BEYOND BORDERS NOV 17

L I T E R A T U R E | S H O R T S T O R Y
SOUL SISTERS,
DECODED
S O W M Y A R A M K U M A R , A H M E D A B A D
I was in cloud nine for we locked into each other oh so perfectly, Prashanth standing tall at 5.10” dusky
and gifted with a lass killing smile also had a well settled life in Singapore. Ask a known acquaintance what
owing a private condo and an Audi in Singapore at 31 means! A traditional dancer and a finance
professional I was beauty with brains too! We met at a banker’s conference and were sitting at the
Woodlands creek a week later discussing my relocation plans post wedding. I felt ever so strongly for this
man when he confided that he had lost both his parents in a road kill recently.
After the formal opposition and convincing scenes wedding happened and I did not even realise I had a
world beyond us until my work routine stated a month later. The frequency of flowers and chocolates had
reduced hinting me reality had set in. My new job was bearable at the best, not being showered with
options this was the best I could get. Work was manageable but for my robot like boss, Linda. She was of
European descent and in her early forties .An unapproachable snow queen with Himalayan expectations
so to say.
I was enjoying the work, dinner date routine and Prashanth travelled a lot lately. The first hint was
dropped when he stammered to have bought and forgotten the dress that I found in his travel bag. It
took me not over three months to figure out an elderly woman was funding his lifestyle and I was his
emotional release, a mere living breathing entertainment. He challenged me that with a dependent pass
cancellable at his will I was not left with an option but to accept the fact and be happy with this life.
Running between my crumbling dreamland and a reality worth avoiding I has become almost
emotionless and on a fine rainy afternoon I broke down. I heard sharp thuds at the door when I sat
sobbing in the closet and was sure to lose my job when I opened to face Linda. It was the most
embarrassing coffee I ever had, trying not to cry while explaining my state to her. To this day I can’t put a
finger on what made the so called snow queen become my only pillar of strength over the next six
months, starting with arranging my employment pass in less than a month and later seeing to that I was
strong enough to win over the toxic relationship that was strangling me.
A year later, here I was waiting to be awarded for the best performance at the national level dance
contest.
When an acquaintance pointed at Linda and asked “Is she your Friend ?”
“No” I cut back sharply “Family”, I smiled.
Linda, our snow Queen just managed a giggle, an expression worth capturing in her case!
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