Fortune Cookie

 Weekend. She indulges in a long, leisurely ritual for her bath. First she oils her lustrous, long hair, massages it in, and lets it soak for a while. Then she applies a paste of gooseberry and fenugreek and leaves it on for some more.  

The water is hot now, she thinks, and heads for her shower. When she returns and is towelling her hair gently, in front of the mirror, admiring her own reflection, she notices one of her earring - the right one - is missing.  She panics for a moment, it’s gold and diamond; it’s possible it might have fallen off while showing. 

She heads to the bathroom, and searches all around the floor, but the ring is nowhere in sight. She thinks it might have gone away through the drain. As she steps out, she decides to return and take one final look. There, inside one of the buckets, she finds it. She feels relieved and happy to regain her prized possession - a symbol of her love. 

On a whim, she takes out her phone and searches for omens regarding falling earrings. The google search tells her that if the right earring falls down, it indicates an affirmation of love, and its culmination in marriage soon. She beams. Her mind wanders about thinking of destination weddings, pre-wedding photo shoots, and more!

She heads out for the planned dinner date, almost floating in air. He already is waiting - serious-faced as usual. As she sits down, he takes her hand into his, and tells, “I am glad you’re here. I thought it wise to say this in person than send you a message.”

“Yeah?”, she leans towards him playfully. 

He moves back a little, makes space for himself, lets her hand go. “Sorry to say this, but I don’t think we can continue this relationship anymore”. 

She wonders if she heard him right. Is he mocking her? A prelude to him suggesting a change in the relationship status - from lovers to married couple? But even for a joke it’s in poor taste! 

He continues, “I feel pretty insecure with you, and there is no way I can keep going. I’m stressed. And I’m calling it quits. Sorry”. Was it her fame that made him insecure? Or her confidence? She cannot recall a day or instance where she imposed herself or her opinions on him. Her head spins at the turn of events. 

He gets up, takes something out of his pocket, places it on the table; it’s the ring she had gifted him for his birthday. “Good bye”, he mutters and melts away.

She stays frozen.