Thank you for returning for Chapter 2 and giving this story a chance!

A question for you:

How dramatic are you?

Let's dive into the story without much delay.

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Dull. Cramped. Dead.

Those were my first thoughts when Mrs. Sen opened the door to my room which I was sharing with two others. The room was hardly 130 sqft and had three single beds attached to the three walls. One decent-sized window. And a small desk close to it.

Where's the storage?

Then I noticed the bed.

Oh, there.

But okay... What else was I expecting in 3000 per month? Cleaning included.

"You can guess which bed is yours?" She smiled.

I nodded, eyeing the one with the white sheet.

"Your roommates return after eight. 10:00 pm sharp is the curfew time. I don't allow anyone after that." She informed me as we entered the room, feeling suffocated by her authoritative presence in this tiny area. "No, visitors after eight pm. No loud noises after eleven. No late night parties and all," she went on with the list and I kept nodding with a plastered smile on my face, letting her think the rules were so life-saving!

"Here's your keys," she gave me a keyring which had three keys in it, "This one is for your room and the other two for storage. Any complaint or need, reach out to the reception, okay?" She looked me dead in the eyes. I'm pretty sure that she was being a good host in her mind but something about her just made me feel dominated by her, or maybe I was just dramatising everything to make her the strict, villainous warden.

"Theek...Take rest now, you might have big events tomorrow." She smiled again.

See... she is good.

"Yes, I've got a final round of interviews tomorrow," I shared. She nodded understandingly and I shot my question, "Aunty, how far is Sec V from here?"

"It'll take a good one and a half hours if going by bus, and a little less if you choose the metro. I'll tell you to keep half an hour in hand to be on the safe side; you won't want to be late due to unforeseen situations."

"You're right, aunty. Thank you so much. Please wish me luck."

"Best of luck, Shona." She patted my head lovingly and left the room to me.

I let out a deep breath, dropped on the bed, lying on my back while my feet were still grounded.

Tomorrow is a big day.

Wait... eww eww.

I realised that I got into bed in the same clothes I wore during my train journey. Eww! Eww! I got up quickly, peeled the sheet offI realised that I got into bed in the same clothes I wore during my train journey. Eww! Eww! I got up quickly, peeled the sheet off and rushed to the common bathroom. But I obviously had to come back to unpack my bag and get a decent pair of clothing before freshening up. and rushed to the common bathroom. But I obviously had to come back to unpack my bag and get a decent pair of clothing before freshening up.

I know I needed to have a proper meal before going to bed but my body felt too exhausted; tired enough that the hard mattress felt like cotton candy.

"I'll just eat double in the morning," I mumbled against my pillow, closing my eyes.

The cover smelled like home because I carried it all the way from Mumbai. Not everything is meant to be left in the past; sometimes, it's okay to bring a part of it into your present if it makes you feel safe and comfortable.

And with the comfort of home... It didn't take me long to fall asleep.

Even before forcing my eyes to open, I searched for my phone to switch off the alarm that was ringing, not wanting to disturb my roommates. And after silencing the alarm, I couldn't risk getting comfortable in bed or I'd definitely miss my interview.

Stretching my exhausted body, I sat on my bed-my feet touching the cold surface, I looked around to see some new faces but was disappointed.

The room was empty.

Weird.

After making the bed and selecting a pair of clothes, I made my way to the bathroom but was shocked to find two girls already lined up and all six cubicles occupied. I started to mentally calculate the approximate timings of each chore that would allow me enough time to reach my interview without any delay.

"New here?" The girl in front of me asked.

I nodded in reply, "Yes. I came yesterday only."

"Do you have any interviews today?"

I nodded again with a helpless smile, "11:30, Sec V."

"How are you planning to go?" She asked ne with a pleasant smile but her fist hit the bathroom door violently, shouting, "Hurry up yaar! Tara-tari kor!"

(Make it quick)

My eyes widened at the contrast but plastering a smile, I answered, "I'm thinking of taking a cab. I don't wanna be late or you know... reach the wrong address."

"Where exactly is your interview? I take Rapido every day. If it's fine, I can join you and we can split the fare."

"Really?" The offer surprised me.

I was dreading spending 500+ on the ride and this offer sounded like a boon.

"Yeah...we do that at times. And it's so hot today. I'll get off on the main road, and you can take the cab to your destination. My other two friends can join too!"

"Well...if the addresses align then sure." I agreed.

One by one, each cubicle got vacant and we continued with our morning routine.

For someone, who has had a personal room her entire life, no one told me how awkward it was not to share a room with someone who wasn't your husband or your 6-year-old cousin staying in your room during summer vacations.

A girl in her mid-thirties was one of my roommates. She introduced herself in Bengali, and all I could understand was her name-Chandni. Then she slowly started to share more about herself in broken Hindi. She was from Murshidabad and worked as a househelp in the upper-class society.

From living in one such society- to sharing a room with people who worked there, I have come a long way. Actually...even below her because she was an independent woman, earning her own money as well as looking after her family; while I was jobless, who secured some money after selling the gold chain I got in my second wedding gift.

My fingers instinctively went on to touch the spot where the chain used to rest, now empty.

"Your voice... awaaz, very sweet." I complimented.

