Chhavi

Ever thought, where would your image look, if you looked away from the mirror? The answer would be simple if you say, "of course, away"; but difficult, if you say "can't tell" or "not sure". May be it has closed its eyes, may be its looking in the same direction you were looking earlier or may be it is staring at you! Have you ever given it a thought? I did not, until a few months ago… Chhavi was my best friend. Tall, dusky and dark, kohl-adorned eyes. Beautiful would not be the word for her, but striking would be more suitable. Not forgetting to mention her sense of humor, she was witty and hilarious at times. We met in the office, traveled in the same bus as our houses were in the same locality. Courageous she was, as she had guts to stay all alone, so far from her hometown in this bustling city. She was a native of Dehradun, and her parents had sent her to Delhi as she had been placed in one of the well-reputed M.N.Cs over here. Meeting daily at the bus stop, sharing lunch, and gossips about the boss and colleagues made us good friends. Our friendship began in July, the month she joined my office. It was a half-hour bus ride from my place. But that half hour wasn't half hour long. Delhi's roads and Chhavi's company made it look very short. She was so talkative that you name the topic and she would instantly start "once I went…." or "listen this from me girl…". I remember that once I mentioned my regular dental check up and she told me everything from India's first dental surgeon to Dracula's teeth. Giggling girlish matters, of course. But no serious debate or any bitching discussions were complete without her mention or herself in the office. By mid August, Chhavi had countless admirers in our office and in the vicinity. Coming from a comparatively very small town, she was not used to the heaps of attention she was getting now. Neither were those girls whose boyfriends were eyeing my friend now. Increasingly, she became popular in the office for all the wrong and right reasons. Success at this age depends on how popular you are. And in these terms, Chhavi was very successful. Gradually, becoming used to all this attention, she started living in an air of self importance. In terms of the office gossipmongers, she became 'air headed'. And by the end of October Chhavi had only two good friends left, me, and the mirrors. Yes, my friend grew a penchant for mirrors. Whenever she saw a mirror, she would stop and start fondling her hair, which she had intentionally pulled out of her ponytail, to fall on her face.