A
thing of beauty is a joy forever. When Keats made this statement, he must have
had a beautiful woman in sight because few sights can match the beauty of a
lady's smile. The observing skill of Keats was justified by her charm and she
was indeed a sight to behold. Bonita was her name and her presence brought out
longing sighs, from young and old alike. The shining diamond studded wedding
ring and the conservative Indian attire covered up the wild side in her. For
the normal breathing blobs of human flesh, she was just a stylish cat, all
cuddly and cute. But, deep down in her mind, she understood her true self and
the fierce tigress she really was, but tranquilized by social constraints. It
had always been a self conflict – her against her – to be the ideal wife
catering to the family needs and adhering to the social norms or to be the real
woman, doing full justice to her conscience. It was a fight where she did not
want to win or lose. She preferred to call it a draw. At the end of the ordeal,
she decided to adorn the virtual garment of the social woman and submitted to
her destiny in the form of marriage.
"What
is the reason behind my existence? Am I alive?" thought Bonita. The
lecherous look in the eyes of the strangers in the crowd was not really
intruding into her thoughts. They resembled a pack of hungry wolves checking
out their prey. Given a chance, they would have shed their moral values and
social constraints and become animals to devour her blood. A flood of sympathy
washed over her mind, as she felt that the eyes of lust might be so due to
their incomplete married lives. She decided to do them a small favor and
flashed one of her most charming smiles. Apart from that single gesture, she
was feeling totally uncomfortable. Alex, her husband was nowhere to be seen and
her eyes searched for him between the largest collection of strangers she had
seen in a while. She spotted him cracking jokes with his friends, totally
oblivious to his wife's mental trauma. He was proud to have such a beautiful
wife and did not really mind people admiring her charms. Bonita cursed the
moment she decided to tag along with him for the event.
Having
time at her mercy and little else to do, she took a path down memory lane. She
could see her younger self, totally in love with this handsome and daring young
man, who was her husband now. The wild and carefree nature had bowled her over
in their first acquaintance. She could meekly nod her head in approval, when he
went on his knees and proposed to her. Time flew by and gradually, she realized
that the wild side was just a mask he chose to wear to gain acceptance in an
exclusive college gang. Tampering with the age old saying, he was more or less,
a sheep in wolf's clothing. Marriage to him was virtually the final nail on the
coffin of her true self and the tigress was laid to rest. At times, she blamed
her naivety during her college days, as she failed to see through Alex's mask.
"Ladies and gentlemen….." The host's voice boomed over the microphone
and pushed her back into the harsh reality of her present.
Whispers
floated around her as her husbands colleagues walked past her. "Alex's
wife is really beautiful. He is a lucky guy!" She could make out bits and
pieces of such comments and it did not really help in her situation. It seemed
like a majority of the guys in the crowd preferred to walk past her to get one
thing or the other, even if there were shorter routes available. She longed for
a real man to show up and strike a conversation with her. Personal silence in a
chaotic environment can be nerve wrecking. Bonita was so immersed in her dream
world that she did not realize the appearance of a well built individual in
front of her. "Hi!" the strong voice made her jump in her seat. She
looked up to face the source of the voice that had disturbed her thoughts.
"You must be Bonita, Alex's wife. I am Aditya, Alex's team mate." For
a moment, Bonita was contemplating the reality aspect to the situation. A few
moments ago, she had sincerely hoped in her mind that someone would turn up to
make her evening interesting and Aditya suddenly appeared like Prince Charming
for her. Bonita's eyes scanned the handsome and energetic intruder from head to
toe. She felt that he did justice to the most talked about male requirement
sought by a female….he was tall, dark and handsome. He was blessed with one of
the most charming smiles she had seen on a masculine face. "Not bad!"
exclaimed Bonita in her mind.
Aditya
had pulled up a chair and seated himself in front of her in the meantime.
"Black signifies death and you could be a serial killer because you can
kill someone with your charms draped in this elegant black saree. Can I take
the liberty of calling you the black bird?" asked Aditya. The frankness in
his words and the freshness in his approach impressed Bonita. She could only
nod her head with a smile on her lips. The conservative wife in her was
beginning to enjoy the advances of the young guy. Her wild instincts which had
been dormant for some time now, had been given a rude awakening by the
stranger. She stared into his twinkling eyes, which felt so peaceful and seemed
to carry a myriad of emotions in them. "Am I falling for this
strange handsome guy?" she asked herself. Social ethics took a back seat, as
the woman in her was aroused. Aditya was smooth in his conversation and was
casting a spell on her with his masculine charm. Gradually, he moved closer to
her during the course of the conversation and even placed his hand over hers.
But, Bonita was in a world of her own to notice his advances and his voice had
drifted off for her to make out the words. The party and the people had
vanished into thin air and she just wanted to relish every moment spent in the
physical proximity of this young man.
