Beauty

“Sephora ……. Sephora ………. follow your heart and it will guide you to me”(whispering tone of voice) and an eye blindingly bright heart shaped locket.

Beauty woke up bathed in her own sweat from the nightmares she was having.Once she woke up, she could not remember anything other than the glimmering heart shaped locket yearning for someone called “Sephora”.

Beauty was in her 20s, belonged to a very traditional and orthodox family who loved their daughter to bits so they wanted her to stay with them till she becomes financially independent and gets married to settle down in life.

So, Beauty never had any boyfriends or lovers as such but only a few girlfriends.She always had breakfast with her parents in the morning.Beauty looked worried and anxious as she couldn’t shake off that nightmare as it felt very real like being drawn into the glimmery heart locket.

Beauty’s parents noticed that something was wrong so they asked her,”What is wrong baby?”.Beauty was shocked at this as always thought that she was the coolest girl in town who could hide all her emotional turmoil within and she suddenly became more aware that she must look terribly shaken for them to notice it.

Beauty looks her parents from her father to mother then mustering her courage,she asks,”Who is Sephora?Do you know her?How is she related to me?”Her parents looked at each other in surprise as they couldn’t remember anyone in the family with that name.

Beauty tells them about her nightmares which has increased in intensity and frequency.Her parents looked at each other then smiled saying, “Really!!you just want a glimmery heart shaped locket?Instead of asking ,you just decided to cook up a story about it,Well done my girl but you have to improve your acting skills as you are terrible at it”.

Beauty was flabbergasted as she couldn’t believe that her sweet parents could do this to her. Her parents brushed it off lightly and Beauty regretted sharing it with her parents as she would be ridiculed for it for a few weeks from now on.She couldn’t eat anything that morning so she decided to take a walk instead.On her walk,Beauty decided to ring her best friend Shiny who was her rock.

Shiny listened to every bit that Beauty poured out and then she blurted out ,”Maybe,there is someone coming for you to love you and steal your heart or maybe it is a warning not to fall in love as it is “a pain in the bum”- the whispering bit was scary but how come you never told me that you were having nightmares”.

Beauty felt jabbed but she quickly recovered saying that she thought Shiny might think that she is childish and silly.Shiny said that,”people all over the world have nightmares and it is not compulsory that it has to mean something scary all the time ,it could be your bright future or the silent inner turmoil you are having”.

Beauty wanted that weekend to pass away so she could throw herself into work and keep her mind occupied with things that will remove her focus from the nightmare.

Next morning which was a Sunday,Shiny came to visit Beauty and told her that she has some good news.Beauty rushed her friend into her room where her friend opened her laptop to reveal that Beauty in Greek language is “Sephora”.Beauty was relieved and overjoyed to know it was another version of her name in the nightmare but what does the heart locket mean?

Monday came, Beauty was back to work and she completely forgot about the locket and the nightmare as she was relieved to know that “Sephora” was her Greek name.She was in high spirits. She was summoned into her boss’s office about a project called “Glimmer”(a makeup product).Her boss was a very handsome man called Ron who was very professional and a heart throb of all the female colleagues in the office.

Ron told Beauty that they have got a client meeting in two hours and asked her to look her very best as it was a very important one.He even offered to take her shopping if she wanted to put on something nice and look good.Beauty was taken aback as in a whole year this was the first time she was called for an important meeting and she has never heard of anyone being taken shopping for the same.

Everything happened quickly as she was not given time to discus with her friends or colleagues.Ron took her shopping but Beauty didn’t know what kind of client or what to look for so Ron quickly selected a few things and then asked her to try on.Though she felt a bit out of place,she reluctantly agreed to try them on but she was amazed at his quick selection of dresses and she looked fabulous in them.

Ron asked which one Ruby liked which was difficult to answer as she liked all 5 of them.Ron seemed to understand this and quickly chose one as they were running out of time.Ron quickly bought two vegans wraps that too of Beauty’s choice which stunned her to thinking,”How in the world did he know about it?”

Even before, Beauty could recover from that Ron dropped her off at the salon and told the manager what he would like them to do and gave them the dress as well as they were running out of time.

Beauty was having a surprise explosion day with one after the other in her face.She could barely eat from the tension and amazement.Once the salon manager finished with Beauty a smile of satisfaction spread across her face.When Beauty looked in the mirror,she couldn’t recognise herself as it seemed that her beauty lay hidden beneath.She felt proud,happy,surprised all mixed emotions.

She was jolted out of it as soon as a limo driver came to take her to the meeting.She was hesitant to go with him as she was supposed to be collected by Ron.The driver sensed the hesitation so clarified saying that he was summoned by Ron to drop Beauty at the meeting venue.

It was Beauty’s first time travelling in a limo in style looking awesome.She was on cloud nine.She was dropped off at the Marriott Hotel where she received a grand welcome.She stopped the musicians saying they have mistaken her for someone else but they said that they playing it on specific instructions.

Beauty was ushered through the beautiful corridor to the meeting room/suite which was dark then she heard a click behind her as the door closed.She felt like she was being whirred away into the miry clay then came the whisper, “Sephora…..Sephora…….” .

Beauty felt dread filling within her to the extent she was shocked to move even an inch then slowly a spotlight appeared on a well dressed man with his back towards her.He slowly turned and walked towards her and he kneeled on one knee then proposed her ,”Sephora, mi amor ,I have fallen in love the first day I saw you but I had to take things slowly,I have had eyes only for you.Will you lock me up in your heart and shine brightly like this hear locket?”

Beauty was choking with surprise and shock on seeing the locket from her nightmares and handsome Ron kneeling proposing to her.She really wanted to say “yes” but the thought of her parents(she had to get their permission)stopped her from saying so.

While she was trying to find the right words to politely refuse,the lights in the room came up and she could see happy faces of her family and close friends.Beauty’s father gave her a “thumbs up” which meant go ahead and she agreed to the proposal.

Thus Beauty’s nightmare was solved and she had a very romantic relationship to look forward to.