Staring at the star-filled sky through an open window, a broken heart was mourning an already dull present and future, and a soul grown tired of yearning for a purpose was aching. For Marjah, life was inescapable.
Marjah was pretty much loved by her family. She was always well taken care of and showered with what her heart desired. .. but something was off. She was living in a body that is desperately trying to survive, and with a mind that nearly gave up. She had a hard time controlling her unfulfilled dreams that kept her anxious, sad, and dissatisfied and insecure. Yet, the fashion designer in her wanted to tailor life as exquisitely as possible.
She got engaged to the so called love of her life, Richard. A power striving, arrogant soldier with a controlling personality; Marjah's aura began to slowly dampen.
Treated like the typical Victorian women, she found refuge within the lines of her passion. Marjah delved to express her feelings within her designs. Having spent so many days working on a new set for the upcoming exhibition; Marjah felt the cruelty of betrayal for the first time when one of her friends stole the designs, and revealed them to a competing company.
Laura a typical best friend knew everything there was to be known about Marjah.
They worked at the same company doing what they loved and told each other everything. Their trust was mutual, or so Marjah thought.
They say we should always check under the bed for hidden monsters, but what they don't realize is that the monsters that should be feared the most, are the ones who befriend us and look us in the eyes with jealousy and hate. The green-eyed monster as Shakespeare put it.
Filling her head with voices of insecurity, Laura's jealousy kept growing bigger and bigger. Questions of "why her and not me" suffocated her soul to a point where the only solution she could think of was destroying her best friend.
After finding out the news, Marjah sought the only girl she ever trusted and asked for help in re-doing the designs, but got blown off. Laura was apparently too busy hanging out with her friend Jonson.
Johnson, a prestigious hotshot doctor, who fell in love with Marjah the moment he laid eyes on her picture in Laura's apartment. After a night of watching corny Netflix movies and drinking wine, Laura told Johnson what she did in hopes of getting a good laugh out of him, but his reaction surprised her.
Storming out of the house and heading for the company, Johnson secretly bribed a professional and asked him for help. He then introduced himself to Marjah as a member of the company and offered his assistant to help her in her ordeal.
The show turned out to be a success. However, the ever love-struck Johnson couldn't bare lying and hiding the truth any longer, so he spilled out everything.
She looked huffy and started to scream “why would she do such a monstrous thing”. Through her cries and outburst, Johnson kept wondering if he had done her a favor at all.
She went home to confront Laura who ignored her frustration and turned her attention to assailing her Marjah and accusing her of being pampered. “ you have everything and much more. you have won the love of the people, Your fiancé is the man every gal wants and now my friend went to favor you. What else?”
Shocked by Laura’s true intentions that surfaced, Marjah kept hanging on walking on egg shells for fear of being played and mistreated even more by strangers around her, but rummaged solace in Jonson, the only man who gave her attention and care.
A few weeks passed by, when Marjah suddenly receives an email from a fashion company interested in her designs and asks her to travel and work for them in Italy where she will have to stay a whole year and benefit from going to university to study and pursue higher education without paying a dime.
It was difficult to refuse the offer. She thought of her fiancé and her future with him, and though not that bright and cheerful, she went to Richard for encouragement, knowing it is unlikely. Richard felt he was being abandoned and directly said no and repeated his disdain towards the whole idea. He didn’t want Marjah to have power and name in society and she knew that perfectly.
Marjah took her own decision. She traveled and left Richard. She chose her freedom, her dreams to make her happy and not individuals who dream to make her unhappy.
After four months working there, making a name for herself in Italy, she gained fame and respect and the grace of many fashion designers. During a white show dress, she saw Jonson among the audience. A smile carefully drew on her face. She kept looking at him and he kept looking at her as well. When the show came to its close, he met her back stage and held her hand and said “such an honor to see a flower blossom and have everyone bending the knee to pick her up. This flower, now as before, is still ripe, but I wish to be the one picked up this time, and u don’t have to do anything, but be you, be amazing”
Marjah out of breath and slow of speech, found only one word to reply, “Yes”. She nodded, he smiled, they held hands and they created their own future, where life has a new light and doesn’t need to be escaped anymore.
