Shikha went into the shower to freshen up after reaching her one-BHK apartment. She turned the geyser on and then turned the knob. The warm water from the shower faucet touched her body & as if took away all the tiredness with it. A cozy place of her own that allowed her to be ugly, to be messy, to be just her! Arranged in a minimalistic pattern, the house gave a vibe of openness and coziness blended uniquely.

She stepped out in her bathrobe, put on the moisturizer, and wrapped her wet hair with a towel. She then went into the kitchen and toasted two slices of bread and applied a generous amount of butter to it.  Along with a strong cup of coffee and her favorite cheesy layered sandwich, she sat down in her living room, put her feet on the teapot, and dialed her phone.

A full ring went by but no one answered the phone. Irritated, she kept the phone on the side table and sipped her coffee.

Within minutes, her phone rang.

“Hello! Where are you? And why do you take so long to call back? What if I was in some danger and needed you at that particular time?”

“Hello Hello Hello… look who is talking! Do you even remember that I am married, I have a kid of five years, and more than that, my husband is enjoying his second childhood! And the entire house is on my goddamn head! Everything is my responsibility!”

“Deepali, and what about me? Your friend Shikha needs you! Adopt me as well in your house if need be but don’t abandon me like this. I know you for so long… I mean before you got married. So apparently, I have more rights … correct?”, said Shikha with a childlike expression.

“Drama queen! Tell me what happened. I know you need me this bad only when you have to vent about something.  Jaldi bol !”

“Deepu… my proposal went through the directors’ approval of the Vendor Company and we got the deal! And that too with exclusive distribution rights of the best-selling model! Can you even imagine! What else is required for a national distributor when you just grab the entire market share right under your competitor’s nose? But you know what … you should have seen the expression of that idiot Nikhil!”

“What!! Oh my God! Really!! And how you have slogged for that! The entire market research, the number crunching, and comparisons with the competitor’s model! I am so happy. Why did you not punch Nikhil in his face? I would have done that for sure! You are certainly the best! I knew it in my heart. Sending you a virtual hug yaar.”

“Ahhhhh Deepali, thanks for being there. Everything would have felt futile if I did not have anyone to share it with.  And for me it is only you. Thanks!”. Sikha said with tears in her eyes as her voice choked a bit.

“Arey, you emotional fool! Why are you crying when it is your day? Had I been free, I would have taken you out for a treat! But you know how it is!”

 Just then there was a thud sound and the baby in the house started crying!

“Shikha I will call you back for sure. Please enjoy this win. My baby started crying ya,”

Before Sikha could answer, Deepali had banged the phone and ran to her bedroom.

She stood there frozen, at the sight that was in front of her!

PS: To be continued.

This blog post is written for #BlogchatterA2Z2023

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1. Five Petals
2. Heartfelt Symphonies
3. Traces & Memoirs: Stories of You and Me

Love,

Chinmayee