Chandni actually had a very soothing kind of voice. Can I request her to wake me up every day? Too soon, Mahi. Too soon.

"Thank you," she blushed, keeping the last few things in her bag. "You can...talk English with me. I took admission two months back. English spoken evening classes." She proudly shared.

"Wow! That's so cool, Chandni. You're such an inspiration!"

"Ins... pi...?" Her big round eyes squinted in confusion.

"Inspiration means... uhm... a good example?" I struggled to come up with the exact word, " uhm...prerna!" I chirped.

Her smile grew bigger, maybe I succeeded in making her understand that word.

"Thank you," she said again. "Acha, I go, ha. Or... I'll get late."

I nodded, wishing her bye.

Sweet. I thought, watching her exit the room and then I stared at the other empty bed.

Where are you Ms. Roommate no.2?

I wondered and then started to get professional!

Moisturiser, primer, CC, blush, compact, eyeshadow, liners, brows, mascara; I followed the steps one by one and ended with the mandatory 'pop' sound after applying my lip gloss.

All the matte lips girls can stay. I'm a forever glossy or semi-matte girl.

Tying my hair up in a ponytail, I was ready to go. But I had to wait for the other three. Wait...am I forgetting something?

"I didn't have my breakfast!" Slapping my forehead, I rushed to the canteen-people were already seated with their plates. While walking towards the buffet, I knew what was awaiting me. I've seen enough hostel series to know...

Yup. Exactly. All the good stuff was gone. I didn't even bother to check. I will probably grab some fruits on my way out.

While checking the space I found the person who offered to share the cab. I waved at her, carrying a smile on my face. She waved back as well after noticing and called me to her table which she was sharing with other people.

"Hieee, Mahi! I can call you Mahi, right? You won't mind na?" She asked with a bright smile and others sitting there also looked at me, as if it was already decided.

Accepting my fate, I nodded, "Sure. By the way, just for a formal introduction: I'm Mah-e-Noor. I came here yesterday only. Kolkata I mean."

They all greeted me in unison. A fair one with light eyes and straight hair introduced herself as Shristi, beside her was Megha-and I had a really hard time looking away from her; she was so damn pretty! She had small eyes but was so pretty, her loose curly side-locks were framing her face so well, she was a make-up girl and her make-up was so on point.

"Your make-up is so pretty! It's highlighting your features so well!" I couldn't stop myself from fangirling.

She sing-a-song a thank you.

"We'll leave in the next fifteen minutes, that's fine with you na? Neha told me you have an interview at 11:30?"

"Yes. It's past 9:30 now. I'll rather be early than late."

"Come sit," Megha shifted to make space for me which I accepted with grace and gratitude.

We chatted for a while till they completed their breakfast and also managed to get me two bananas for breakfast, which was enough for me to start my day.

As decided, we left fifteen to twenty minutes later. Kolkata had its own share of traffic but compared to Mumbai it was...quiet-or at least the road we took was. The honking was there but... I don't know why, it still felt silent; maybe it was just my mind playing tricks.

I had taken the passenger seat, while Shristi, Megha and Mansi were seated in the back, telling me about the building or famous spot we were crossing and promising that they'll take me there soon.

Would be great if they promised to cover the bills as well.

Letting out a long cold breath, I leaned back on the seat and enjoyed the view while driving on the MAA flyover. It passed by the most luxurious hotels and I made a promise to myself that I'll take myself on dates I deserve, once I've enough money to afford me!

I really needed to secure a job soon before my savings were exhausted.

When we were stuck in the traffic near a stadium... Saltlake Stadium I guess? I felt like thanking God and the girls for the shared cab. Looking at the traffic and heat, I'd have looked like a soaked alligator during my interview.

Shrishti and others got down on the road they had planned earlier, and wished me tons of good luck. They watched the cab leave with me as they stood there -waved, and I waved back.

It was hardly a five-minute ride from there. I was half an hour early, so I decided to take a stroll around for the next few minutes. The area was nice-walkable lanes with greenery inside. The only problem was getting up and down from the footpath in my red heels. So, I tried my best to follow a single path and return just in enough time to freshen up my face and remove the trace of any sweat or tiredness.

After applying a fresh layer of compact, I registered myself in the reception and after twenty minutes, I was asked to follow the recruiter who came to show me the way.

"Hi, Mah-e-Noor. I'm Sheila. Our VP would be taking your final round," she spoke, walking ahead of me.

She was a very...young girl. The clean aesthetic kind. I bet she follows those 21- step korean skin routines because damn her skin was butterrrrrr.

Wait...has my divorce awakened my lesbian side or what? I'm crushing on every other girl I'm meeting and haven't even noticed a single guy!

While matching her pace, I lazily but curiously ran my eyes over the people who were occupying the space, pretending to work. I'm not professional but I know that no one is working in the first hour, okay? I tried to find even a mildly attractive face in male species but I couldn't. What the hell?

Nevermind.

I stopped following Sheila, who was holding the door to a cabin. I could see the blur figure of someone sitting on the desk through the frosty glass door.

"Sir is waiting for you. Best of luck."

I nodded with a small smile, running my hands over my shirt, removing the invisible creases- I took a deep breath to calm myself. Then I held my head high, flashing my most confident smile while entering the cabin, taking a step closer to my career.

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That was our chapter 2.

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