C – CHAINED

Kajal gazed deeply into the mirror. Her eyes stayed transfixed on her reflection in the mirror. Her kohl-rimmed eyes left her spellbound. The soft curves of her high cheekbones added a diva-like aura to her angelic face. Her sharp and slightly upturned nose made her look like a fairy. Her lips were full and seductive. Her skin was almost flawless now, barring a few eruptions here and there. Her shoulder-length hair was well-oiled and brushed back on one side.

Kajal liked what she saw. Everything was seemingly perfect. Yet, something was missing. Everything was missing.

She went back to her bed and lay herself down to rest. Her eyes darted towards the wall-clock – it was 8 pm already. Parth would usually come home from work by 7 everyday; he was very particular about his priorities. She had been his priority, ever since they had begun seeing each other at the workplace five years ago. She remembered how he’d promised her that if they’d ever get married, he’d keep her in his well-furnished house, that he’d let her groom herself like a princess, that he’d let her lie all day in bed and not need to as much as even lift a finger, and that he’d spent most of their life in each other’s company; there’d be no one else between them.

She nodded to herself. Indeed, he had kept his promise for all for years of their married life. She shouldn’t be having any complaints.

She had almost fallen asleep when she heard the keys making their way into the key hole. It took only a couple of seconds for the door to swing open, and her handsome husband to walk in. She quickly sat up in her bed.

Hey Sweety”, he smiled, “Are you feeling sleepy already?”

She merely nodded her head. She could only muster half a smile.

“Here’s something I got you. I’m pretty sure you’ll love it.

He pulled out a velvet box from his bag and placed it gently in her outstretched hands. She opened it and saw beautiful anklets.

“Silver”, he continued, “They’ll make your beautiful feet look even more heavenly.”

She nodded in agreement and proceeded to put them on. He was right, they added grace to her feet.

“Beautiful”, he said as he got up.

“Paaarthhh…” she blurted out in a whimper, “Can I go visit my mom once? She….”

He turned to look at her, the calm smile now having made way for a snarl, “We’ve had this conversation before!”, he took two quick steps towards her bed and raised his finger, “I’ve told you a million times now, it’s just you and me from here on…NOBODY ELSE!”

He then turned back and walked out of the room in anger.

Kajal put her head down, almost as if she had submitted to her fate…again.

She looked at her anklets and thought to herself, ‘What beautiful chains for a prisoner.’


Please feel free to leave comments, whether or not you liked what you read. It's a great way to start a conversation or a dialogue. I might be pretty boring in real life, but I promise I'm a lot more fun in this avatar.

A special word of thanks to Ashwini Sharma for the image. I have been following her on Instagram since a couple of months now. She is an IT Engineer based in Bangalore. As she would like to describe herself, she likes to take a little interest in everything under the sun. She believes in enjoying the simple things in life, loves travelling and loves experimenting with her looks. As her Instagram handle suggests, her everyday inspiration is the L'il girl living inside her! Her Instagram URL is https://www.instagram.com/ashlilgurlatheart/

Previous posts in the A to Z Challenge - April 2017:-

B - BAPTISM



The Water’s Waist-Deep
Gently the Waves Sweep
Earnestly She Takes Her Leap
Of Faith

Holding His Gaze
Singing Songs of Praise
Hands on Her Lowered Head
He Lays

Cleansed Head To Toe
Her Soul Set Aglow
By The Holy Ghost
She Prays

Image Source: Pinterest

Please feel free to leave comments, whether or not you liked what you read. It's a great way to start a conversation or a dialogue. I might be pretty boring in real life, but I promise I'm a lot more fun in this avatar.

Previous posts in the A to Z Challenge - April 2017:-

A - ALL APOLOGIES


For Scores of Forgotten Dates
For Countless Unheeded Plates

For Good Moments That I Let Pass
For The Times You Dealt With Sass

For Achievements That Went Unsung
For Brandishing A Sharp Tongue

For Failing To Attend To Chores
For Sometimes Trying To Settle Scores

Tis Hard To Juggle Priorities
But Honestly, All Apologies...

