CHAPTER 3 - CYRA AND HER MOTHER

Cyra knew it would not last long the moment she stepped inside her new office. All her life, she was tired of explaining why she had to keep switching schools every three to four years when none of her parents was actually shifted for the job. Cyra's mother desperately tried to give her only daughter everything she deserved though the man of her dreams had dumped them as soon as Cyra was born. No note. No explanations. Cyra's father stormed out of the hospital room just like that. Cyra's mother cried for days and tried to trace his whereabouts, but then she realised they were abandoned and accepted their truth. 

Desolate and in desperate need of money, Cyra's mother took up many jobs to feed herself and her newborn daughter. Initially, she joined a small restaurant as a waitress and was then promoted to receptionist. She was thrown out of her job once the restaurant owner's wife thought she was getting an undue advantage from her husband. But the man was only being kind and generous in providing her with a job and giving her leave when needed. Sometimes, he also gave away leftovers packed safely in aluminium foil which irked the other workers, eventually ending in a rumour that the owner and Cyra's mother had an affair. And that's how she lost her first job.

Her minor stint as a tuition teacher ended in a few months when one of the pupil's parents alleged that their son had learned foul language after attending her classes. She even tried pottery making, selling homemade packaged foods and tailoring. All of her jobs ended up getting her bad-mouthed. Even she wasn't sure why it must happen to her. Most women saw her as a fine young lady with gorgeous skin and hair with a fatherless child who would lure their husbands into her trap. They tried to avoid her and never let their children and husbands get near her. But Cyra's mother was persistent. She did not want to return to her parents, who disowned her after marrying the man of her choice. She thought that would kill her soul entirely. She even did not want to seek answers from her estranged husband. All she wanted was to build herself a future where she could live peacefully with her daughter.

 

Years later, even when Cyra has her own job, she doesn't understand why her mother still works as a home baker. She thinks her mother is just too proud to give up and rest. Unlike her mother, Cyra was always welcomed and sought after in her jobs. After she survived three years of her junior executive role, she got promoted to a team lead position. She was transferred to another office location since it needed people who would work with utmost sincerity. 

Delhi is by all means new to her. She neither knew the language nor liked their food. And the moment she stepped inside the office, she realised it was nothing like her Bangalore counterpart. She hated the weather, the crowded atmosphere, the people who looked at her like she was an alien and, above all, the political turmoil. It irked her when people asked her the meaning of her name, and she had to explain that it either meant the sun or the throne and its origin is from Persia and then they proceeded to ask why she did not choose to get married early like the other women in her community. She was tired of the questioning looks from uncles with skullcaps who thought she was holding a boarding pass to hell. And then there was another set of uncles and aunties who presumed she secretly held jihadi meetings; at least their glances questioned so. 

Though her office premises were supposed to be free of prejudices, her colleagues often nagged her in the name of freedom of speech. And in no time, she learned that Delhi wasn't meant for her at all. She typed her resignation letter in silence the evening after her project success party.

To be continued…

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