“How did it go…baby?”
Hope you crack this one. Something tells me you will.
Lemme know when you’re done with it…mwah!”
Misha sighed in frustration as she called her. “I did it again.” she said quietly.“Oh no, not again Mish! But why? Didn’t I ask you to be calm?” Anika showered her with the usual questions. “The same thing, Ani, he just went on digging into personal details, till I lost my cool and slapped him with the truth.” said Misha. Anika let out a long sigh of despair from the other end.“How did yours go? Did you get lucky with the contract?” questioned Misha. “Nope. Looks like my reputation followed me there too. They did not tell me on my face. But I could read between the lines, that the lady who heads the brand, is not keen on working with me.” replied Anika. This was the nth time both of them had got disappointed in their quest to find work for themselves after being shown the door by the previous company they worked with.
Misha and Anika we colleagues once upon a time. Working closely with each other over a period of time they ended up becoming great friends. In the days that followed they were inseparable. They started referring to each other as soul-mates. It was only when the respective set of parents started questioning them on their plans for getting married to a suitable man, that it struck to them that they couldn’t imagine life without each other. One thing led to another, and they discovered that they did not need a man to keep them happy. They were just content in each other’s company. The love bug had bit them surreptitiously while they were busy having fun in each other’s company. But as with the case of most affairs of the heart, this matter also did not stay under covers for long. People at their workplace, started observing way too much coziness between the two of them. So much so, that it made people around them uncomfortable. A few untoward incidents later the spiciest of rumors churned out by the forever vigilant gossip-mongers at their workplace were confirmed true by the HR department. And soon, both of them were laid off their jobs one after another within a short span of time. The reason cited was poor performance at work. This was a joke. Since even the peons in their office knew how dedicated and resourceful these two employees were.
You see, in India these kinds of relationships are never accepted and are often dealt with under a mask of political correctness and diplomatic protocol. We quote the line ‘Freedom of Choice’ quite liberally, in a bid to exhibit our pseudo acceptance but never really get around to respecting a person’s freedom of choice wholeheartedly.
The word got around. Both sets of parents got a whiff of things. And soon, they were being forced into getting married to unknown men. Both the girls took a strong stand and walked out of their respective homes and started living together. It wasn’t too difficult to find a rented house. They pretended to be friends and it worked. But only for a short while. Soon their daily help started noticing their intimacy. Her big mouth ensured that her shocking discovery reached the ears of the neighbors and the landlord. Soon enough, they were asked to vacant the house. Once again, the reason cited was that the landlord wanted to sell off the house they lived in. This, of course was not the truth.
But my dear readers, Indian women are not the kinds who give up so easily. They can be quite resilient in the toughest of the circumstances without giving up on the life of their choice, if they have once firmly decided on what they want to do with their lives. Misha and Anika soon found another rented place to live in. Their savings had helped them see through this phase. They found a tiny little cottage. This is where they live and work now. After a lot of brainstorming, they decided what they wanted to do. They did not want to work for any of those shallow people with double standards. Through an NGO they connected with more women who were struggling with the same kind of lifestyle choices. They got to rope in some of these women who were ready to work with them. They are now, proud owners of small company that has a website and a 24 hour helpline service dedicated for counseling and helping women facing similar problems. They did face hiccups initially. And they still face a lot of challenges. But today, they stand with their heads held high in pride for not having crumbled under social pressures to dare and live the life the life of their dreams.
Note to my readers: For people who have been regularly reading my stories – if you’re still trying to figure out the twist at the end of this story like my other stories, the twist today is that there is NO twist at the end of this story! Misha and Anika already have had so many twists in their life. I could not have troubled them with more!
*Of course this too is a fictional story, with no reference to any person or event in particular.
Image Source: Google Images
An inspiring tale of finding who one really is, what makes one happy and staying true to that, despite all the challenges and roadblocks. More power to such young women!
Yes Beloo, more power to such women indeed! I'm glad it gave out a sense of inspiration. Thank you.
Nice story again!
