A Cinderella Story

“Haan yaar, bas tayyari ho rahi hain kal ki New Year party ke liye” said a fat bespectacled man on the phone (to presumably another guy coz I’m sure a woman wouldn’t date a guy like him), while carefully scrutinizing the work of the guy who delicately handled his feet and nails in carrying out a pedicure for him. I could puke, I swear I could. Anyways, I’m not too fond of unisex saloons.

Coming from a family of pure bred military men and with all due respects to metro sexuality, one message to ‘Man’-kind – the nukkad wala ‘Nai’ is your man, people!

‘Yes ma’am?’ asked one of the ladies in the parlor.

‘Yes, yes’ I said turning my gaze, ‘Threading, waxing, filing and nailpaint….and….and anything you think I should do to look better tomorrow!’ I finished.

‘Sure, please take a seat. We’ll start with your threading’ she said

I swallowed, because honestly I hate this part of going to a parlor. It pains like hell.

Just when she was about to start my eyebrow surgery, I stopped her and said ‘Hey, umm...what’s your name?’

‘Sapna’ she answered looking rather amused.

‘Ok,…umm…you know this is very painful for me, infact, my tattoo didn’t hurt so much. So would you please keep stopping after a couple of seconds on your own and then resume. I know this can take some time but consider it as a request’ I said

‘Sure sure ma’am, why do you worry? We do this everyday…in fact every hour of our working day’ she replied in a distinct Punjabi accent – a typical flavor of Delhi.

The seat next to me got a chance to grace the asses of three different women while my seat was getting bored with just one. I took good 15 minutes to get done with the threading and must have asked her to stop a dozen times but Sapna didn’t quite seem to mind or get irritated. I’m sure if I were she; I would have picked up the thread and cut my customer’s skin on purpose for interrupting so much.

‘Finally, thank god!’ I said when it finally did get over.

She found me amusing, I could tell from her expression. ‘Why don’t you change in that room and in the meanwhile, I’ll heat the wax’, she said and I did as she said.

I was relaxed now; the painful part was over long back. What followed now was routine my system had become inured to.

‘What time do you close?’ I inquired

‘By 8’ she replied

‘You stay nearby? With family’ I asked

Yes, I stay close. My parents are in Himachal. I’m married here’ she answered

‘Oh, ok’ I said and started examining my one hand which was now a clean field when Sapna spoke.

‘All this for the big party tomorrow, huh?’ she said knowing all too well that her guess was right and a sense of unmistakable longing in her eyes and tone.

‘Yes, New Years eve. Anyways, it’s time for a routine visit before people in the party tomorrow begin to address us and Col Shekhawat, his wife and ‘Son’.’ I said and giggled coz I found my joke funny.

‘C’mon!’ she said and joined in the laughter.

‘So, what are your plans for tomorrow? Closing early, going out with hubby?’ I asked hoping to get her all chirpy about her plans. On the contrary, her face seemed to have lost its shine, but only temporarily.

‘Hum Kahan’ she said ‘Kal toh parlor me busy day hain’ while still working on my hands. ‘I’m sure we’ll get a lot of people for make up appointments, hair dos, saree draping and all tomorrow. We can’t be on a leave tomorrow’. She said….and stopped her self from saying something more….

‘It’s just another day ma’am. Nothing changes for us. If I don’t take a leave, I might be able to make some extra money and then maybe me and my husband can have a nice dinner someday in the New Year, but on an ordinary day. Wahi hamara New Year ho jayega…’ She finished.

I didn’t have a reply. I almost felt guilty for holding her up so late in the parlor just so that I can look pretty tomorrow. I just managed a smile.

She was just about to get done with my waxing and my bleach was drying up when she called out to her colleague, a lady named Kajal.

She opened my room door and peeped inside raising one of her eyebrow to Sapna to ask why she called her. Sapna asked her to check if I needed to keep the bleach on.

‘It’s done’ she answered after examining my face and started sponging it out. After she was done, there was a big smile on her face.

‘Arre waah, kya glow aa gaya hain, sahi main’ she exclaimed and they both seemed so happy to see my face glow. I almost felt sad that they are putting so much effort on every lady who comes at their doorsteps and making her look like Cinderella all set for the grand ball while they themselves prefer to stay in the shadows and come no where near the ball.

‘Here, let me put some mint gel. It’ll feel good and ensure no eruptions. Your skin seems sensitive’ said Kajal and left the room to get the gel. I’m sure, I don’t even possess half the passion these women show towards their jobs, I thought to myself.

Sapna and I spoke for some more time. She was my fairy, after all and I knew she was going to vanish in a while.

Why do you stay so far away in Hyderabad?’ she asked

‘I got placed there from campus. It’s a good job’ I said

‘But don’t you miss home, especially now, after spending so many days here?’ she asked

‘I do, I do….let’s wait and watch what the New Year and the future has in store for me’ I gave an unsure answer.

A couple of more sentences were exchanged between us before I was done with all that I intended to in the parlor.

‘Rajesh will file your nails and apply nail paint. You’ll have to go that room’ said Sapna while guiding me out and directing me towards a new room.

Before I went, I saw the mirror. ‘Damn, Kajal was right!’ I though to myself and I’m sure even Sapna caught my slightly twisted smile.

Rajesh took about fifteen minutes with my nails and yes they were now shapely and colored. He saw me struggling with my slip-ons and helped me slide my feet right into them holding on to my slip-ons. That was kind and not really on his JD.

I walked out towards the billing counter. I inquired about the total damage from the owner of the parlor while Kajal was at his side. My eyes were searching for Sapna.

‘Sapna?’ asked Kajal and I nodded.

‘She left while you were getting your nail paint changed’ she informed

‘Ok…I just wanted to thank her and wish her’ I said and she just smiled. My Fairy left without a word. I wonder if Cinderella ever got a chance to thank anyone- the pumpkins that got transformed into a two bogeyed chariot, the mice who became horsemen, the hare who became the door guard and most of all, the fairy. Even she was in too much of a hurry to reach the ball and her prince.

Money transaction over, I looked at the owner and said ‘Try closing early tomorrow and go party somewhere with this wonderful gang that you have here’

‘He just smiled’ – he had to is my guess coz I had paid him a bomb just seconds back.

‘Happy new year’ I wished him, Kajal and Rajesh

‘Happy New Year to you too’ he said and ‘here, this pocket calendar…2011…this is for you’ and handed it over to me.

‘Wow, thanks’ I said and wished them again before moving out of the parlor.

It’s New Year’s Eve and I feel like Cinderella. I’m sure every girl my age going to a party tomorrow will feel and also look like one. I say so because when I got up in the morning today, there was no kohl on my eyelids but oil in my hair, no moisture on my lips but unfiled nails with the nail paint chipped. So to get things in shape, I paid up for my very own pumpkin, four mice and a fairy. How I wish I could take them all along with me to the ball…How I wish very pumpkin, every mice and every hare gets a chance to be a Cinderella….to get their own set of angels who would in turn be their pumpkins and fairies…

Oh magical Cinderella dear

Thou art a real beauty, I hear

And believe a large heart, you bear

So do give me a listening ear

And in memory, push the back gear

I hear the ball was far from near

And sooted drags were all you had to wear

If not for these angels, whom you prayed should appear

Instead of peach, you might have ended up looking like a pear

And you and your prince might have been acquaintances, mere

So, first up, pray for those who got you here

The pumpkin, the mice, the fairy and the hare

All those who, in the big picture, have always been at the rear

Coz, I believe to become a Cinderella, every Pumpkin possess flair….