Solace

|3| dates

VAIBHAV

I went to Ma and touched her feet. She looked at me, smiling, and I smiled back at her.

"Ma, I have already, had dinner. I am tired, so, I am going to take rest. Good night," I said.

Before I could leave, I heard ,Ma calling me.

"Vaibhav, what happened to your hand?" She asked in a light voice, looking at my face, waiting for my reply.

"Uhmmm, Nothing, Ma, just a small mishap. I was having dinner with a friend, and a waiter dropped some coffee on my hand. But it's fine now. I had got the ointment applied." Saying this, I went directly to my room.

Our house in Lucknow was quite old, with an ambiance resembling old Havelis, as it was built by my grandfather's father. While it had large rooms, we had it renovated, creating a blend of modern and ancient settings.

I got inside the room and went to the washroom. After changing into a trouser and T-shirt, I returned to the bed. My bag was on the couch, probably placed there by Adarsh. I took out my laptop and started working. As sleepiness set in, I placed the laptop on the bedside table and lay down to rest.

I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts consumed by Nidhi. Concerns for her grew as I pondered how many silent battles she might have fought alone. Despite her father's evident love, daughters often seek solace with their mothers after a certain age. They find comfort in discussing things they can't share with their fathers.

Lost in these thoughts, I drifted into sleep. In the morning I got awakened by a phone call from my Personal Assistant, Rishita.

I picked up the call, and she said from the other side,

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Rishita."

"Sir, you have a conference in an hour. Mr. Mehra has some great investors and architects on board for the Lonavala resort project."

"Okay, Rishita, and thank you," I replied.

Rishita's father, was my driver, and after his death, Rishita, his eldest daughter, had to do something to support the family. Understanding the struggles of an eldest child, I kept her as my personal assistant. She was like My Sister, Roshni to me.

After getting up from the bed, I went to the bathroom. Next, attending to my morning routine and taking a quick bath, I returned to my bedroom.

I made a call from the telephone kept in my room, directly connected to the kitchen.

"Black coffee for me in my room. Thank you."

After a few minutes, I got the coffee in my room. Now it was time for the video conference. Opening my laptop, I connected myself to the conference and got busy with it. It was an important meeting, so it took me two hours.

After finishing the meeting, I was starving. I came out of my room and went to the dining area.

Ma, was on a call, so I didn't disturb her and sat on a chair around the dining table. I couldn't hear what she was talking about as she was at the other end of the room.

I asked the house help to get me breakfast. She came with breakfast and started serving me.

"Thank you, I will serve myself; you can go," I ordered.

As I was about to finish my breakfast, Ma came from the other end of the room.

"After finishing your breakfast, get ready. Mr. and Mrs. Vaidya are coming for some rituals," she said, smiling.