Queen Of Hearts

A mirror never lies and neither does it tells the truth. She kept turning left to right, from back to front, rolling her eyes in all directions, scrutinising every corner of mirror. She didn't want to be perfect, she knew she couldn't be. All she asked for was to look as good as she did during her college time or at least more attractive than others who would be attending informal reunion of their batch.

It had been 7 years since her last encounter with anyone from college. Much had changed in these years. The ostentatious and leader of the pack in college was now humble and conserve personality. The queen bee who was always surrounded by drones in the past had now turned into a house fly. In these years she had been left by her partner, pink slipped by 2 employers and rejected by 3 cities. As a result she had become emotionally strong but economically feebler, so feeble that she was cutting on her generalities to meet the ends. She needed help but was reluctant to ask; asking was contrary to her pride. Her pride and beauty hadn't changed much in these years. Although the beauty remained but the admirers didn't. She was alone and moreover lonely. The reunion was her escape pod, though ephemeral, from this loneliness.

After detailed examining and re-examining she was pleased with her exterior covering. It was now time to cover her life for the reunion. She started reckoning the questions that could be asked to her during the reunion; esp. during dinner. With the memories of past, social behaviour expectations and the people involved in the interaction, she made a list of questions and began fabricating the answers in her mind. What she thought, she mumbled and along with it acted so that body-mind coordination was apt for the moment. For general questions like "You look beautiful how did you maintained yourself?" She prepared a smile with hand caressing forehead and gliding through her hair and once the motion is over then replying like," I have only maintained but you look better than before. Blah, blah blah, etc". For more personal questions like " what are you doing or how's the conditions?" She planned to tilt her neck bit towards left shoulder and then moving her hair over her ears. It would present her neck and collarbone vista in light amorous way and also flash the diamond earrings that she was wearing. The diamond earrings were the last remains of the life she had and were a good distraction along with her beauty. And to top it off she would smile and say," Dear just doing work. You know. blah, blah blah etc." In fact she had the similar process set for any uncomfortable question.

With well covered inside and out, she was now counting seconds to the event. An unknown feeling had grasped her mind and body. She had butterflies in her stomach but at same time bug of fear in her mind. Meeting the past raised her spirit but the journey from past dampened it. A battle was going on within herself. Why to go why not to go? What to do, what not to do? To be or not to be? Were the questions ramping her mind. At last the seconds ended before her battle as the time of the event had come.

The hustle-bustle, buzzing and various familiar faces round , on and about presented a lively picture that had been missing from the lady's life for years. At the entrance she first enjoyed the warmth and then with a quick look assessed herself in comparison to others. She peeped at S , her nearest competitor at college. S, looked good but was innocuous to the lady. It gave her an unknown delight. Then with a second round of competition radar she found three candidates but none a threat to her. With confidence of being the one, just like college, she moved inside the hall to the right end where her most amenable friend sat. The friend at sight of the lady spread her arm and hugged the lady tightly. It gratified her deep seated desire of humane touch. The warmth of her friend warmed her heart. The hug was elixir for the lady, she didn't wanted it to end, but like everything it too ended. " You look just the same. How did you do it?" the friend said with a heartfelt smile. The lady had prepared for the question but at the moment she couldn't act through and replied," I prepared for the reunion to feel the same as college". "oh really! I see your sense of humour has augmented to next level" the friend laughed, taking reply of lady lightly. Both of then fell into the memories of past cherishing their golden life of college. No uncomfortable answer was raised and none was answered artificially, the friends talked children and acted like one, with loud burst at instances and giggling at other. More they talked of past the more lively they turned and more happy they felt.