She was alone, but
always had stacks of case files to read, letters to write, legal documents to
pour over as she nursed her single glass of Cabernet every evening. Her only break from the demands of lawyering
was her insatiable appetite for good, homemade food. It helped her a moment to think through her
cases as she sliced onions, the water in her eyes cleansing her thoughts. Many a times, the haze from her clouded thoughts
about the strategy of a particular case evaporated as the steam from a pot of
soup circled up and disappeared into the exhaust.
The day of her 50th
birthday started out as routine. Long
day at the office, meetings with demanding and greedy clients, staring contests
in staff meeting to see who blinked first, keeping a straight face as her back
ached under the strain of 20 years of high heels. It was then she remembered her new age. The half century mark and she was feeling
every decade in her low back.
Returning home
that evening, she decided to take a break from the files and set about making
an elaborate meal of lamb biryani with all the frills of raisins, cashews,
saffron and real cream. For dessert she
baked a chocolate cake, a recipe she had not touched since her arrival in New
York. It carried too many memories, but
tonight she had resolved to purge all things painful, all things past.
Sitting down late
in the evening at the small table with a single candle, she blew out the
flickering flame and made no wish. The
ambient lights from outside her apartment imposed on her emptiness as a sudden
rush of tears invaded her solace. She
cried until she was drained and felt hollow.
Crawling into bed late and finding sleep just before dawn, she finally
snuggled into a fitful slumber. The
morning brought a new day and it was business as usual.
A month went by
without incident and the familiar ache visited again one evening, until it
became a regular visitor gradually increasing its frequency.
Zora looked back
up again at the red and yellow light through her window. She was getting tired of entertaining this
unwelcomed visitor. People were noticing
the changes as her quick wit and sharp retorts took longer and adversaries
began to foam at the mouth ready to pounce at a moment’s chance. She started looking at the faces around the
conference table as if they were real men, not vultures. She delayed returning to the apartment
seeking company among friends, but she had no real friends in this concrete
jungle she called home.
There was only one
friend she can call on. She was dearer
to her than her family, but it had been 21 years. Whether Diya will welcome her with open arms,
Zora was unsure, after all that had transpired years ago.
The End