Oh My! I giggled at my own reflection in the mirror seeing my deep oval-shaped navel glaring back at me shy and blushing for being left out in the open like that. What an alluring sight it was? Any guy would go weak on their knees if they see me like this.
“Deepikaaaaaa………….will you please get out already?” I started as my husband Sanjay’s exasperated angry voice carried into my room from beyond the closed door for the …how many times it was again? I lost count after three.
“Coming….Just a couple more minutes..” I yelled back the same excuse I have been telling since past couple of hours and went back to the task at hand. It is ok. His anger will dissipate as soon as I step out of the bedroom and he sees how good I look. After all, he was going to introduce me to his employees for the first time today. I am sure he wants me to look my best. After self-convincing myself of the righteousness of my decision I went back to examining myself.
Hmm. Can’t deny that leaving my navel exposed like that raised the oomph factor of my appearance by like a 1000 times. But I couldn’t forget the fact that this was still Kerala. Wearing a saree like this in a conservative state like Kerala was like an open invitation to get slut-shamed. And that was the last thing I wanted. Then again these people I am about to meet were all software professionals. Surely, they are a much more modern and sophisticated crowd. They will have a much more open mindset. Wouldn’t they? I bet all the ladies are going to come dressed in modern outfits. Still just to be safer I suppose it is better to tone down on the skin show a bit.
So I readjusted the pleats into slightly wider ones and checked myself in the mirror once more. Perfect! My pallu was covering my navel now but only by a few inches. A generous amount of my curvy hip was visible. My love handle peeked out sensously begging to be caressed by some strong masculine hands. My mind conveniently presented me with a mental image of a strong powerful hand placed firmly on top of my exposed curve and squeezing. Ufff! I gasped almost feeling that squeeze on my skin instantly making my insides clench deliciously.
“For God’s sake Deepika. For the 100th time. Please get out already. “ Sanjay’s furious yell carried over again this time accompanied by a loud rattling bang on the door. I jumped startled out of my wits at the loud sound.
“Yes! Yes! Coming! Just a moment” I said hurriedly checking myself in the mirror one last time. I am usually very critical of my appearance but today even I had to admit that I looked exceptionally good. The dark green saree and the matching sleeveless blouse I was wearing complimented my creamy and flawless skin texture nicely. My hair which I have spent a considerable time conditioning now laid loosely on my shoulders all wavy and shiny. All around I was looking quite classy and beautiful if I could say so myself.
In a moment of naughtiness, I cocked my hips to a side and smiled devilishly at myself as a generous expanse of my belly and my oval-shaped navel came into view tantalizingly. Feeling giddy as I imagined myself capturing the attention of all those fine gentlemen who work under Sanjay. I imagined them trying hard to not let their eyes stray towards my navel which will be playing peek and boo behind my pallu in accordance with my movements. And I will pretend not to notice them while drinking in and basking the glory of all those stares on my sexy midriff.
OK! Enough fantasizing. Time to get out. I hurriedly picked up my duffel bag which contained some change of clothes, toiletries, and some other fancy makeup items, and quickly stepped out of my room, already brainstorming ways to cool off Sanjay’s temper tantrums in my head .
He was impatiently pacing up and down the hallway looking ready to rip open someone. He rounded upon me as soon as he heard the door open. His eyes were looking bloodshot with anger. I slightly recoiled taken aback by the anger and resentment his eyes held. Beside him on the small round table laid a half-finished bottle of Signature whiskey and a glass. Meaning he has been drinking while waiting for me.
Uh! Oh! This is not Good. OK! Defensive maneuvers. Quick. Think Deepika Think!. Time to test my killer moves.
“How do I look ?” I asked coyly flashing a winning grin, as I striked a pose with one hand folded above my head like a supermodel making my pallu shift aside from my belly by itself in the process and giving him a grand view. He has never exhibited any sexual attraction towards me or my body to date. So I didn’t know why he should start now. Still, it was worth a shot.
He looks at me up and down with a look of incredulity. Not quite the reaction I was expecting.
“Deepika..” He started in a deadly low voice that sliced through my heart ominously. “Where are we going?”
“Umm. To a resort?”
“Great. So you know that. And what sort of resort?”
I shrugged and said, “A big and fancy one I suppose since it is for all your employees.” I answered confused and bewildered. What is up with this sudden interrogation?
“It is a FREAKING JUNGLE RESORT DEEPIKA.” he exploded.
“Oh !!” it finally dawned on me why he wasn’t pleased with my getup. I was most definitely not dressed appropriately for the place we were heading. My stomach dropped. What was I thinking?
“Oops Sorry. I didn’t think….Please give me 2 more minutes. I will quick change and…”
“HELL NO! You already wasted two freaking hours getting dolled up in this stupid dress for no reason. You are not wasting another second. Go get in the car.”
“But…”
“IN THE CAR…NOW!!” he roared.
I glared at him angrily my eyes starting to sting with tears and stomped towards the car, wrenching open the door with more force than necessary and closing harshly making the whole car rattle at the impact. I threw the duffel bag to the rear seat and sat looking sideways blinking back the tears that was threatening to escape my eyes. Sanjay got in after me with a scowl and started the car.
