"So, and what does your friend's mother do during the day ?" I asked,eager to know,but I didn't let it show.
After a half eaten dinner,he didn't like the food and I didn't want the thread to fade,so I had followed him to his room and hoped to get him talking.I was curious to know if Radha had shown any particular interest and asked him about me or whether I was mentioned in a passing conversation.Any specific references to me would be a pointer.It was I who had concluded that I was her daughter's biological father though Radha had not even shown a fleeting moment of recognition when we had crossed each other on the road.
My son was the clue to the answer, I could subtly probe deeper and find out whether after all these years she really remembered me, but my son wouldn't even look at me.
"mr rockkkk,.......want to wrestle on the terrace".I asked as if I was in a great mood for monkey business, like prancing .
He was busy...."go away,I'm busy".he said ,looking intently at the computer screen and furiously toggling the joy stick.At his age he had to be busy,pushing buttons on his play station and killing his own dad.I was getting a little too nervous and angry,but I held.
"Well,if you don't feel like wrestling, why don't we go upstairs and catch up on the stars." I wanted him to be an astronaut and thought a gentle introduction to the mysteries of the universe would kindle in him a desire for larger missions and had a telescope installed on the roof.It had remained largely untouched..
He didn't care and twisted his ears by reaching it from behind his back."What stars..........the sky is full of clouds" and screwed his face.I tried again while he adeptly sidestepped a six pointed atomic weapon and launched his vajraastra."boom..boom " "look dad,I've been waiting for three days to get this bastard".
I cuffed him.."what kind of language is that" ...I yanked off the controls and hauled him to the terrace.
"First....never use that kind of language in my presence....and two, if you want to play again, you better explain yourself."
"Dad, everybody says that....if they miss" I cut him off .
"I said ....what you meant about that lady knowing my name."
I had no inkling Radha had recognized me when she saw me.Today when my son said she knew my name,it set me thinking. If she did,she should have some reason to remember,because our relationship was so brief to so remember unless she had a reason to do so or so I thought.Now, did she ever reveal to her daughter the truth? Did she tell her child that I was her father?I was in deep thought when my son interrupted me ...
"She knows your other name.........
"I don't have any other name."
"What mama calls you somtimes"...... that dropped like a bombshell and I cringed,if Radha could recollect that, I should have been in her mind all along.Why?
