on her stomach. He recoiled. It was hard. He had always looked at her stomach and thought it would be soft. After all, a human was living in there.Bump.

“Is it…?” He asked her incredulous. He couldn’t believe how amazed his voice sounded even to himself. Maya nodded, pressing his hand harder, then moving it to the side. There, another bump. Was it the baby’s leg or the arm? Gautam hesitated, then caressed the place, feeling a stronger kick right there. All the cuss words from his long lost life came to the tip of his tongue. That was how amazed he was. He swallowed them down. The baby shouldn’t hear such words now, should she?

“Is this the first time?” He asked.

“I have felt bubbles for a month or so, but this is the first time it has kicked so hard. It is real, Gautam. My baby is real. It’s coming soon.” She broke into a sob. He instantly was up and on the sofa, his arms going around her to pull her into his chest. “Shhhit… I need to stop crying.” She covered her face with both hands.

“No, it’s ok,” he pressed her head into his chest. “Your baby is coming soon, M. It’s real. It’s such a happy little thing kicking me. I think it agrees that Mississippi Mud is better than that royal mousse thing.”

Her whole body rattled in his arms, and the prettiest wet eyes blinked up at him, surrounded by clouds of the most wild dark waves — “All chocolate is good chocolate. My baby is smart that way.”

He grinned, feeling his face light up with hundreds of tiny fireflies as he dipped and kissed her forehead. She stilled. He felt the swallow down her throat on his own chest. A few empty moments passed. Then quietly, Gautam distanced his mouth from her forehead.

“Was that ok?” He asked.

A second of silence. A huff. Then a small nod.

“Yes. Thanks for sharing this with me. I don’t know who I would have told it to immediately had it happened to me alone.”

She began to get out of his hold but he pressed her back — “How come the whole world is your friend and you don’t have one person to share your greatest joy with?”

“I don’t know, I am not that self-aware,” she tried to joke.

“I am serious, M,” he pushed her wild waves behind her ear and cupped her cheek. She was so beautiful that she was making it difficult to breathe. “How is there nobody here for you? With you?”

“My maasi is there…”

“Where?”

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