Extramarital - Blog Posts

A Midsummer Afternoon's Reality

Part 1

I have not been able to find the time or energy to chronicle in the recent past. So many things happened and I was very engaged in different fronts thus not be able to spare the effort to record it.

This is something that happened shortly before the pandemic triggered the lock-down in India. Do bear in mind that some of the dialogue here are recreated because I do not remember the exact words that were spoken. But I will try my best to keep it as close to reality as possible to reflect the mood of the event as it happened.

It was a rather uncomfortably hot and humid summer weekend and my office was closed. After the morning chores were over at home, I thought of taking a break for myself and indulge in a bit of window shopping at a mall which is a short travel in a cab from my home and almost adjacent to a rather plush international chain of luxury hotels. I asked the nanny of my kids to be there for them as I left home.

As I waited for my Uber to arrive, I realized how stiflingly hot and humid the day was despite a clear blue sky. There was an element of happiness in the air despite the high temperature. Because I am of duskier complexion, I have often been told that I look attractive in darker shades. I had chosen for that day, a brown chiffon saree with a deep maroon sleeveless blouse with liberal cuts in it to make it bearable to stay dressed in the summer. For an extra kick to myself, I had a black brassiere to go with it. I was gifted a bottle of Miss Dior by a very close friend of mine and I dabbed it lightly. It is one of my most favourite perfumes and I loved the whiffs I kept catching off me. I maintained my makeup to the minimum to avoid getting more suffocating, but did carry my favourite lipstick with me. I have often been complimented on my hair which reaches almost up to the parting of my hips and I decided to flaunt it by leaving it untied and open. I love to dress myself traditionally and I applied a strip of vermilion at the parting of my hair and a deep-red bindi on my forehead. I was never a heavy jewelry person and I decided to keep just my ring, my two bangles, my nose-pin, a single anklet that I wear around my left ankle and a gold chain on. I know it sounds a lot, but if you look up traditional Indian women's jewelry, this is actually minimalist. I cannot deny, I loved myself in that dress for that day and it generated a sense of happiness in me.

However dark shades and high temperature have an alliance between them and they work together to get me sweaty quickly unless I am in an AC environment. To top it all, I have a natural tendency to sweat much more than the average. I could sense that in spite of just having taken a bath before starting, sweat was accumulating in my underarms and back, beginning to make wet patches form at those places. Fortunately, my Uber arrived shortly and it was a big relief to get inside the AC cab as I headed for the mall with my small, black clutch resting on the seat next to me. The cool air from the vents blowing across my skin, wet from the sweat, generated a nice feeling. It was a break I was taking for myself after quite some time and I was enjoying the escape from the routine. Through the lightly tinted glasses of my cab, I saw the clear sky and sparsely populated streets as we drove. Nobody was mad to step out in this hot afternoon sun on a weekend. For one brief moment I looked at the rear-view mirror to check my hair. To my surprise, pleasant I suppose, I found my cab driver trying to steal glances at me through the mirror. I ignored his efforts, but deep inside i could feel a happiness bubble forming at the thought that it was actually a compliment to me as I have been found attractive to a man. A fifteen minute drive brought me to main gate of the mall.

To be continued...