A Promise Fulfilled

Anahita looked at herself in the mirror. Twirling the dress around, she saw with satisfaction how it shimmered and sparkled and fell back gracefully in place. It was peacock blue, flashing fresh minty green lines as she moved. The detailing at the neckline and the fall of the fabric suited her perfectly. The smooth satin hugged her curves like a second skin and she knew she had never looked better. She was eagerly waiting for Gautam to come home to see his reaction. 

She had always been drawn towards fashion and designing.Growing up, she had chafed at the dresses her mother had forced her to wear. The neighbourhood tailor was even worse. He had been stitching clothes for the women in the family for years now. He could be so aggravating with his suggestions, 'neckline too deep for the baby', or 'this dress needs a lining, too transparent' and with her mother nodding her head in unison, she had grown up wearing the most boring attires ever made.

Hers was an academic family. Her father a mathematics professor in a reputed college, her mother a physiotherapist with her own clinic and her brother was studying to be a doctor; it was like a sitting on a live bomb about to detonate, when she voiced her interest in pursuing fashion and not wanting to go the usual route of graduation and beyond. Blown to pieces by their assault, she found herself abandoning her dream of being a fashion designer.

After graduation, marriage was next on the cards which duly happened.She wanted to pursue her passion and knew her parents would never understand, so she took the easier option out. She and Gautam had been married for three years now. She enjoyed being married, no doubt, but lately she had started chaffing at her routine and mindless chores. Playing 'house -house' was slowly losing its appeal and now was the time to follow her instincts, which she knew Gautam would never object to!

As a teenager, her passion for clothes had blossomed into a full-grown obsession. Afternoons were spent pleasantly in doodling and drawing outfits; skirts, blouses, suits, frocks, in fact, anything wearable even sarongs and lounge wear. She loved clothes, period; ethnic or western, she loved them all. Honing her skill meant room full of crumpled balls of paper (hurriedly picked up before her mother spied them) and smudgy fingers with colouring and blending for that final finish. Her secret stash in her cupboard had grown considerably by the time she graduated. 

With days looming large in front of her, she knew it was now or never, to follow her heart. She had retrieved her portfolio (buried deep somewhere in her wardrobe) from her parent's place and had finally gathered the nerve to open it and see her creations sketched aeons ago. Tentatively, she had chosen one of her designs to make an outfit, for a party that she and Gautam were going to, this evening. It was a rather formal office get together and she knew the floor length dress was appropriate for the occasion,and as was her want, detailing at the neckline and the cuffs made it unique.

Just then, she heard his keys turning in the lock and Gautam walked in, preoccupied, no doubt about the upcoming party. Absent mindedly looking around, he spied her standing in the room and gaped at her. His eyes widened at the vision in front of him; she saw with satisfaction and hid a smile. He came towards her, drew her close and said, "You are looking stunning! What a beautiful dress! Is it new? I have never seen you wear this before."

She smiled up at him and nodded towards the folder lying on the table. "It's one of my patterns, which I had sketched a long time back. I had a tailor stitch it to my requirements and this is the result!" She twirled excitedly in front of him and his shining eyes made her giddy with happiness. Needless to say, the evening was a resounding success with her collecting compliments like trophies on her dress from everyone. And with Gautam shadowing her everywhere and being extra attentive was the ultimate cherry on the cake of that eventful day.

What a debut it had been,she smiled as she woke up the next day.  She had received orders from Gautam's colleagues' wives, when they came to know that she had designed her own outfit. She stretched languidly and planned her day ahead. She had an appointment from one of the ladies at the party yesterday in the afternoon. There were lots to do. First and the foremost, was to launch her own label, her dream for years, sort out the nitty gritties; find a good 'masterji' , look around for materials and many more . But all this could wait, first she had to find a suitable name for her enterprise. And, like a flash it came to her, 'Sketchy Beginnings'!!

Her cup of happiness was spilling over and she had finally validated her passion of wanting to be a designer. Now there could be no more pauses, she had truly and completely found her raison d'etre. She felt complete as a person in her own individual right. She knew she had a bright future ahead and who knows, maybe now she would be able to fulfill her long standing dream of honing her skills by enrolling into a fashion school!

Humming to herself, she got down to the task on hand.