"Hi
Adi! I see that you have met my wife." Alex's voice brought Bonita back to
the real world. Suddenly, Alex was an intruder in her private moment with
Aditya and she did not really appreciate it. However, she chose to remain quiet
and Alex settled down on the table with the food. Bonita shifted her eyes to
Aditya and his persistent and piercing gaze made her blush. She was reminded of
a sentence she had read somewhere. "The soul that can speak through the
eyes, can also kiss with a gaze".
"Time
to dance my friends!!!" the voice of the DJ boomed over the speakers. The
bright lights were switched off and the colorful and dim disco lights took
their place. A few couples had moved onto the dance floor, which looked very
inviting and exciting. Bonita could even see some of the couples get intimate
on the dance floor, as the dim lights and the groovy music created a very
romantic setting. She longed to be in the strong hands of Aditya and swing to
the music. As if sensing her need, Aditya broke the ice and exclaimed
"Alex, do you mind if I borrow your lovely wife for a dance? It is not
everyday that I get to dance with a beautiful woman!" Alex was too busy
with the food and nodded in approval. Moreover, Aditya was known as a perfect
gentleman in the office and Alex felt at ease in allowing his wife to enjoy the
party with him. Infact, Alex felt that he had to let her have a good time at
the event. Husbands can be possessive but not obsessed with their partners that
they don't allow them the space to have some time of their own.
Aditya
stood up, went down on one knee and invited Bonita for the dance in a formal
manner. The dim lights added to the effect and she was captivated by his
sparkling eyes and the elegant demeanor. "Would you mind making my evening
a memorable one by letting your beauty accompany me on the dance floor, my
lady? If you do so, I will be honoured, Queen of the night!" Bonita was
only happy to oblige this novel proposal and took his hand to proceed to the
dance floor. Walking close to each other, his muscular shoulders rubbing
against her skin was sending shivers down her body. The dance floor was set up
a bit away from the dining area in order to avoid disturbing the gourmets. She knew that Alex would not be able to see her without
straining quite a bit. The wild woman in her fought hard with the puritan
housewife and finally, the wife was knocked out cold. Bonita knew that it was
now or maybe never and decided to enjoy this moment as long as it lasts. The
moment they stepped into the dance floor, Aditya boldly put his hand around her
waist and pulled her closer to him. She put her head on his chest and they
floated across the dance floor in tandem with the flowing music. The men's
perfume that he used, made him all the more desirable. It is said that women have
a much stronger sense of smell than men and Bonita was really skilled with her
olfactory powers. She opened her nostrils wide and took a strong whiff of the
masculine scent. Minutes seemed like hours and she just longed to be lost in
his arms and dance onto eternity. She felt a sense of liberation and was
feeling totally relaxed, after a pretty long time. Aditya was whispering sweet
nothings in her ears and was slightly kissing her ear lobes.
"Thanks
folks for your participation and we wish you a great time at the party!
Enjoy!" the DJ announced the closure of the dance floor for the night. The
disco lights were switched off for allowing the transition to the normal
lighting. As Bonita strained her eyes to get accustomed to the pitch darkness,
she felt Aditya's strong hands pulling her closer to him again. His fingers
traced her lips in the dark and in a flash, the dry fingers were replaced with
his wet lips. It happened so suddenly that she was surprised. But, the
excitement was so overwhelming and she melted in this daring guy's arms and
reciprocated with passion. The lights came back on and they had to separate
unwillingly. Slowly, they returned to their seat, walking hand in hand, to join
Alex. Bonita was blushing like a newly wed bride, but Alex was busy conversing
with Aditya to notice it. Bonita took one of the napkins and jotted down in her
characteristic handwriting, her mobile number on it.
"Hey
sweety! I guess it is time for us to leave. Aditya, I will see you tomorrow in
office., remarked Alex. Before they left, Bonita shook hands with Aditya and in
the process, passed the folded napkin into his hands. As his hand accepted it,
she noticed a naughty smile spread across his lips. As she walked back to their
car with Alex, Bonita could not help turning back and have one final gaze at
the stranger who made her feel like a woman after a long time. Aditya was
expecting it and gave her a flying kiss, causing her to blush even more. As the
car drove them back to their home, Bonita's mobile beeped, indicating the
arrival of a new message in her inbox. The message was from an unknown number
and said, "Check your handbag!" She understood it was from Aditya and
hurriedly opened her handbag. Inside the handbag, was a neatly folded napkin.
She opened it with trembling hands and read the message. "Call me, my
black bird @ 9895…." She kept the napkin safely in her purse with a smile.
Bonita realized that her life was going to change and that it was just one of
the many meetings that she was about to have with this handsome stranger. Well,
he was no longer a stranger!!!
