Cocoon

"Where shall we go this weekend?", Nia has been asking this for about thrice now. Anjali is still distrait. She then got up to slap Anjali back to reality. Only then, Anjali realized that she was engrossed in something unusual during her office hours. Work got piled up that day for her like for every other person in her office. She doesn't waste her time usually in petty things. But today, she could not work. Something has been bothering her from the morning.

She happened to meet Vishva while waiting for the traffic signal at the Paris corner in the morning. Vishva was Anjali's classmate at school. Presently, he is a well- established and very well known Radio Jockey in the state.

They had a conversation despite the noisy horns and the morning buzz prevailing in an everyday traffic scenario of Chennai. Anjali was the first to begin the conversation.

"VISHVA!!! Hey!!..Hi..."

It took a minute for Vishva to find where the familiar voice was coming from. Their cars stood beside each other for a decent conversation to happen.

"OMG! Anjali!! How are you?"

"I am good. And, What's up RJ? Seems like you have become the most popular RJ on the planet. I am getting bored of hearing your voice everywhere I go. Hey, by the way, Congratulations on your award for Best RJ of the year"

"Thanks, Thanks! I am feeling super happy about meeting you. I wish I meet all our friends. It's been so long..."

"Yea, 7 years!"

"But we all are in touch except you. Off course, you do contact us once in a while. But, not as often as others. What happened Anjali? I am sure, you aren't extraordinarily busy than every one of us."

Anjali smiled sheepishly.

"Nothing like that da. I am quite busy these days. Hey, don't compare everybody's business with mine! Okay? You all have a cool job! Not like mine!"

Before Vishva could say anything, the green signal flashed. They shouted Bye and Let's be in touch pledges to each other as they drove their cars.

Since then, Anjali has been stuck to their conversation. In other words, she has been introspecting her life.

Anjali has been the dearest in their family. Her parents, her sister, and all other family members loved her. She is the queen in her family. She thought of her appearance. Though she isn't extraordinarily beautiful, she was sure that she has pleasant and attractive features. She thought of her schooling and college. She had been amongst the top scorers throughout. She has been talented too. She has won a lot of prizes and medals which are decorating the showcase in her parents' house in her hometown.

She wondered what went wrong. She thought nothing exciting is happening in her life. Suddenly, she felt so mediocre. She has been made to feel the princess, the most special throughout her childhood-At her home, at school, and even in college. She realized that her job wasn't as exciting as before for her. She turned independent after getting this job. She was paid a decent sum for a 24-year-old girl. But life was not as exciting as she imagined it to be.

Once she broke her precious cocoon, she became mediocre. Life has become monotonous. It has lost colour. She was searching for reasons. She was finding some strange undescriptive comfort out of nothing.

She thought she doesn't have friends. But no, she had so many very reliable trustworthy friends who can help her with anything. She thought she didn't have a boyfriend. But she convinced herself that it is such a stupid reason. She thought of her job. Although it has been boring these days, she gets paid well. She does her work on time. She is the closest person to the perfectionist in her office. She suddenly felt proud of herself.

Her thoughts succumbed to her mediocrity and Vishva and her other friends' limelight again. She felt insecure. She felt her life was useless. She felt she isn't enjoying her life. She felt she is not doing right for her.

 That night, when her parents called her, they diagnosed that something has been bothering her. They pestered her to speak it out loud.

Anjali felt strangely comfortable, although she didn't want to talk about such things to her parents. She responded to their pesterings in anger and cut the call midway.

She broke down then. She has to struggle to let out the tears so that her next day will be normal. She wouldn't have to keep those thoughts in her mind tomorrow.

Tears drained off without completing their prime notion. She felt sad. She felt some numbness in her life. She turned back and front in search of something to break and disclose the thoughts pestering her.

Her eyes stuck to her family photo. It looked like a happy nest of sparrows chirping and dancing around. Suddenly, she realized what she did a few minutes back.

It felt strange. She felt she is peculiar. She broke the cocoon which she had been searching for all day.

The precious little cocoon which gave her comfort, happiness and made her feel the most special creature on earth, was ignored by her.

Precious little cocoon!", she told to herself.