Maria was working on her laptop sitting on her divan placed near the bed-room window , few books and comic books were scattered messily. Today was also a tiring day for her. Suddenly her eyes fall into one of those opened books- Tell me your dreams by Sidney Sheldon. It's one of her favourite reads and every night before going to bed she would just stare at the cover page, in her mind, admiring the protagonists Ashley, Toni and Alette. The beep of Snapchat stirred her out of the trance.
"Hey, in need of your help"
"Oky. Give me 5mins".
"Yea please, come soon, waiting".
She closed the bathroom door silently, put down her clothes off and with some phony gestures she recorded a tiny snap video. Sent.
" Wow! Babes, you're just awesome. I wished I could've few more sessions like this for long durations.
You know bae, you really can fill my emptiness. You're insatiable!
Dying to have you under me.
But, Thankyou"
She stared into the mirror with a hint of smile, purged off the makeup on her face with a cleanser. Scars on her face found it's way out to vicinity. Still fresh, but somehow it managed to heal , maybe her heart was falling in love with the habituation of physical wounds, or maybe, her mental wounds finally denied to bleed. Or Maybe she was in a state of oblivion!
She came back to her working place, settled the mess away. Her phone was flashing with dozens of phony messages from others. But one session was enough for her today, she felt. More than tired and sleepy, she was satisfied. She turned her face towards the bed where her husband was sleeping soundly. And with a radiant smile she stared into the cover poster of "tell me your dreams".
~
Young and ambitious Maria has grown into a workholic with time. And after stepping into the whirl of passion, career, dreams, fantasies and adulthood, and marriage her life is Changing mercifully, waning the glitters of innocence and persistence of joy.

During this time of lockdown she's more occupied than any other normal days. Doing the dishes, cooking, swapping the floor, cleaning the dusted teak wood furnitures, keeping the cushions on the balcony divan presently making a decorum for her work from home schedule.

It's nearly 7months now since she's been married. It was in the mid- summer of June after her completion of graduation in Software Engineering, the day was fairly warm, when she met Roshan for the first time. He asked her out for a coffee once and then on a dinner date before getting into marriage. She can't remember clearly what they talked, or how boring and saddest her would-be fiancee looked. Maybe she didn't care anything, afterall it was her father's choice and she'd rather die than go against his decisions.
Then on a fine day of August she stepped into her new apartment, new city, her new job as a Software Engineer in an MNC- her new life. She's grateful to the fact that her husband allowed her to work after marriage.

Now after this 7months she's habituated into a state of sheepish compromising life, making herself occupied with work and at times pleasuring her husband- sometimes tired, somedays bruises on her skin and everytime after their sessions, he used to take her out for dinner. The entire dinner went in silence except for the clattering of vessels and surroundings, like the usual silence in their apartment.
~
But today the silence was good. Today she can hear the shrills of male crickets outside. Today She could breathe the scent of Petrichor- brooding through the window. Because it was in her head already, to lead a game she's already ahead in.
She stared into the cover poster of "Tell me your dreams".


-Prerana