Isha waited on the lounge , her long polished nails impatiently tapping on the seat . She checked her watch nervously . It was the umpteenth time she was doing so .
" Isha , the editor is ready to see you "
Letting out a heave of relief for having been freed from the burden of apprehension , she entered the editor's room with an air of caution around her .
" Take your seat Isha . I suppose you are all set to have the matter for this week's article published . You mind passing it onto my desk by evening for proof reading ? "
' Well , here comes the worst part ' . Isha cleared her throat . She replied hesitantly .
" I am sorry Tinaji . But i need more time . I have to let you know that i couldnt stumble upon anything alluring enough to write on this time around. But i promise i will definitely come up with something . You have my word on it . "
"Come on Isha , the editor muttered . What is this drama all about in the eleventh hour ?! . I assume you know this is no child play ? You are given an opportunity to have your articles published in one of the leading fashion magazines in the country and i cant believe you are going so carefree about it . Agreed that you are a trainee , but shouldnt that make the whole process of trying your best to capture a charming theme to write on all the more demanding and exciting ? Atleast it was so to me a decade back ! "
Isha nodded , but she couldnt lift her eyes to meet the editor's . Seeing her sulk , Tina softened .
" See girl , if you are in dire need of some imagination, just look around . Go for a walk . Take a stroll in the beach . Talk to people . Nature and people always leave nuggets for writers . That is a well proven fact , trust me ! "
Isha looked up at her editor , when she added sternly , " And do keep in mind that the deadline is flexible only till 8 am tomorrow, after which i need the content on my desk , no matter what . Remember there are lots of talented people out there dying to reach where you are now . "
Isha left the chamber with a heavy heart . ' Atleast she wasnt arrogant . Calm down Isha , there is going to be some way , she said to herself .
Isha picked up a coffee from the machine and retreated to her cubicle , checking the missed calls on her phone . She dialled the last one on the list and took a sip of her coffee.
" Hey isha, how did the rendezvous with Tinaji go ? " I enquired. .
" Oh as usual , Miss subtle yet stringent . No wonder she is taking the magazine to heights "
" what are you going to do about it now ? "
" Let me see , i will come up with something , dont worry. What are you upto Tanya ? "
I chuckled before replying , " My mom is celebrating our ' Take care of your hair day ' here " .
" What on earth is that ? and how come i never heard you mention that before ? . And what do you do on this day huh ; sit admiring your tresses all day ? Isha enquired mockingly "
" Ok , now dont go around making fun of me ok . This is something my mom came up with some two years back . You remember that summer vacation when we went on a trekking venture for a week and came back all worn out ? Well , it happened to take a toll on my hair too . Dandruff !! According to my mom dandruff tends to accumulate more when dirt and dust piles up on your scalp . And rightly so , i started losing chunks of hair to my dismay . Since then my mom has been strict about me taking more care about my hair and thus saw the inception of this ' take care of your hair day ' . she winked .
Isha was intrigued now ." So what exactly is the routine today ? "
" Its simple , but then simple things lacklustre and interest these days right , with all the smoothening and curling hype . Down to the basics it is . My mom would apply luke warm oil to my scalp and massage it for 15 mts . After that she lets me catch up on a movie or a novel for around one hour . I am supposed to take a shower after that with a shampoo mild enough to clear off all the dirt , not ruining the hair roots while it does that . Oh and my mom has a special tip to go with it to have smooth silky hair as a bonus for all the trouble . And thats to use a Dove conditioner in the end to pep the whole thing up . And isha , would you believe if i say , my hair feels so heavenly after i dry it having gone through this routine ! Trust me it does ! But my mom wouldnt let me shampoo my hair more than one a week . She says its bad for the hair if you overdo it . Beauty products if used wisely can do wonders for you , she says . Guess what , and that was the end of my hair problems " I grinned at her mom who was transferring the oil onto the bowl in the meantime .
A sudden bolt of happiness rushed through Isha . A wide grin flashed across her face . " Hey Tanya, go ahead with your Hair day ok. I will catch up with you later ". She hung the phone.
Isha snatched a piece of paper from her clipboard and started scribbling hastely .
One week later :
" So this what you do huh , lift ideas from your best friend and have it published in your name ". I teased my best friend over the meal .
A writer draws inspiration from the vagaries of life around us Tanya . And tell me i havent given you enough credits already , baby . Look at the title ! See how charming it is " An End to Tanya's hair problems ' . Can you ask for more ? . And you should have seen that hundres watt smile on the editior's face after having gone through my article . According to her no other magazine came up with an article which narrated a story based on beauty ever in the fashion magazine circle so far .Thanks to you ! And girl Leave all that , you have your gorgeous photograph on the country's leading fashion magazine for God's sake . Treat me for that . Who knows you arent going to end up as the heroine in the next Yash Raj Movie ! "
Saying this , Isha struck an elegant princess pose infront of me and my mom .
Giggling my heart out , i barged on her playfully with the pillow .
The Happy Ending
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P.S : This post has been written for the My beautiful hair story contest organised by Dove and Indiblogger .
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