Image Source: www.arifish.com



Please feel free to leave comments, whether or not you liked what you read. It's a great way to start a conversation or a dialogue. I might be pretty boring in real life, but I promise I'm a lot more fun in this avatar.

THE IGNOBLE ART OF SELF PRESERVATION


You Get Them To Sign On The Dotted Line
We Need You, You Say, With Us You Will Shine
There's Plenty To Gain, Your Future's Secure
All We Need Are Your Spirit And Our Foolproof Design

You Lay Down Your Rules, You Tell Them Their Roles
You Replace Their Dreams With Organisational Goals
And In Return For Paychecks And Opportunities
You Get Them To Pledge You Their Lives And Their Souls

You're Awesome, You Say, You're A Valuable Asset
You Tell Them The Profits Are Worth All The Stress
You Tell Them That Families And Loved Ones Can Wait
And You Oil Your Machines With Their Blood, Tears And Sweat

But One Day When The Margins Erode
Due To Strategic Goof-Ups Or Macro-Economic Woes
You Summon Them And Say Ain't Personal, Please Understand
You've Been Amazing, But Now It's Time To Go!

And Then You Proceed On Your Vacation To Rio...

HELLO 2017


It's been a couple of weeks now since the new year 2017 has dawned upon us. By now, the revelries have finally come to an end (for most of us), and it's business as usual once again. The year 2016 has long left us. All of us who have survived 2016 look forward to a better year this time around.

For me, the year 2016 seemed to have gone by really fast. On the personal front, 2016 was a roller-coaster year, with lots of ups and downs. The year, however, ended with a bang, what with yours truly being felicitated as one of the Star Performers at his workplace for the last quarter of 2016. I must admit that it feels great to be appreciated for your hard work; it raises your confidence by quite a few notches. However, it can also be a humbling experience to walk up the dais to receive your award, especially when you know that there are several other colleagues who might be much more deserving than you are.

The year 2016 had been a year of intense soul searching, self discovery and self actualization for me. Intense stress at work and otherwise led me to explore unknown facets of my personality and to push myself to pursue certain passions. Consequently, as 2016 inched closer towards the end, I managed to teach myself to play an old guitar that my sister once owned within a period of 2 months - proud to say that I surprised myself and my dear ones; so much so that my sister and brother-in-law gifted me a brand new guitar on my birthday on 9th January. I also took to Instagram with a vengeance, uploading some photographs that I considered worth sharing (you can find me on https://www.instagram.com/crdsouza/). Talking about 2017. apart from my birthday - which was a dull drab as it has historically been - the year has been amazing for me thus far (touch wood). I've made a whole lot of friends, both at and outside of work, regained a few lost friends, gained appreciation at the workplace and discovered a lot about myself, and I feel blessed.


Speaking about friends, they say that time and distance can never undo friendship. However, sometimes I think that is far from the truth. I've come to learn that 'out of sight is out of mind', especially in today's fast-paced age. As I say this, I am reminded of someone I knew. She was like a kid sister, and we shared a lot in common - thoughts, beliefs, hobbies & interests (blogging being one), tastes in music, love for reading, etc. However, when she moved out for a new job, we kinda lost touch. Yours truly tried his best to keep in touch through social media, but there was hardly any response. In a couple of months, I finally gave up. Ironically, she gave me a call last week, and initially I was thrilled to have received a call from her, but a few seconds into the conversation and I realized things were not the same anymore. I could not feel any connect - the conversation was extremely formal, devoid of any interest or enthusiasm, and strangely I found myself eager to end the conversation quickly. It was as if I was talking to a stranger. In hindsight, I wish I had held the conversation longer, but then again I think it wouldn't have helped. It's no one's fault - when we part ways with someone, we also cut away common experiences, thought processes, ideas, beliefs, and a sense of bonhomie and collaboration. It is very unlikely that two people who have parted ways will ever be on the same page emotionally, mentally or intellectually - unless they find a way to stay in touch.

It's a sad truth of life, and I dread the day I have to part ways with those whom I today count among my best friends.

Happy New Year to All of You.

Cheers,
CRD