‘Is loyalty dead?’ I ask befuddled.
How else could one explain Promila’s peculiar behavior?
‘You know, I have been her best friend for the longest time. And now she doesn’t even pay attention to me. It’s so hurtful. How would you feel, if someone who couldn’t be without you, suddenly starts ignoring you? And to add insult to injury, she now has a new best friend. They are constantly together.’
Sigh…
‘You know, I used to be her shopping companion. Hell! I used to be her every-outing companion. Now she takes that hateful new friend of hers,’ I hiss as I say hers, ‘and the worst part is, now I have to share space with her.’
Sniff…
‘Oh! I can see you are confused. Pardon me for not introducing myself properly. I am Ms. Ruby Woo, a M.A.C. lipstick and she is Ms. Hateful Mask. Promila has forsaken me for her. The silly thing covers Promila’s best feature, her luscious lips, the ones that I adorned and enhanced. So, why does she like Ms. Mask more?’
Hurmph…
‘Hi!’
Why is she saying hi to me?
‘Hello there. Yes you, Ms. Lipstick. My name is Cotton Mask. And I am not so hateful, you know.’
Huh…How does she know what I am thinking?
‘Oh! You and I share the same space in her purse, so of course, I can hear your thoughts. Just the way I can hear Promila’s. With my bands behind her ears, I am very close to her thoughts and sometimes she mumbles them too. That’s how I know she loves you and misses you.’
‘She does?’ I enquire hopefully.
‘Yes! Just the other day she was telling her friend that it had been so long since she had put on her favorite lipstick. And that she missed dressing up.’
‘Oh! That’s so good to hear,’ I twirled, nearly hitting the top of the cap in my joy.
‘It is, isn’t it? She loves you, whereas me, she just tolerates. It’s ironic that you think I am her new best friend and she loves me. But believe me, she doesn’t like me; she is forced to wear me. If she could have her way, she would discard me in a jiffy,’ said Ms. Mask.
Sniffle…
‘Oh! Don’t cry,’ I said trying my best to reassure her, ‘I am sure she likes you and won’t discard you.’
Oh Lord! Will she discard me too one day? No! She won’t. She loves me, didn’t she tell Ms. Mask just that.
Shudder…
‘That’s the whole thing Ms. Lipstick. I am a companion in her painful times and you are a companion of playful times.’
‘At least, we are companions,’ I offer tentatively.
She is not so bad after all. She is insecure too.
Smile…
‘Yes! You are right, Ms. Lipstick. Both of us want what’s best for Promila,’ declares Ms. Mask.
Just then Promila opens her purse.
‘There you are. Look at you both, snuggling close to each other,’ she says as she picks me up, ‘Today I have a very important presentation and I need you dear, to look my best.’ She pulls off the cap and I happily twist up to meet her lips.
I look back at Ms. Mask and wink.
Yes! We can live together, in unison, my new friend.
Lead Image Courtesy – Pixabay
