Delicate - A Rikara Tale (Completed!)

Twenty One: Compromises and Consequences

"I will come to the Counsellor" Tej Singh Oberoi repeated for the benefit of his wife, who had only offered the man in front of her a raised eyebrow.

Omkara held his breath and forced himself to remember that this was between his parents, who were finally talking to each other and not at each other. He had no right to interfere, not when they were acting as he always wished they would. Ever since he had realized that there was something abnormal about the way his parents interacted with each other, his only wish had been for things to be alright, to be fixed. And now, when Mr. Oberoi was taking the required steps, Omkara did not know how to feel. Where there should have been relief there was only confusion and guilt was slowly slipping its fingers around his throat.

"Om?"

It was Gauri's voice, that soft but assertive whisper that pulled him out of the quicksand of his thoughts.

He turned around to see his wife smiling at him. Wordlessly, with a small smile of his own, Omkara let her lead him out of the room and into the extensive gardens. In any other situation, Omkara would have laughed at the image they made, with their considerable height difference, his petite wife all but pulling him like a dog on a leash. But now, he could only observe the back of her head, her long hair falling to her waist, the way her colorful outfit looked in the sun, the way that her bangles and earrings made the slightest of sounds. Gauri, whirlwind that she was, had brought back the serenity in his life. Or atleast, she was helping him pave a path for it.

They reached the pool and Omkara followed Gauri's example in removing the shoes and dipping his feet in the water.

They sat, side by side,  in silence. Though she was by her nature, a chirpy, bubbly sort of person, Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi had come to appreciate the conversations held without uttering a single syllable. With one hand holding her husband's, Gauri hoped the soft caress of her thumb on his skin was enough to comfort her husband. His reassuring touch and constant reaffirmations of being there for her had helped her immensely and she hoped to be the same kind of comfort to him.

Omkara closed his eyes at the soothing sensation and took deep, calming breaths. Just like the counsellor he had once gone to had recommended. With every breath he took, Omkara became increasingly aware of his wife's presence, and how relieved it made him feel, to not be alone anymore.

When Omkara had calmed down enough to face the inevitable tension in the house, the couple returned to find everyone engaged in business as usual. As if nothing shocking had occured.  Omkara decided to continue in chasing his goals for the day. The most important of which was to return once more, to his paintings. Gauri smiled at him and gave his hand one last squeeze.

"I am going to talk to Maa about going to college." Gauri announced.

Omkara gave her a kiss on the forehead to show his encouragement.

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Omkara had to be fed lunch in his art room (a guest room refurbuished with all the things an artist could ever want) by an annoyed Gauri. He amused himself by pouting at her, pretending to bite her fingers and teasing her about helping her practice for when they would have kids, for those kids would be surely as stubborn as her.

Gauri had blushed a deep red and muttered  "I just hope they don't inherit your temper, because one Nandi Bail is all that I can handle."

This ofcourse, made Omkara laugh and demand to know why she called him that.

Gauri gave him once of her mischievous smiles and proceeded to tell him an anecdote about the mad bull from Bareilley.

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Dinner brought with it another wave of unexpected events.

Or it should be said a trinity.

While it is often said that trouble always comes in threes, The Oberois were soon to discover that so did Peace.

Janhavi and Tej were sitting, not as far apart as the table would permit as they always had, but next to each other. Tej cleared his throat and announced that he and Janhavi would be going to a counsellor the following day and he wanted the family to be aware of this incase the media tried to make it a source of entertainment.

The remorse on the older man's face and the lack of sarcasm in his tone  made Omkara nod at his father and mother instead of telling the man exactly how Tej Singh Oberoi had made a spectacle of the family.

 Rudra spoke up next. "Saumya and I have decided to go on a vacation to clear our differences."

The final nnouncement came from a very flustered Shivaay and a very red Anika. "Well, we...we that is, we wanted to say" While it was amusing to watch the confident and bold couple stutter like that, the family was annoyed by the building suspense

"Ufff, Shivaay, Anika, jaldi bolo. Warna dinners over hojayega aur tum dono akele reh jaoge yahan pe" Pinky Oberoi's tone was full of humor, her eyes shining with glee.

Anika and Shivaay began talking simultaneously, their voices becoming higher and higher, words mashing into each other. Finally, a single word was heard and that solved everything.

The room was full of silence and bright smiles.

Pinky Oberoi was the first to speak, her voice overcome with emotion. "I am going to be a grandmother!"

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