Of all the men in the world, I could have married why did I marry this man? We were incompatible in every way. Truth be told I knew exactly why. I just didn’t want to admit it. I got captivated by Sanjay’s immense wealth and social standing. That is one of the main reasons why I decided to marry him despite him being more than a decade older than me. Plus he also seemed like a well distinguished gentle man at the time with good looks. I never stopped to think why he waited till his late thirties to get married.
The marriage was a disaster in every way. After marriage it didn’t take long for me to realize that Sanjay has zero interest in me. He needed a good looking and sexy trophy wife to show off to the world. He had no interest in caring for me. The mechanical loveless sex we used to have on the initial days of our marriage dried up completely within a few months.
From the outside to a casual viewer I might seem like one of the most fortunate women in the world. I lived in an expensive and posh villa. Sanjay was CEO of a reputed IT firm and a very successful and wealthy one at that. I had all the material comforts a woman could ask for. But I would have happily traded all of these for a loving husband and a satisfactory sex life.
I was determined to not utter a single word throughout the journey. I didn’t want to get into an argument. But I still wanted him to feel my wrath. It was still very early in the morning when we started our journey. The uncomfortable silence between us must have started bothering him as he began attempts at making light conversation 2 hours into the journey. But I plugged in my ear pods and sat staring outside determinedly ignoring him. He signed and kept on driving.My simmering anger and resentment calmed down somewhat after a while as I sat in the car observing the countryside listening to some old Lucky Ali songs. A few hours must have passed when my stomach growled loudly making me grudgingly aware that I haven’t had anything to eat since morning and it was nearing midday now. I slowly put down my earpods and threw a sideways glance at Sanjay wondering whether I must ask Sanjay to stop by some shop for a quick breakfast. As though he heard my mind he suddenly turned towards me. Or maybe it was the sound of my growling stomach that he heard.
“Feeling hungry Darling?” he asked with a false smile.
I had a feeling this was a smartly laid trap to lead me towards another round of berating rather than any actual care for my well-being. Still, it was worth a try as I was too hungry to care.
“Umm..Yes?” I replied.
“Well if we started the journey at least TWO HOURS prior like we were supposed to we would have had ample time to stop somewhere for a quick breakfast and make it to the resort in time for the grand buffet I have arranged for lunch. Now thanks to you uselessly wasting an exorbitant amount of time we don’t have time to stop for breakfast and will be lucky if there is anything left of the buffet by the time we reach there.”
I knew it. It was a trap. I sank back into my seat scowling and plugged back on my earpods, crossing my arms tight across my stomach finding some comfort in the pressure exerted on top of my empty stomach. At least my belly would look extra slim since it’s so pitifully empty. I consoled myself.
Another few hours passed by. The pleasant landscapes we were traveling through slowly evolved into dense forests. The roads kept on getting steadily narrower and uneven as the journey progressed.
“Oh, Shit!” Sanjay whispered suddenly bringing the car to a screeching halt while looking ahead in dismay. I followed his line of vision and was confronted with sight of a giant 12 ft elephant standing in the way a few meters ahead of us, totally blocking our path. The sound of the screeching brakes caught its attention it looked our way. I tensed in my seat scared out of my wits as Sanjay quickly put the car in reverse gear and started driving backward putting a good amount of distance between us and the wild elephant.
The elephant kept looking at the our retreating car for a few more seconds as though daring us to come forward before going back to its leaf snacking as though nothing happened.
“Shit! What will we do now? Is there another way to get there?” I asked Sanjay.
“Not that I know of. Let’s just wait for a few minutes and see. It will probably move on its own once its done eating.” He said already flipping out his pack of cigarettes and getting out to smoke.
I groaned internally. Great! We are going to end up wasting even more, time now. It was already past 2 pm as it is. My small hopes of getting there atleast in time to catch some last remnants of lunch started slowly fading away. Sanjay knocked on the car window and showed his half finished bottle of whiskey offering me a drink. I shook my head politely declining his offer to fill my stomach with alcohol instead of any real food.
I looked ahead at the elephant willing it to move away and clear our path. But the elephant didn’t seem to be in any hurry to finish its task at hand as it kept on chewing away leisurely whatever it was eating without so much as budge.
Minutes kept ticking away. Sanjay helped himself to another 4 pegs of whiskey and finished smoking 2 more cigars. Finally after what seemed like eternity the elephant finally started to move again throwing us a casual side glance which looked suspiciously like it was smirking before disappearing into the woods.
“Thank God!! Finally…” I muttered as Sanjay got back inside the car and started the ignition. The journey resumed once again. I couldn’t wait to reach the resort now. And roads didn’t make it easy. It was narrow, uneven, and looked wet and clogged with water due to some recent rainand the sides were steep falls since we were steadily climbing to a high range now. About one hour more hour must have passed when Sanjay finally got off the road to a dirt track and I could finally see the resort in the distance.
Comments