Glass half overlooked
(December 2017)
Today was the day. There was nothing particularly special about
the day. It started out like any other day except maybe she woke up a little
bit happier and lighter. She could not think of any particular reason behind
it. Maybe she was just tired of the haunting shadows, maybe she had consumed an
extra pill of courage last night, maybe she just wanted to end this year
unapologetically, or maybe a combination of all of the above. Who cares about the
reason! What mattered was that she had a good feeling about today.
Almost 19 months had passed since Charu had suggested that they become friends. It was a process. It was a journey. Towards building friendship and finding acceptance. She had enjoyed every moment of it. And while she had been ready for a few weeks now, she knew today was the day!
She emptied a whole bottle of cold water on her head. But that
wasn't enough. No bottle could take away all those years of pure frustration. She had already decided that she won't drink today. Her freedom was going to be
her high. But first, she had to release the rising heat inside her head.
She opened the tap to let cold water cool her down. She could
feel all the pent-up heat of frustration, anxiety, and extra giddiness
trickling down her body only to be followed by cold water, soothing her
further. Her clothes were wet but she didn't care. It was time to change them anyway. Today she didn't care about anything. One, bullied by their own fate,
becomes fearless.
Life can't get messier than this. Now onwards, it only gets happier. She smiled
in her thoughts. Today, she was just going to dress up and get out of this
cage. She would wander aimlessly because today she didn't care where she would
end up.
She closed the tap and stood in front of a mirror near the dressing table. Today,
she was going to take her own sweet time to get ready because every moment of
this freedom was precious. She looked
down at her hand and toyed with her wedding ring. A band of burning suffocation
that had turned out to be a promise of love, companionship, and trust. She had never thought after the divorce they would ever meet again. And today, they were not just friends but an inspiration for one another. She just stood there for a brief moment fondly remembering the past few months where her 'wife' had convinced her that she deserved to taste this freedom and
enjoy it.
She sighed and opened her cupboard to find a perfect dress for
tonight. She didn't have to search for long. While taking out a beautiful black
dress, she remembered how her friends ‘teased’ her asking what was she planning
to do with the dress. Can’t a girl buy such beauty for herself? She was glad
that period in her life almost sounded like it was ages ago. She really had
come so far. She remembered she had told her friends that the dress was for a
'special occasion'. Tonight, was that occasion.
Next, she went to the accessories section. She decided to wear
something decent and simple. Beauty always lies in simplicity. She took out a pair of shoes matching her
dress. The pair was as breathtaking as her dress.
After some finishing touches and one last look in the mirror, she was all ready
to go. She took her wallet and keys, leaving her phone behind knowingly. While
going, she couldn't help but glance at her parents’ room. These days, they
mostly preferred to stay in their room. Her freedom was their curse. She looked
there but she didn't stop. Not tonight.
She was about to get out when she remembered. Oh shit. How could she forget!
She immediately went back to her room and took out her most prized possession
from the safe. She had waited so long for this. With a slow and steady stroke
of bright red matte lipstick, she took off...
In a simple knee-length, black dress with matching stilettos
and diamond earrings, her face beaming with happiness, she took off...as
the dazzling beauty she always was...
-×-
It isn't about "becoming" another person -
I already am who I am - I just want my body to reflect that. It's not like I am
suddenly changing from the person you have always known - this is more
about the willingness to see who I've always been.
-Cooper Lee Bombardior
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