Seasons- Golden Hours

🍷🌻His bitter coffee, Her sweet breasts🌻🍷

Eshani

I am stretching out my time here in Masters and even after it, I took multiple clients to work through it. Waking up night and day, hoping I could find one way to spend some more time here in Pune.

The rains, the Vada pav, greenery combined with occasional traffic which is of course annoying but this place feels like home to me.

Yes, it felt lonely since Adhira left but she wasn't the whole reason I was here. I sit alone breathing the clean air of the mornings, never miss a sunset or sunrise, dance on the terrace of my Dorm room. The food is not always Home cooked tasty but I survived.

Here I am someone- Eshani without a Sheoran. I am more than my body who needs to be preserved or my breasts- easy target for men to gawk. I am an achiever here and I have my own circle.

I sigh and dial the number- the grayness surround me.

"Mom dad I know that this sounds weird but there is this new policy that I have to take some clients and it is part of my examination after the final year." I tell them on the phone.

"Why is your masters taking so much time? Adhira already graduated and your other friends dropped off!" I gulped as their piercing gaze cut me through the screen.

"Mom Adhira got an Internship, she would get her certificate after she completes it, you know?" I would tell her to play along whenever we meet next. "Similarly, I would get my degree once I get the clients."

"How much time do you need?" She cross her arm, keeping the photos of several men she is planning to show me for wedding.

"It depends on their feedback." I have already got my Gold medal in Masters but I would never tell her until I am somewhere in my life.

"I told you not to do this degree! Who will marry you when you will turn 25+? We already don't have enough money to gift a car to the guy." Bile rise up through my stomach as she talks about dowry. I belong from a middle class family but after being well educated I know this very well how fucked up this dowry system is.

"I get it mumma." Instead of explaining her, I would rather agree to save my own brain from all the chaos.

"You can get married and then address your clients." I gulp and nod hoping I don't throw up at the idea. "I wish I could do that... but you have to be a housewife and you can't be a wife and working at the same time."

"Then what is all this education for?"

"So you attract a suitable man and help him financially if he needs it." I mentally curse myself for not running away when I had the chance. "And what happened to your hair and is that a nose piercing?"

"I didn't have the time to maintain my hair." I lied, I loved short hair and leaving them open, flowing without a care in the world. I love my signature golden nose pin.

She had her face muscles tensed but she didn't say anything. I am a topic of praise Afterall- no female in our family got to study out from her hometown so they get to act like the open minded parents. It made them respected in society hence, the support.

Not once have they asked about my grades or how I managed in my sickness, how I was doing when my groups changed, if I was lonely when Adhira left for work. I wonder if they cared how much pressure I have been in to top the class which would still mean nothing to them if I am not someone's wife.

I hang up the phone before she could see my tears trickling down from my eyes. I hate this thing about me- I cry so easily! A movie, something good, something bad, something- anything makes me cry.