DIVYA’S fingers worked deftly on the bride’s face as she applied her makeup. Her years of experience as a makeup artist had given her expertise in various makeup techniques.

Today was a special day in the bride’s life and she wanted a classic makeup look that was timeless and elegant.
Divya applied the final touches and stepped back a little to admire her work of art.

The bride looked stunning!

Her pleased smile said as much, but her radiance was not only from her outlook but the happiness glowing from within.

A flicker of pain crossed Divya’s face as she packed her cosmetics kit to leave, for two other brides awaited her. No one ever saw the pain, for she always masked it with a smile on her face.
It was from her love story, which did not have a happy ending.

At the end of the day, she was very tired, and after a long, refreshing bath, she sat on the porch with a glass of wine and sighed deeply as her body relaxed. The cool wind dried her hair and she leaned back on the chair, closing her eyes. The pain she had been battling for years always surfaced at weddings because such love and happiness she had been denied not once but twice.

“Is this my destiny?”

It was a question she had often asked herself over the years but got no answer.

She finished the wine, her hair not quite dry, and crawled into bed, burying her face in the freshness of the soft pillow so she could fall asleep.

The story of her first love began at the sweet age of sixteen when she met a handsome young artist at a cultural show. It had seemed to be love at first sight at the time, and she had followed her heart. She hadn’t known, being so young, that he was a player and after close to a year of being together, he had left for overseas with a promise to return for her but never did.

That betrayal had devastated her young mind, for she had fallen prey to his desires. As time continued to heal her wounds, she had made a promise in her mind never to let that happen again.

She began working to pick up the pieces of her life and changed several jobs, searching for something she felt would be right for her. Four years passed, and one day she realised she needed to be self-independent in owning her own small business.

But she needed a change of place for a fresh start, so she left her country home for the city. There were many opportunities for her to start setting a pace for a small business and after two weeks, she enrolled in a cosmetology school. But fate stepped in to disrupt her plans, for two days before she started classes, her aunt, whom she had been staying by, fell ill. The woman, a single mother of three, fearful of losing her job, had asked Divya to stand in for her.

She had consented to do so, deep concern for her aunt, thus putting her plans on hold. Her aunt worked as a maid for a wealthy family who had very strict rules for their workers. The boss was somewhat of a tyrant and intolerant of excuses and absence. The stern look on his face somewhat defined his cold personality.

“Oh darn!” Divya exclaimed to herself, “What have I gotten myself into?”

She tried to be careful and meticulous with the tasks given to her and on the second day, while dusting a porcelain vase, a deep voice said behind her, “Hey.”

Divya almost dropped the dust brush and turned around slowly, not sure if she did anything wrong, but standing there was a young man with classic good looks and a well-defined body.

“Wow,” she exclaimed quietly.

“You’re new here?” he queried.

“Yes.”

He looked at her briefly, then said, “I need clothes ready for a business dinner tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

He was, she was told, the eldest son of the family, but different from the father, with a likeable and tolerant personality.

“Thank God for that,” Divya expressed with relief.

For the two weeks she was there, he called on her often for things he needed to get done, especially with his wardrobe. He spoke to her in a nice, casual tone, making her feel relaxed and less nervous. On her last day, as she was organising his wardrobe, he came into the room quietly and stood for a moment, looking at her. She turned and saw him, and that moment, a feeling pulsed through her body that she didn’t quite understand but it was something new.

“I have arranged all of your clothing, sir,” she said to him, “Because I won’t be here from tomorrow.”

He nodded his head with a smile of ‘thanks’.

“You have done great, and I appreciate that.”

She smiled just a little, happy her work was appreciated.

He asked, “So what will you be doing after this?”

She told him and he stated, “Interesting. I hope you succeed.”

She left late that afternoon without seeing him again, and that night as she lay in bed, she couldn’t help thinking of him.

“I shouldn’t do that, though,” she cautioned herself, “Because I’ll never see him again.”

But she was wrong.

One afternoon, two weeks later, as she came out of classes, she saw him parked a little way from the school. He signalled to her and she walked over to him, quite surprised.
“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile, noticing the surprised look on her face.

“How is your course coming along?”

“Good, I…am-,”

“I wanted to see you again,” he stated, answering the question she wanted to ask.

She looked at him, not quite believing she was hearing this, and she asked quietly, “Your former maid?”

“Not quite. She’s a simple, beautiful girl I like.”

She shook her head a little, still not believing this and before she could say anything else, he took the books from her hand and said, “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

And so it began.

He came to see her often; it was movies, dinner, walks on the seawall, and weekends sometimes at resorts. They became close, so close that she felt afraid that promise she had made to herself would be broken.

And it did.

Aditya regularly travelled overseas on business trips, and it was during one of those trips that his father summoned Divya. She had felt scared, knowing that it could only be one reason he wanted to see her. Her fear was realised when he told her, “A low-status girl like you is not worthy of my son, and by the time he gets back, I want you gone from his life.”

Divya was not sure how to respond and the father continued, “Your aunt can pay the price if you do not leave my son. She can lose her job or go to prison for stealing.”

It was a serious threat and Divya had taken a deep breath, and said quietly, “As you wish, I’ll leave. Please don’t suffer my aunt.”

It had broken her heart to walk away from a love that was true. She had lost again.

She returned home and opened a salon, her own small business.

“I have to now live with pain,” she whispered as her eyes closed in sleep.

She opened her salon for business the next day, happy that she had something to call her own. The months went by until the end of the year came around, which was always a busy day for her, for her clients were going to a dance or dinner.

By the time she was finished with the last customer, Divya was feeling so tired, she could hardly feel her legs. She was packing away some of the beauty products when a deep, warm voice behind her said, “Do you always work this late?”

Her hands froze for she recognised that voice, and she turned around slowly.

“Aditya.”

He was standing there, with deep relief on his face, “I’ve been searching for you,” he said.

Pain in his voice, “Why did you leave?”

She inhaled deeply, tears welling in her eyes, “We aren’t meant to be together.”

“Yeah? Who determined that? You know how much I love you. Do you know what I went through searching for you?”

“I’m sorry,” she apologised, “It broke my heart to leave but I had to.”

“Why?”

She took a deep breath and explained, “I was told I was not worthy of you and was advised to leave or bad things would happen to my aunt. It’s the reason I’ve been moving my business to different parts of the country, so you won’t find me.”

Tears rolled down her face and she said, with a little tremor in her voice, “I’ve missed you every day.”

He couldn’t believe she had suffered so much and tears misted in his eyes as he hugged her.

That night, sitting on the porch, waiting for the fireworks, she was not alone. And lying in bed, she didn’t have to hug the pillows for comfort, for she was in his embrace.
It was a new year for new beginnings and happiness in their lives.