The red dress fit me perfectly, outlining my silhouette and blending with the brown shade of my hair. Donning my gold pendant that dad gifted, I stepped out into the open.
My colleagues milled around me, hugged me tight and wrapped me in warm wishes. After work, my two best friends- laila and Sam, took me out for dinner.
" Can you believe it?. Today you've turned 22 !. It feels like yesterday when we made you drive on your 18th birthday." Laila spoke , food bits falling out as she gurgled a smile .
" oh yeah .." I let out a sigh .
" If it weren't for Sam here, I would've run over onto a tree ."
Sam smiled, and vouched to pay for the bill .With the sumptuous dinner glowing in our faces, we jumped over into the jostling street. I absorbed the fragrances that was intrinsic to Delhi's streets, the sounds of the hawkers, and the humdrum of the city melted into me. Moments into that, we caught a cab to get back home .
The cab pranced infront of us as the driver's head jolted out. After deciding on the fare, we squeezed in to the seats. The driver, a burly man in his mid fifties, gave us a sly grin. He grappled at the wheel as we rolled away from the city streets. Sam got out near his stop, leaving me and Laila to the stifling air of the cab. I shot a look at Laila, ' Is this safe .. ?
She smiled agitatedly and drew her sweaty hands to mine, she pressed 101 on my mobile, and gestured me to keep it handy. Soon I saw myself alone, glancing at my watch as the minutes ticked
by. Newspaper reports on assaults and rapes drilled my mind. The numb silence was suddenly
broken by the man's voice as he hummed a hot number. He adjusted his mirrors to the backseat, evidently, to get a better view of his lady passenger. I rubbed my palm against the velvet of my dress and tucked it lower to cover my knees. I heard a gulp from the driver's seat, making my heart prance fiercely .
The driver flung the car to a halt. The familiarity of the place eased me into action. I was the confident young woman once again. I paid the man, and gave a grimace as he flashed his teeth at me. With sure steps, I reached back home. My parents chided me for being late. I could not longer comprehend their fears - along with my dress and the pendant I'd donned the fake persona of an empowered woman.
" Can you believe it?. Today you've turned 22 !. It feels like yesterday when we made you drive on your 18th birthday." Laila spoke , food bits falling out as she gurgled a smile .
" oh yeah .." I let out a sigh .
" If it weren't for Sam here, I would've run over onto a tree ."
Sam smiled, and vouched to pay for the bill .With the sumptuous dinner glowing in our faces, we jumped over into the jostling street. I absorbed the fragrances that was intrinsic to Delhi's streets, the sounds of the hawkers, and the humdrum of the city melted into me. Moments into that, we caught a cab to get back home .
The cab pranced infront of us as the driver's head jolted out. After deciding on the fare, we squeezed in to the seats. The driver, a burly man in his mid fifties, gave us a sly grin. He grappled at the wheel as we rolled away from the city streets. Sam got out near his stop, leaving me and Laila to the stifling air of the cab. I shot a look at Laila, ' Is this safe .. ?
She smiled agitatedly and drew her sweaty hands to mine, she pressed 101 on my mobile, and gestured me to keep it handy. Soon I saw myself alone, glancing at my watch as the minutes ticked
by. Newspaper reports on assaults and rapes drilled my mind. The numb silence was suddenly
broken by the man's voice as he hummed a hot number. He adjusted his mirrors to the backseat, evidently, to get a better view of his lady passenger. I rubbed my palm against the velvet of my dress and tucked it lower to cover my knees. I heard a gulp from the driver's seat, making my heart prance fiercely .
The driver flung the car to a halt. The familiarity of the place eased me into action. I was the confident young woman once again. I paid the man, and gave a grimace as he flashed his teeth at me. With sure steps, I reached back home. My parents chided me for being late. I could not longer comprehend their fears - along with my dress and the pendant I'd donned the fake persona of an empowered woman.
Last lines, damn funny.
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