The Segment (Completed)

20. Swirling in Silks

Farrah stepped out of her bathroom, her skin still damp and warm from her shower. On her bed her outfit for Mahira's mehendi was laid out. She stood at the foot of her bed, as she looked at the outfit while she dried her hair. The traffic was going to be horrible on a Friday night. She really wasn't looking forward to it, any of it; the traffic, the back-biting between the ladies, the match-making, all of it.

There was a time when she used to adore attending weddings; the anticipation of wearing her new outfit and enjoying the festivities at weddings. Her favourite memory if she had to choose one, was watching her mum get ready. Farrah smiled as she fingered the champagne gold sequins on her kurti. Even though Farrah would be fully dressed, she would lay down on her mum's bed and watch her put her makeup on. How she would carefully select her jewellery, making sure it all properly matched. And the smell of her perfume; roses, it was always some variation of it. After her death, Farah still attended weddings that her family was invited to, but the older she got the more the enthusiasm for it had dulled.

Getting dressed, Farrah sat down at her vanity and switched on the lights that were attached to her mirror. It was only 6.00 o'clock in the afternoon but it was dark out. Heaving a sigh, I can't wait till spring, she thought.

Rubbing some styling and heat protection product into her hair, Farrah started by sectioning her hair. Picking up her curling iron, she started from the back wrapping her hair around the wand and holding it for a few seconds. She repeated this mechanically as she worked her way through the mass of her hair. And she couldn't stop thinking about Richard and what happened on new years day.

It wasn't the first time she had been asked this question, if she was being honest. She had been interviewed by whom she thought could be her future mother-in-laws, and even by the men themselves. She had ignored the question and rejected those matches. She was prepared for them to ask her questions like that, expected it even. But from Richard, she was blindsided. She never would've thought that it would even matter to him, but it did.

And funnily enough, she'd understood why he asked her. Even on the day of. It was never about her, or her being a virgin or not. It was about him, and how he associated his worth directly with being the recipient of her physical affections. It hurt her feelings though, she won't deny that, but she knew the internal voice that kept telling him he wasn't worth her affections was doing more damage to him.

It did her head in, whenever she thought about it. Why did she tell him the truth? She could have left it unanswered, ignored it. She should have ignored him too, especially after how he had left things between them. He walked out of the kitchen and straight to her balcony standing in the cold for a good 30 minutes until his driver arrived. He left with a, "I'll call you." And that was the end of that day. He did call, he did say his 'Sorry's' and she accepted it for whatever it was worth. But it still rankled her, and it was tearing her up inside.

As badly as Farah wanted to confide in Charlie, she knew that it would somehow get back to Richard. Ben, as it would seem, was disgustingly loyal. Although, it was a sentiment that she respected and wished Charlie had more of. She saw how Richard was with him, with everyone who he worked with really; he treated them with respect and care. So much like you would do with family. And growing up surrounded by staff, one would suppose that the people who work with you do tend to become a surrogate family.

Inhaling deeply, Farrah held her breathe before releasing it in a rush. She repeated it a few times in an attempt to centre herself. Picking up her long hold L'Oreal hairspray, she aimed it at her hair and sprayed liberal amounts onto the curls to make sure it held throughout the night. Setting the hairspray down, she flicked her hair over her shoulders and picked up her foundation brush. Tapping on the handle lightly as she looked at her reflection, she decided that for tonight, she would do a dewy look with a subtle sparkle on her eyes and her favourite red lip.