Free The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal

doing with your two current girlfriends,” pouted Raju. He looked like a little boy who’d been denied a long-anticipated treat.
    Tossing his cigarette stub into the ashtray, Som shook his head. “There are some things a chap can’t talk about.”
    Sometimes Som wondered if Raju lived out all his fantasies vicariously through him. Poor Raju—he had neither the looks nor the gumption to even approach a girl, let alone enjoy some serious action. The man was desperate for it, and had to settle for looking at dirty magazines smuggled in from some obscure shop in Bombay. There were no adult shops in Palgaum.
    Raju sulked for a moment. “Not fair—especially after I lost ten rupees.”
    â€œAll you need to know is that you lost the bet.” But Som had to admit Vinita had proved to be a tougher challenge than he’d presumed. Since she hadn’t paid attention to him after he’d whistled at her and made a few loud, complimentary remarks about her dancing talents, he’d had to come up with other ideas.
    He’d been forced to engineer accidentally bumping into her after her recital, then ply her with endless cups of coffee on a nearly daily basis before she’d agreed to go somewhere more private with him. And then it was a few more weeks before she’d let him kiss her. He’d never had to work so hard to get a girl before.
    After that things had become easier. Once he’d seduced her, it was like working on a clay sculpture. He could mold her in whatever shape he wanted, make her moan and beg for his body, like he wanted her to. And she was pretty good in that department, Som reflected—surprisingly good for a girl who considered a mathematics textbook more riveting than a thriller movie.
    And he’d won his bet.
    Vinita was the first bookworm type he had seduced, mainly because he hadn’t considered girls like her worth his attention. When there were so many pretty girls who were willing and easy, why bother with someone stiff and unapproachable like Vinita? But he loved a challenge.
    Nonetheless he had to admit she was a pleasant surprise. She’d even intrigued him a bit, something that almost never happened. Maybe it was because she talked about entirely different topics than other girls. She didn’t seem all that obsessed with fashion and shopping. She was a refreshing change from the typical self-centered and not-too-bright girls he’d been friendly with.
    â€œHmm,” Raju admitted grudgingly, pulling Som back into the moment. “But don’t you feel guilty about breaking the heart of a sincere girl like her?”
    Som caught the waiter’s eye and ordered a second cup of coffee before replying, “Come on, yaar, who takes that sort of thing seriously? There’s very little entertainment in this town, so I’m doing girls like Vinita a favor.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œBy introducing some excitement into their dull lives.” Looking at it honestly, though, he was feeling twinges of guilt in recent weeks, especially when Vinita looked at him with such adoration in her eyes. But he wasn’t about to admit that to Raju.
    â€œHow long are you going to keep this up?” Raju almost sounded concerned. “Aren’t you supposed to get engaged to your cousin soon?”
    â€œYes, but my life isn’t going to change all that much.”
    Raju’s shaggy brows rose. “Don’t you have to join your father’s business after you get married?”
    â€œThat’s not until next year. Even then, I’m not worried. Once I give my wife a few children, she’ll be content.” Just like his mother was content.
    Besides, his father, Veerappa Kori, despite having a personable wife, had a few mistresses tucked away in various parts of town. No one had ever talked about it to Som, but he knew the women’s names and where they lived. As a teenager, curious to find out where his father