The next morning, Amita got up around eight, as she had taken time off to be with her parents, when she heard Suruli get up and make noise. She slept in his room, while her parents took her and Charlie's room.
"Good morning!" Amita told her son. "Let's brush your teeth, so we can have breakfast."
So, Amita gave Suruli breakfast and sat him down to watch Sesame Street. Then, she had breakfast herself. Her parents, still jet lagged, were sleeping. Amita, after turning off the TV and putting Suruli in his play area, graded tests for one of her Astrophysics courses and then did research on autism, for the computer program she was starting to design for autistic children.
Around noon, after Suruli had his lunch, Amita's parents came down the stairs. Amita took them and Suruli to a restaurant for lunch. The boy kept himself busy with a toy ambulance.
As the adults opened their menus, a familiar voice called to Amita.
"Dr. R!" a young man called from across the room and walked towards her. "How are ya?"
"Fine. I'm about to eat with my parents," Amita said and introduced them to the student, named Josh, and vice versa.
"I'm waiting for my girlfriend," he told them, and saw Suruli. "Is this your kid?"
"Yes," Amita said. "His name is Suruli."
"Hey, little guy!" Josh greeted the child, who ignored him.
"Say hi, Suruli," Tapti told the child gently. "Your mother has said that you can say it."
"He's rather shy," Amita said lamely and apologetically.
"My sis was like that too when she was little," Josh said. After some more small talk, he excused himself and left.
"Why did you ignore the nice man?" Tapti asked Suruli.
"Mom, it's what he does," Amita said. "It's part of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder."
"Are you sure he has it?" Sanjay asked. "Didn't another doctor diagnose something else?"
"The first developmental pediatrician diagnosed him with a developmental delay, but it was a misdiagnosis."
"What is it with American Doctors making a pathology out of everything?" Sanjay asked. "Your cousin Dharuna, when she was Suruli's age, did not say one word. Now, you can't get her to stop!"
"It's not just the talking, dad. Suruli tunes people out, lines up his toys, gets overwhelmed easily, and just doesn't interact with people very well," Amita said. "Like you just saw. Most three year olds would either smile, or hide from Josh."
At that moment, a waitress came by and asked them, "Would you like anything to drink?"
Sanjay ordered a coke, while Tapti and Amita asked for water.
"Are you ready to order?"
"Not quite," Amita said.
"I'll be back in a few," the waitress promised.
"Maybe what he needs is a younger brother or sister to help socialize him," Sanjay hinted part jokingly part serious.
Amita rolled her eyes, and looked at the menu. "I socialized just fine as an only child. Besides, Suruli has Hugh."
09980098098098098908
After lunch, they took Suruli to the park.
"If there is any hitting, we are going back home," Amita warned the child. "For the sake of the other children."
The three adults sat on a bench, as Suruli played with his toy cars.
"He loves the park," Amita remarked. Just then, another little boy started playing with one of the toy cars. Suruli was too engrossed in his own play to notice. Then, the other little boy decided he wanted the car Suruli had and tried to grab it, but Suruli hit him during the attempt.
"Suruli," Amita went to intervene. "What have I told you about hitting?" Amita took the car away and put it on the floor. The other boy wailed. Then, his mother came.
"What happened?" she asked.
"He hitted me!" the other little boy wailed.
"I'm so sorry," Amita said. "My son hasn't learned physical boundaries."
The woman comforted her son and left with him.
Amita told him, "Now we have to leave." Amita packed the cars, and then put Suruli, who had another car in hand, in the stroller.
So, the four returned to the Craftsman. The adults talked, while Suruli took a nap.
098098098
Meanwhile, as he ate a quick lunch, Charlie got a call from Rose.
"Any idea when your coming back?" she asked.
"No."
"I wanted to talk to you and Amita."
"About?"
"Getting joint custody."
"Rose..."
She interrupted him, "I finally got a job, and will soon get my own place."
"Hugh's doing so well," Charlie said. "With the current routine."
"He's my son too!" she told him emphatically. "I've reformed, and have gotten my life in order."
"Let's talk about it when I return to L.A.," Charlie said. He was in a hurry to return to work. The pressure was on.
"Fine, but I won't forget," she warned.
"Okay."
Soon, the conversation ended, and Charlie called Amita, telling her about the conversation with Rose and if she could talk Rose into not insisting on joint custody.
"I don't know Charlie," Amita said. "As a mother myself, I don't think that I could do that, especially if she has her life together."
"Hugh's doing so well," Charlie said.
"Why shouldn't he do well with his mother?" Amita countered.
"What if she hasn't reformed?" Charlie worried.
"Why don't we at least give it trial run?" Amita compromised.
"Once she gets joint custody, it'll be hard to undo that," Charlie said.
"Rose may have her faults, but she's always seemed to be a caring and attentive mother," Amita said. "Remember, when we first met Hugh? He wasn't perfect, but looked well taken care of."
"At least talk her into giving us some time," Charlie suggested.
"And we gotta see what Hugh wants," Amita pointed out.
"Fine," Charlie agreed, said goodbye, and hung up.
TBC