The Single Woman

THE PAST:

Tera qusoor nahin jaan, meri tanhayee'

Ye rog maine hi khud jaan ko lagaya tha.'

A single woman is such a fancy creature. People see her and wonder…Oh the surprise is always there…The very first one ‘What does she do with all the money?’  Tough luck knowing that man… I work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labour, just like all of you.

Then this one: ‘She is all alone.’ Actually not! I have a family too… they just don’t live with me. Contrary to popular belief, living alone is not a choice. It is a compulsion.

Then ‘What do you do with all the free time.’ Women like me do not have much time on their hands. In addition to shouldering the responsibilities of office, we have to run our household too. So we are always preoccupied and very busy. Every second counts…

And the best one: Why the heck doesn’t she get married? This is an easy one ‘That is because the world is full of morons who think being self-dependent is a demerit when we are searching for a suitable life mate. We are no ‘damsels-in-distress’. Maybe that is why people think we can continue being the knight in shining armour for life. So get this one straight. “Even if my armour is a little cracked and my hands heavy from lifting the shield, I will never, never, never, never, never…stop fighting.”

Leaving me was easy because you knew I could fend for myself. You knew I would never look forward to someone opening the door for me or I would never be the one to wait at home in the evening while you were out. Guess what, you were right!

THE PRESENT:

Der lagi aane me tumko

Shuqr hai fir bhi, aaye to

Dear Love

Thank you is one word which keeps popping into my head time and again. This time because you understood. You understood my choices, my dreams, my fears and my situation. Thank you for seeing that although I can fend for myself and frankly I am used to it by now; yet I love to be taken care of. Thank you for seeing that I have been too strong for too long and now just need someone to lean on. Thank you for understanding the need for money and material comfort is not the only reason for being with someone. It can also be the companionship, the camaraderie, the love, the togetherness.

Most importantly, thank you for accepting my life as it is; the privileges and the challenges alike. Thank you for sharing my life and all that there is in it and thank you for being so open minded about it.

Disclaimer: The story I share with you all today; may or may not be true. For as a writer I am certainly influenced by what I see around me. At the same time, I retain what I call and known as artistic liberty.