My Nepenthe

Chapter 48

Two months later,

Jhanvi eagerly knocked on her son's door all set to inform him a good news. When it took more than a few minutes for the door to open, she frowned and knocked again.

"Om, are you in there?"

When she heard a faint 'coming mom' from the other side, she smiled and waited patiently.

"Did you just wake up?" was the first question she asked looking at the puffy eyes and unclean face of her son when he finally opened the door to let her inside.

"I came in late yesterday. I had to finish a sculpture for tomorrow's exhibition," came the reply as he yawned.

"You should have informed Gauri then. She was waiting for you yesterday," Jhanvi said with a frown.

"Yeah, I realized it late. By the time I checked my watch, it was past two in the morning."

"How irresponsible.."

"Mom, please. Gauri did give me an earful, waking me up at five."

"Good, she should."

Omkara rolled his eyes when the clock chimed twelve in the noon.

"God, it is noon and you did not break your fast. Go, freshen up and get some food Om."

"Yeah, give me fifteen minutes," he said and walked into the washroom while his mother sat on the recliner, going through the documents which she thought of showing him.

Dressed for the day, Omkara came out of the bathroom and sat beside his mother, leisurely wiping his hair with a hand towel.

"Now tell me," he said and she grinned, handing him the documents.

"What are these?" he mumbled as he skimmed through the content.

Jhanvi knew her son liked her gift when a bright smile broke out on his face.

"Art gallery?" he asked in pleasant surprise and she nodded her head.

"Your own workspace in the city's center. You can use it as an art studio as well as for a large scale exhibition. There is an attached penthouse suite to it so that you can take Gauri there whenever you want to work through the night."

Omkara chuckled and she elaborated.

"She keeps waiting for you and you can't sleep without her beside you. Your current workspace is far away so, I thought this will serve as the solution."

"You are the best mom," he said giving her a hug and she embraced him kissing his cheek.

"I have been thinking to give this to you both since weeks. There is something more. Read through the entire thing," she said parting from him and gestured towards the paperwork.

Her son obeyed her and a few minutes later, laughed aloud.

"You named it Rikara?" he asked and she chuckled.

"It was Anika's suggestion."

"Cliché."

"Well, it is your ship name Om. It is a gift for you both and I thought Anika did have a valid justification this time," she quipped and laughed with her son.

"She is giving Shivaay a very hard time," Omkara smiled and his mother agreed.

"I think he has to seek Pinky's help now. Only she can put that wild woman under control. It is high time they both talk to each other like before Om," she said.

"Choti maa still thinks that it is Anika Bhabhi who is responsible for everything that went wrong between her and Shivaay," Omkara told her.

"How dense can one be mom, why doesn't she realize her mistake? Shivaay only wanted that his mother and wife atleast be civil to each other if not like you and Gauri."