Thanks Reema 🙂
A very nice one Vinodinii. It is appaling to know the stigmas of the society we live in. After one long year of debate and talking about LGBT marriages they finally decided to say it was illegal which was such a slap in the face. I dont understand the time when society starts putting its seal on personal lives and it feels so annoying to even have respect for a system which keeps upholding that…
Thanks Vinay. Making LGBT marriages illegal just reflects the doubles standards of our systems and thought processes.
I look forward to the day when society starts minding its own business – really!
Luckily in the UK the stigma is not as bad as in India, we do not choose who we fall in love with, it just happens! I am glad there was no twist to this story!
Lisa, I'm sure it is a blessing for people in UK to have that kind of freedom. You're lucky indeed!
It's good to know that you liked the story in spite of not twists in it 🙂
I meant *no twists in it. Damn the autocorrect!
Your stories are so real to me. They certainly could be, this one included with this being a popular theme/issue in today's society no matter where you live. Is this a pun that you wrote: "But as with the case of most affairs of the heart, this matter also did not stay under covers for long." I thought it was and it made me smile. Also the use of the word "peons." 😉 <3
Yes Elly, it could be a true story, considering that these issues are so commonly prevalent everywhere.
More than a pun, it was a sarcastic dig on how people poke their noses in other people's affairs. The word peon, is referred to the house keeping guy in the offices here in India. So yes there is a pun here when I say that even a person who wasn't a high profile executive in the company, knew how good the girls were at their work. Thanks for reading my stories so diligently. Really appreciate it. xx
Nicely done. I liked the footnote where you said there are no twists in this story and the reason why 🙂
Thanks Bhavya. I guess the footnote what required to avoid confusion, since most of my readers have got used to the twists 🙂
This was a very powerful story. I loved how easily and with clarity you have mixed your narration and the story together. And yes, the topic chosen was very well dealt with, Vinodini.
Thank you Soumyaa. It is a sensitive topic and I'm glad from the feedback that it was dealt with well.
really loved the story and strong characters
Thanks Lata. Nice to see you here 🙂
A very beautiful sweet story. I loved it. Great work!
Thanks Fuchsia! Glad you like it.
Vinodini, an award awaits you at my blog 🙂 Check you out here http://callitatale.blogspot.in/2014/07/the-quintet-of-radiance-award.html
Thank you for nominating me Soumya. Its a pleasure and honor coming from you 🙂
this is a solid one! you have raised two topics in this and I loved that! people need to change their mindset towards the LGBT community and girls must take a stand for themselves. Nice once!
Thank you Ankita. Glad this post resonates with you.
Strong characters and a lovely story..I wish people would be more understanding and accepting of others. I love reading your posts Vinodini !
Hey thanks Renu! Yeah, you're right, acceptance and understanding goes a long way in making the world a better place to live in.
Cute, touching, and true. With such beautiful narration you've expressed this sensitive topic so well. Here's hoping people realize how tough they make life for others without any reason 🙁
Thank you Embark. I do hope so too. After all, its best to live and let live.
Vinodini, I really enjoy your writing and appreciate your willingness to share it. I wanted to let you know that I've nominated you for a very interesting blogger's award. I've also shared my thoughts on you and your blog at: http://stephanierosebirdstudio.blogspot.com, where you can also learn about the award and decide if you'd like to accept.
Hey thanks Stephanie! This is so encouraging. Thanks for the nominating me yet again. It really humbles me. Will be hopping on to your blog soon 🙂
The storyline has resemblance with a real-life incident which I witnessed. You've portrayed the situation perfectly . People at the workplace are much more interested about someone's sexual orientation than her/his performance. I wonder whether there will be an end to it or not…
Loved the ending Vinodini..let them live their life on their own terms 🙂
You're so right Maniparna…people at workplace indeed are more interested in their colleagues sexual orientation than their performance at work.
I'm sure there are many such stories in real life that get shoved under the carpet. I'm glad your thoughts resonated with mine. Thank you.
Stories like this have to be told and you did it aptly and wonderfully
Yes indeed Chaitali. These kind of issues need to be addressed. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks!