For G, from Juan

ɢɪʀʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜʀʟʏ ʜᴀɪʀ

Juan seated himself beside Dhrithi's bed after the crowd left the room. He lifted the sleeping child from his cradle and embraced him close to his heart. Dhrithi, who was half-sleepy crinkled her eyes into a smile.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked her in a low whisper.

"Like a survivor" she played back. He grinned.

"Nah, you are a superhero D" he proclaimed, holding her boy high in his arms.

She didn't reply but crumpled his striped sleeve out of compunction.

"Am I really a superhero? I'm going to abandon my child today.."

Juan looked regretful. He swaddled the baby tightly, to easen his rigid muscles, which were sensitive to emotions than his mind was.

"I should never have a baby again.." she sighed.

"D, you are not abandoning him suddenly.. and even if you wish to, you will not be able to take care of him. So, stop worrying about things that are not in your control. Look at him, he is right in front of you.."

Dhrithi shrudded and moved her eyes away from the baby's face.

"Looking at him might make it even more difficult, J cheta" she said longingly.

"I think the opposite" he protested. "Anyway, it is upto you. Our decisions make us"

"Then, I need an opinion on something.." she murmered to him. Juan raised his eyebrows in response.

"Should I talk to Vijay?" she asked with a nervous smile.

"Why not? I think he is a good person.. you can be friends or even be in a relationship if you think it is"

"- that was not what I meant.. He feels bad for what happened.. so I guess it is okay to be on talking terms?"

"Okay, let it be. It is your say. Set an example." Juan smiled and looked at Amaya who led her guest into her office.

Dhrithi eyed the inside of the cradle, in which lied the emerald pendant, refulgent in contact with the sun. She smirked and shook her head.

"Why couldn't you have him?" She asked after giving the question a lot of thought.

"I was supposed to adopt him, but, Amaya had other plans. Hence, it misfired. I even spoke to Mrs. Lilly.. yet I was the one who got convinced" he pondered and forced a laugh.

Upsetted by this, she laid back on her bed with a little difficulty.

"Care to make something for me?" she asked the perplexed Juan.

"Sure. Something nutritious, yet yummy. Meet you at lunch then" He said to the already dozed-off Dhrithi.

Juan replaced the baby back and gently pushed his cradle. As he looked at the baby and Dhrithi, he was reminded of the memories of them being together for almost a year now. She was the most intelligent and lovable kid he had met. It felt painful that she was going to leave the place very soon. Bundling up his emotions, he tightened his sleeves up and left the room.

He halted near a maid who was dumping the coffee cups he had brought into a recycling bin outside the clinic.

"Who is.."

"- Juan, these are really pretty looking cups. I don't feel like throwing them at all" she interrupted.

"I feel the same every morning too.." he chuckled. "There is this café in Los Angeles that uses the same design"

"Really?" she gasped.

"Yes. Ah, well, who is that in her office?" he interrogated.

"That.. is her husband's colleague. Looks like she has also come for a stay"

"That must be the G she told me about.." he looked keenly into the office at the woman with the curly hair, tapping on her phone screen.

"Who?" the maid asked intrigued by her name.

"Ah, nothing.." he mumbled and felt embarrassed for disclosing what Amaya had asked him to keep private. "I think I'll leave, shop's still closed", he walked away embarrassed.

"Poor guy" the maid muttered and continued the dumping.

TO BE CONTINUED