Silver Lining

Sixteen-year-old Lata looked in the mirror with dismay. She was dressed for school and there was nothing pretty about her. She had tried styling her hair, wearing her skirt shorter, tried tinted lip colors, and the outcome was either a look of disapproval from her parents or level of interest of her classmates. She asked herself, for the millionth time,

"When will I look pretty and have heads turning to admire me when I pass by!?! Will I ever look pretty?". With the same doubt that clustered her mind every day, she left for school.

Lata was a bright girl whose face brimmed with intelligence and joy. Her teachers admired her and her friends secretly envied her - she was smart, always topped in the exams, spoke confidently and had the innocence of a child. Her smile could make anybody happy and her chatter could engage even the most introverted person. As she entered class that day, her friends were already discussing how they were planning on styling their graduation sarees.

Lata, having always been a tomboy, had little to add to the discussion. She often seemed to be left out of discussions amongst friends about makeup, gossip and flirting with boys. She did not like to talk about others and her friends did not like that about Lata. She often felt lonely, having only her mother to talk to. Her mother assured her that there will be someone out there who will truly love her for all that she is. She wondered if that was ever possible.

Lata stepped out of school 2 months later and entered the gates of college. She tried introducing herself to her classmates, but the only reaction she seemed to evoke was of disinterest. Lata wondered why her classmates were comfortable in the company of others, but not in hers. Little did she know that her classmates were intimidated by her fluency in English and chose to ignore her instead of conversing with her. As the days passed, she made a few friends and spent time with them. She watched how boys would shower her friends with praises and flirtation, the latter being reciprocated. She would dream of finding a man who would love her for the tomboy she is, with the unattractive appearance and loose baggy clothes. She would scan the room and wonder if she had managed to grab the attention of at least one boy in her class of 150. She would then tell herself that she probably would never have anybody's love.

At college, she studied hard and was rewarded with top grades and the affection of her teachers. They saw in her the naivete and loved her for the hard-working, innocent, kind-hearted soul that she was. She met her first love in college. He soon left her for another. Drowned in tears, she slowly swam deep in the ocean of self-contempt. If she could not even secure the love of a man, what good was she? She ventured deeper into the world of books to forget him, and when the time came, she secured a job that she could have only dreamt of. As her success peaked, her haters grew. Having very little to point fingers at, they body-shamed her, calling her fat, hairy, ugly, and when she erred to have a cordial conversation with a person of the opposite gender, they called her terrible names that shattered her confidence and hurt her deep.

She soon started working and established herself at the job. Whenever a question about work arose, she was the first to be contacted. The top management in her company soon started trusting her. This also invited the wrath of those at the same level as her. Unabashed, she continued to strive and grow. She had found her happy place in work. She enjoyed it and loved being in the office every single day. Her seniors praised her work and constantly rewarded it. She was trusted with difficult opportunities, and she never let her team down.

Her parents soon found for her a good looking, charming man keenly interested in marrying her. However, her own self-contempt made her turn the proposal down. The only words that came to her mind were "fat, ugly, hairy" and the memory of betrayal. How could anybody love her? Wasn't she a plethora of flaws!?! While she wondered what anybody would like about her, the boy asked to meet with her. Unable to refuse, she agreed to see him. When she returned home after meeting with him, all she could remember was the laughter, the stories and the wonderful time she had had. Her phone beeped and she found from the boy a message that read,

"Lata, thank you for meeting with me today. I had a wonderful time. The sparkle in your eyes, your ringing laughter and the pleasure of your company urge me to seek your hand in marriage. If there is a person whom I wish to wake up next to every single day until the day I am wrinkled and old, it is you. I truly love your openness to speak your mind and the purity of your heart. If you would like to spend the rest of your life with me, I would like to hear back from you soon."

Was this boy talking of the same person she knew? She was confused, overjoyed and scared, but she liked him very much. Putting aside her own doubts, she took her first step into the world of marriage. It all seemed to be butterflies and rainbows. She had not only found her better half, but also a best friend she could completely be herself with.

But the happiness was not to last. Lata and her husband soon wanted to have a child, but their attempts went in vain. They met with a doctor who told them that her husband could never have a child of his own. Heavily disheartened, the couple drowned themselves in sorrow. Lata's husband asked her to marry another and start a family of her own. She looked him in the eye and replied that he was the only man she ever wished to spend her life with.

Days and months passed. The couple was sad, but neither would discuss it with the other. Lata pretended that things between them were just as they were before, she was not going to lose her best friend! Her husband soon started noticing the elaborate efforts Lata made to show him how much she loved him. He wondered how he had gotten so lucky finding himself the perfect woman. On their 5th wedding anniversary, he wanted to show her how much he loved her for being a wonderful wife. He told her that he wanted to register for adoption. Lata was excited to hear the news, but was soon disheartened again. What if she wasn't a good enough mother? What if her child could never accept her?

Her husband reassured her that all the love Lata had to give would be reciprocated by the child. Lata spent sleepless nights in fear of not being accepted as a mother.

One day, the couple suddenly received a call. The adoption agency told them that they had found a beautiful baby to complete their family! As the couple excitedly drove to meet the newest member of their family, Lata was engulfed in happiness, excitement, and nervousness. While they nervously waited to see their blessing, Lata asked herself a million questions of whether she was good enough. Then, a beautiful baby pink bundle was laid in her arms.

The moment they saw the baby, tears rolled down the eyes of the couple. Her baby opened her eyes to see her mother. Mother and daughter looked lovingly at each other. For the first time, Lata could see nothing other than the twinkling brown eyes filled with love. She felt warm with the purest form of love she had ever known. At that moment, all that mattered to her was the bundle of innocence that trusted her to be her protector, and the arms that held her close to his chest, to be his partner. She went home that day, feeling complete, feeling loved and knowing that from that moment on, she had everything. She was beautiful to her husband, she was strong and nurturing to her daughter, she was now a protector, a best friend, and a lover. She was truly blessed.