Anu disliked what she saw in the mirror but it wasnt so bad. She had drowned herself in her book and lost track of time. She was running late for the afternoon class and had no time to wash off the oil in her hair so she had pinned it up neatly. At the institute, Anu was intently listening to her guide on tips to crack the admission test, quick maths calculations and verbal ability until it was break. She was active in class with the answers but every break was an ordeal for her - she didnt know what to do with her hands, what to talk to the girls and guys busy flirting and how to retort to the acerbic jokes on her outdated T-shirt and long skirt or her hair.
Today, it was worse. As usual the girls were talking about their dates, boyfriends and their fan following but what made it worse was the guy staring at her continuously. She had noticed him yesterday too - staring. She couldnt dare tell her friends about the louse, they would hardly believe her. "God Anu! What were you thinking? Oily hair and those pins look like to horns on your head. Anyway, we're going to a theme party tonight so please wash your hair and come. The dress code is jeans & white shirt." Anu said, "Oh! But I dont have jeans." "Are you serious?" Remarked another friend - "really, you must do something about your dress sense. And dont worry, no-one will really 'look' at you if you wore jeans Ms.goody two shoes." Anu stayed quiet & away from the party.
That night she thought about the guy staring and felt angry. What was he trying to do - make her feel concious for how she looks? Yet, a small part of her was excited that a guy had stared at her - maybe she wasnt bad afterall. She caught him staring at her often in class and felt angry and glared back. Once he stared so much that she called out to one of her friends to go with them. Just then, the guy said "Excuse me!" but Anu just glared at him & walked away.
In the days that passed she bumped into him at a store & he kept staring, smiling. This angered her even more. But a strange thing started to happen then. She started taking care of how she looked now. She cut her hair and washed & styled it regularly. Over the next few months, Anu had decided to lose weight & successfully lost a few extra kilos. Her friends were quick to advice her on smart jeans and short tees. Everyone was pleasantly surprised at her transformation which added to her confidence in class. Some guys wanted to talk to her. She certainly felt good & ironically attributed some of all this to the staring creep.
Soon, for the first time in her life, a nice guy asked her out to coffee after class. Her friends helped her dress and gave her a sandal with heels. As Anu walked into class that day, being inexperienced with heels as she was, she tripped and fell flat on the floor. A roar of laughter ensued - the creep asked "what happened yaar" sarcastically and his friends said "sexy Anu fell down". He smiled and said "Can I give you a hand?"
That was it - She decided this was her opportunity. She showered the choicest abuses at him calling him a creepy louse who stared at people wrongly and didnt belong to civil society.
The rest of the day passed in silence and Anu enjoyed the coffee with her new friend. Later that day, the creep's friend requested to speak with her and explained, "The guy you accused of staring is actually blind for your kind information. He comes here for personality development and takes training to not appear blind since he doesnt want to invite sympathy. He didnt know that he would invite abuses. He likes you and wanted to speak to you because he appreciated your participation in class - he can only turn his head to the direction of the voice thats all. Thanks & bye."
That day she realized that she had insulted the first person who 'saw' her & liked her for who she was. Yet she had changed for someone to whom looks didnt matter. How strange - but someone who couldnt see her had made her feel beautiful!
