chapter 39

SerendipityEpisode-39Despite her words of resistance, Megha's mother seemed to have returned with a treasure trove of purchases.Before leaving, Mom had declared firmly, “We don’t need to shop—Mumbai has everything!” Yet now, she was unpacking a variety of items with a quiet smile.Wooden decor pieces found a place on the living room shelf, while unique, elegant candles from Nainital joined them.Then, with a knowing smile, Megha’s mother handed her a soft, light blue Banarasi georgette sari with delicate silver patterns.“A sari, Mom? You bought this for me?” Megha asked, surprised. Her mother’s wide smile said it all.“I thought maybe you’d get me a business suit or something,” Megha added, playfully accepting her mother’s affectionate smack on the arm.“Hmm… you’ll wear it for Gudipadva,” her mother replied, continuing, “I got a red one for Madhura too—she wanted red. She’ll come in August, so I’ll give it to her then.”“Yes, red will look nice on her fair complexion,” Megha said with a smile, already picturing her sister-in-law in it.Her mother went on, “Oh, you should’ve seen the sarees… Our guide knew all the best showrooms. There was a massive three-story place in Delhi!”Megha laughed, listening to her mother’s tales. Sarees… they captivate every woman, no matter how many we have.Just then, her father chimed in, “Oh, the guide surely had a commission deal with those places!”“Enough! What do we care about that,” her mother retorted with a wink. “We got beautiful sarees, didn’t we?” As she moved, a delicate, carved box fell from her bag with a soft clatter.Megha bent to pick it up and saw that it was a box for kumkum.“Oh… that…” her mother started, a bit flustered. “Madhura wanted one… She sent me a photo, and I found it in Haridwar.”Megha smiled knowingly. “Good. I’m sure she’ll love it. I have no use for it, anyway.”She took her sari and headed to her room, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll be inside. I have a call.”Her eyes misted for a moment but she blinked it away.*@*@*@*@*Later that evening, after putting Arya to bed with the promise of an early start for her new school interview, Megha finally found a quiet moment.She sat in her usual spot by the window, laptop in front of her, yet her thoughts seemed far away.Arya’s school interview. Then there was Purab’s talk about marriage, Gupta Sir’s excitement over the Supreme project, and the launch of the Sehgal project. And finally, the lingering memory of her confrontation with Rajeev Mehra…“Hmmm… here,” came a familiar voice. Megha looked up to see her father standing there with a mug of his special nutmeg and cardamom coffee.“Dad! How did you know I needed this?” Megha asked, taking the mug with a warm smile.“After all these years, I still know your tension lines,” he said, settling into a chair beside her. And so began their midnight coffee ritual, Baba’s Coffee, something that had been her best stress-reliever since her tenth-grade exams.She took a deep breath and began telling him about the Supreme project and her argument with Rajeev Mehra.“Why did you argue? Was it because of that award ceremony?” he asked gently. “Did you say what you truly wanted to tell him?”“Dad! I put in so much hard work… the presentation was perfect. Sanyal Sir, Supreme’s CEO, even praised it… Then to find out that Rajeev had already decided to give the project to JPM! How do you think I’d feel?” Megha’s voice wavered, and she blinked back tears.“But then, why are you so upset? Why would it matter that you spoke to Rajeev? You’ve never reacted this way before, even over high-stakes projects,”her father observed, watching her closely.Megha shook her head slowly, saying, “I don’t know, Dad… Maybe I overreacted. I realized too late that I might have ruined our chances by speaking out so bluntly.”Her father replied gently, “I understand, it’s tough when hard work feels wasted. But you’ve had setbacks before, and you’ve always handled them calmly. What’s so different this time?”After a pause, he added, “And if you regret it, you can tell him so when you meet again. There’s no harm in apologizing, Megha.”“Apologize? But, Dad… I don’t know if we’ll meet again. Plus, I’m pretty sure the project’s going to JPM;otherwise, we’d have heard something by now from the Supreme office. I even waited today, checking for updates from Gupta Sir or Purab, hoping for good news. But no calls, no emails… Just a quiet end.”JPM… she thought, the decision’s final. She sighed, realizing just how much she had been hoping for Supreme to come through.“Well, don’t dwell on it now,” her father advised.“Focus on the Sehgal project. Give it the same dedication, and if Supreme didn’t pick you this year, they will next time. They appreciated your work—remember that. Let that be your motivation.”“Yes, Dad, Supreme was a dream project,” Megha said, her voice soft but resolute. “One day, I want to work with Supreme Group, even if just once in my lifetime.”“That day will come,” her father reassured her. “But for now, go to bed—you have Arya’s interview at Singhania School tomorrow. You’ve waited long enough for this dream. Many other dreams will come true too.”As he carried the empty mugs back to the kitchen, he glanced back, watching her. ‘Megha, I know why this bothers you. It’s not about the project, and it’s certainly not about that award ceremony…Settling into her room, Megha felt an unexpected sense of calm. Her thoughts drifted to the interview tomorrow, and, for the first time in days, she looked forward to it.To be continued....© ®️ Meghna_Yadav 2021Special Thanks to friend Gayatri and my loving daughter, my buddy.Hello Readers,Illuminate the five stars of ratings with your gentle touch. 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