‘… so anyway I think you misunderstood the character. Maybe you’ll understand when you see the finished film. So until then, no hard feelings, I hope?’

‘Huh? Oh, sure. Anyway, we’re going to be working together now, so it doesn’t make sense for us to fight, you know? I mean, a good working relationship always helps.’

‘Sure,’ Yudi smiled lazily, flashing his dimple. ‘I’m all for good working relationships. There’s shitloads of work coming up on your brand anyway so I guess I’ll catch up with you soon. And don’t forget to watch this space for the next Dinky Chips film.’

He walked away and I headed back to my desk, determined to banish all Yudi-related thoughts from my mind and focus on some work instead. The meeting with the new creative team in the morning marked a new beginning for Bright Biscuits and I was determined to get some outstanding results this time round.

A few very productive hours later, I started back for home with that sweet feeling of contentment that a fruitful day’s work always gives, no matter how tiring. The weather was playing along with my upbeat mood and a salty sea breeze blew pleasantly on to my face as I leaned out of the cab, enjoying the brief stretch of respite that the narrow lane from our office to the main road allowed, before we got firmly lodged in back-to-back traffic. The cab driver was playing a remix version from the latest Akshay—Katrina starrer and I found myself tapping my feet in time with the beat. Work was beginning to look up again; today had been a good day. I had a positive feeling about the new creative team in spite of Varun’s apparent misgivings about their lack of experience. They had a fresh approach and brought with them a new perspective, which is exactly what Bright Biscuits needed in my opinion. I had enjoyed the discussions we’d had that morning and I was looking forward to working more closely with Neil and Shubhra.

Yudi had made some pretty insightful comments too, I grudgingly admitted to myself as I ran my mind over the morning’s discussion. He had opened up some new angles and displayed a remarkably out-of-the-box style of thinking that could potentially lead to some real cutting-edge creative work. Maybe working with him wouldn’t be so bad after all, I thought as I reached home and drifted into the apartment looking around for Sammy and Aryan.

‘Megha! You’re home! So late, beta! These company people don’t want you to have a personal life or what?’

‘Mommm!’ I gaped, as my mother materialized in front of me, my euphoria evaporating at the speed of light. I had completely forgotten that Mom was supposed to arrive that evening and had ended up reaching home even later than usual.

‘Hi Mom! It’s good to see you,’ I smiled weakly as she pulled me into a hug, the eau de cologne that she’d been using for decades enveloping my senses. It was good to see Mom, even though I knew it would just be a matter of hours, maybe even less, before we launched into the ongoing ‘Marriage for Megha’ tirade. Her presence brought with it a vague sense of comfort and security, a sense of home, even though home was thousands of miles away.