The dark clouds hovered above and in her mind. The strong breeze constantly hit against the glass pane of the small, sparse café. It could very well have been an imitation of her own state of mind. Her successes at work relieved only some of the fury. Unsuccessfully, she attempted to brush away all negative thoughts. But they had a mind of their own.

The loud ringing of her phone broke her out of her reverie. She fished it out of her pocket and stared at the screen. “Divesh calling…,” it flashed. 
“So?” thought Vyjanthi with one eyebrow raised. She stared at the flashing screen until it went blank. After their last argument, she was in no mood to entertain his calls. He had been rude and insulting. She shouldn’t have been surprised actually. That’s how he had always been. How was now any different?

Vyjanthi stood there, contemplating her options. Should she? Shouldn’t she? The rainbow colours were enticing her, the calorie count repelling. What was it that Divesh had said, about her having put on weight? Just the recollection of that conversation made the decision for her. She stepped forward and unashamedly pointed toward the display counter. “One rainbow cake slice, please.” She collected her dessert plate and headed to an empty table. She had slogged for the acquisition of the new client who was famously known to be a hard negotiator and the email her manager had received this morning was proof enough of her efforts and success. This was her little treat to herself. If Divesh wanted a wafer-thin model for a wife, he could very well go and marry one. She was a woman, not a mannequin. She would not conform to his unrealistic expectations of colour, weight, and height. She had a mind of her own.