Talia stepped out of the steamy bathroom; the towel wrapped around her defining the beautiful curves. She rubbed her hair and sat down to oil her skin. The dawn was bright red, the markings of a beautiful sunny day. She looked at the mirror and smiled. She liked what she saw. Her fair, spotless skin, her long, dark and beautiful mane, the dimples on her face….she loved it all. Kent walked into the room and looked at her. He watched as she did her usual routine and put on her royal blue dress. It flowed beautifully, her curves showing just in the right places. He cleared his throat and began: “Talia, you sincerely like the way you look? Have you noticed how thin you have become of late? It would easily be presumed that I do not buy enough food in this house!” She paused in her dressing up and looked at him. She had heard that line before the last time they had met with the extended family. She looked back at the mirror paused for a moment them a cheeky smile spread across her face. Before she could respond, he went on: “Do you assume now that you look so young anyone will be interested in you? Or is that why you want to look like a girl? You need some flesh on you. You need to look like a wife”. She opened her mouth, paused then shut it again and continued dressing up. He was visibly angry. She was supposed to react. That is what she had always done. He pushed the buttons, she reacted then he switched on the stage lights over her highlighting how dysfunctional she was. This time it was different, and she intended to keep it that way. Getting no response from her, Kent commented how rude she had become, just like her family. She stayed mum.

Talia went down to the dining and sweetly greeted her son Nathan, urging him to hurry up and get ready lest they be late for school. Kent told her to stop harassing Nathan and let him be. He was a man and men were supposed not to be harassed. She didn’t like the sound of that. It was not the ideal she wanted her son to grow up with in his heart, but she knew better than to fight back. The last time she tried, she had got late for work and Nathan had gone to school crying. She didn’t want to break his heart again, but she knew she needed to either undo the seeds being planted in his heart or save him from them. She sighed and went off to brush her teeth. Soon they were all ready. She picked a black pair of heels, her black handbag and stepped out, bidding her husband a good day. Her walk was graceful and her feet barely touched the ground. She smiled good morning to the watchman as he opened the gate for her and drove off for the day. It was a great ride with the kids as they drove to school happily nodding away to the sing-along music that played over the car stereo. She dropped Nathan off and bid him a good day then drove off to work. The work day was busy as usual but she sweetly went by, stopping to smile and warm the hearts of those around her. Little did they know that she poured from a cup that was running on empty. It was a miracle she had so much warmth to give when life around her was frozen like ice.

Once the day was done, she packed her bag and went off into the evening traffic making her way across town. She needed to pick that dress. It fitted her perfectly. She knew it would look good on her and she aimed to please. Nothing sounded as good as those words telling her how good she looked. She longed for those words, and any day that went by without hearing them felt like a year. She got home just as dark fell and was all smiles. She changed into her workout clothes and was just finishing her day’s workout when Kent arrived. He greeted her and asked how her day was. She said it was good and welcomed him home. They went through their evening routine and as the night wore on, Kent asked her if she had eaten. She said no: she did not eat dinner. She ate fruits instead. It was part of her fitness regime. He asked her how many kilos she now was. She told him 60, and he commented how much better she looked at 70 or 75. He told her to stop starving herself just to please men.  This was not true. She pinched herself not to say anything. This putting her down hurt her, but she knew she had better shut up. Her reaction is what was being sought and she was determined not to give it. But the effort was having a toll on her. She was constantly tired of not reacting and there was no telling just where the next landmine would go off. She bid Kent goodnight and went off, sat up reading for a while then fell asleep. She dreamt she was walking on a sunny grass meadow with beautiful butterflies and someone holding her hand; only she couldn’t see their face. She liked the dream and wished she could sleep on and stay in this beautiful place but as usual her alarm rang her back to reality.

Days went by. Talia went through each day with a renewed energy. Like someone who had suddenly found a new oil reserve, she was a firebrand. She no longer reacted even under extreme provocation and the few times she did, her responses were curt and precise. She seemed no longer interested in defending herself from the countless accusations he leveled at her, almost like it did not matter. Like she was getting it better elsewhere. She seemed to smile more. Her wardrobe changed. Her clothes fitted better, matched with her shoes and bags and she tried new hairstyles. She took her workouts and eating so seriously, almost religiously and it was paying off. She looked half her age, and seemed to know and like it. Kent was now genuinely worried. Who was Talia hanging out with? What were they teaching her? He also noted that she tended to lock herself in the room with her earphones plugged into her ears or busy scrolling on her phone. What as she up to? What was she listening to or texting?

This Friday Talia got home early. She changed her work clothes and went to the kitchen. Soon the smell of rosemary potatoes wafted through the house. She loved cooking and was not short of ideas to try. But it never went down well. Kent got home and greeted them, then sniffed. He asked hat that smell was. She smiled at him and said rosemary potatoes. He asked whether she now wanted to turn their home into a hotel, or whether she had so much time to cook things that were not known instead of cleaning up. She was at a loss. She turned away to hide the tears in her eyes, only for her to come face-to-face with Nathan. She quickly wiped her eyes and went back to the kitchen, called the nanny and asked her to make the usual chapati and lentil stew. She picked her shawl and phone and walked out. She needed some air, a break from all the negativity. She walked to the open field and sat on a stone. The conversation was long but by the time it was done she was ready to go back home. She was cold and the night had fallen but she was better. She walked back home, showered and played a bit with Nathan then went to sleep. She dreamt again: only this time she saw someone trying to suffocate her with a pillow. She struggled to fight them off and woke up drenched in sweat. She could not sleep again and she did what she had come to love: have the one conversation that never grew boring even in the dead of the night. Something was growing deep inside of her. She was getting fatigued from all the treading on egg shells. She knew it was a matter of time: she would not keep it a secret for too long.

Each passing day seemed worse than the previous no matter what she did. She had tried talking, gone to therapy and all they said was she needs to change. She did, but that too did not help. She cleaned, she cooked, she loved, she sought to understand what the matter was but nothing helped. She gave and gave until there was no more; still nothing. Only one person seemed to believe in her. However hard she tried, she could not resist the love and affection she felt towards this one person in whose arms she had found solace, love and affirmation. The one who always assured her all would be well, listened to the great and small issues of her life without condemnation or judgement, did not care what her past was, trusted her, cared whether she ate or slept, encouraged her to reach for the best and were not afraid of this better version of her and showered her with endless praise. One who ate with relish even the burnt offerings of her attempts at learning new recipes because that was her passion. One who truly knew which buttons to press. This affair she had nurtured and tended was now in full bloom. The eaglet was now ready to spread her wings and soar in to the storm. No wonder the spring in her step. No wonder she no longer fought back or complained. She had gone, left with her heart.  Then one day, she just packed her bags and left. Just like that! No fight, no angry exchange, no quarrel. Kent was lost, angry and confused all at the same time. He did not see this one coming. But here it was.

Talia looked at the mirror once again and stared into the eyes of her lover. This one was for life, for keeps, never to be put asunder. She had found one who would never leave her because they were a part of her. She admired the twinkle in their eyes and felt the beat of their heart in her chest.  Never again would she let go. She had fallen in love, in love with…..Talia! The adventure had just begun and it was looking like it was going to be an amazing one.