You Are Beautiful

You are beautiful Part III

(The song above: Beautiful girl by Sara Bareilles. 

My all time favorite song by her and it was also kind of an inspiration for this story. :))

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Sumi ran to her home as fast as she could. The laughter from the party still ringed in her ears and she didn't know how to stop it. The people walking on the road were giving her concerned looks but she ignored them. She didn't need any more pity right now. She reached her home. She was about to run to her room but she stopped short. Pratima was sitting on the couch in their living room. She took one look at Sumi's outfit and shoes and was already looking at her accusingly. Her mother came and asked her sternly, "Where were you?" Then she saw her tear stained face and immediately rushed to her. "What happened to you? Sumi, tell me where have you been?"

"You went to his party, didn't you?" Pratima asked her. Sumi couldn't speak a word. She wasn't looking at Sumi like she was her best friend that time. She was looking at Sumi like she didn't know who she was at all. Sumi couldn't bear to look at Pratima, her friend who always knew how to make her laugh whenever she got sad. Now the look of betrayal was all over Pratima's face. Sumi couldn't stop her when she left the house. "Whose party did you go to? I can't believe you lied to me." Now disappointment was all over her mother's face. Sumi couldn't stand it. "I'm sorry, mom. I'm so sorry..." She started to sob onto her mother's shoulder. Her mother hugged her and tried to comfort her. After a while, Sumi went to wash her face like her mother asked her to. When her mother called her for dinner, Sumi didn't come downstairs. She wasn't feeling hungry anyway. She was sitting by the window staring out at the dark night, feeling all alone, remembering those sharp laughter and shame filled her all over again. That day on the court, they weren't giving her friendly smiles after all. How could she have been so stupid? Why didn't she realize early on that Sagun talking to her and inviting her to his party wasn't out of the ordinary? Of course it was a bet. There wasn't any other reason that could explain why Sagun talked to someone like her, someone who can never be as pretty as Nina, as confident as other girls. Someone who apparently wore disgusting t-shirts to parties. No, that wasn't true. Her favourite uncle gifted that to her on her 13th birthday. "A pretty gift to my pretty niece. And you're a teenager now! Oh, you're growing too fast..." Her uncle had said wiping his imaginary tears. She loved that t-shirt no matter what Nina had said.

Her mother entered the room and came to sit beside her. "Did something happen today?" She asked, putting her hand on Sumi's knee. Sumi didn't say anything for awhile, then asked her mother, "Mom, is there something wrong with me?" "What? Why are you saying such things? Of course, there's nothing wrong with you." "Then why don't people like me?" Her mother looked at her, concerned. Then she said, "You know once upon a time I used to be teased because of this mark." pointing at her birth mark which took up most of the right side of her face. Sumi did not know this and she couldn't believe it either. She always found her mother beautiful with her doe like eyes, her perfectly sculpted nose and her perfect lips. She was always beautiful even without the make up and with the birth mark. 

Her mother continued, "Guys used to say my face was disgusting, that I could never get married. My mother was really worried. I really thought no one could like me until your father came and asked for my hand to your grandfather. When I asked if my mark bothered him, he said he hadn't seen any woman more beautiful than me and it didn't matter how my face looked. He wanted to marry me for my inner beauty." Sumi rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe her father had gotten away with using those cheesy lines on her mother. "Yes, it is what he said." Her mother smiled reminiscing the past. "My point is, Sumi, you're the most beautiful daughter I could ever wish for. There's no point in trying to impress someone who can't even see that. It will just be a waste of time. And you're worth so much more. I'm so proud to call you my daughter." Her mother said holding her face. Even though mothers were supposed to say those kinds of things to their children, Sumi felt a little better by those words. "People are always going to criticise and judge us. Don't allow them power to define who we are. Don't let others own how you feel." Maybe because Sumi's mother always knew what Sumi wanted to hear or maybe it was because those words were exactly what she needed to hear, she immediately felt a lot better. True, the memories of the party were as bitter as ever but Sumi didn't feel so alone anymore.