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And now here she was, in front of the mirror, wearing the most beautiful piece of jewelry her mother gave her, her confidence. The confidence to be herself.
The morning sunshine filtered into the room and lit up Nina’s bright yellow lehenga. Her waist long glossy black hair covered her back more graciously than the matching orange net dupatta. She sat in front of the mirror and lined her eyes with kohl. She then picked up the bright red lipstick and painted her lips.
“Nina, the barat is going to be here any time now. Please make it quick”. Her mother Mrs. Roy called from the other side of the closed door.
Mrs Roy like most mothers, was more worried about her daughter’s wedding than her daughter herself. Widowed when Nina was just six, Mrs. Roy had taken the responsibility of raising her little daughter entirely on her own. She used all her savings to get the two of them going through three years of acquiring an MBA in marketing. She worked hard to finish her degree with good grades, and at the end of three years got a job in a multinational corporation.
Life fell into place thereafter. Slowly she replenished the family savings and made a decent life for herself and her daughter.
While growing up, Nina shared a deep bonding with her mother, which was not exactly what you call a mother-daughter bond. It was more like the bonding with a bestie where you share your deepest secrets and craziest dreams. And today, on the day of her wedding, Mrs. Roy knew Nina’s fear.
Nina had a magenta coloured birthmark the size of a lemon, across her left cheek. All her life she had flaunted it like a cherished tattoo, proud and unabashed. But today she looked afraid. Most of the groom’s family was yet to see her. Until now she had only met her parents in law. What if the new family disapprove of her because of her birthmark?
The night before the wedding, Nina had placed her head on her mother’s lap and confided her fears. It was just like her high school days when someone cracked a joke about “that ugly scar” on her face. Her mother once again told her what she always did in such situations. She said, “The way you see yourself is the way the world sees you, eventually”.
And now here she was, in front of the mirror, wearing the most beautiful piece of jewelry her mother gave her, her confidence. The confidence to be herself. The confidence love herself. Isn’t it the best gift a parent can give to their child?
All the guests and relatives looked mesmerised towards her as she walked past the aisle, tall, poised and elegantly donning her precious jewelry.
Published here earlier.
Image source: shutterstock
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