At Sunrise

sound of an alarm ringing

I reach over my night table to turn the alarm off. As usual waking up for another college day is never a pleasing thought. I flipped to the other side in the hopes of skipping the entire day with the intent of doing nothing by lying in my bed. Impatiently yelling in the background, my mother screams at me in a flustered tone, “Zeeni! You are going to miss your bus if you don’t get out of the bed right away”. It was only a matter of time before she would have rushed into my room and kicked me out of my cozy bed.

I managed to sluggishly drag my lazy self out of the bed and start to get ready with the aspiration that it will be an eventful day. It was the third day of group fair presentations I had signed up for in my college. I knew these were the days when I had an excuse to wear a saree instead of my usual outfit. There was an enormous amount of excitement to wear sarees back then, I was still a young college girl and that feeling of being a woman walking down the streets in a saree with admirable eyes on me was breath taking in many ways. It was an exhilaratingly special feeling of leaving the house in the pretext of a grown woman in saree, taking the bus, being in public, being that woman choosing to wear it below the navel and feel that overpowering sensation of random people paying attention to my tantalizing navel.

Standing in front of the mirror getting ready and appreciating myself in the depths of it, I was tucking my saree in my petticoat only to watch myself transitioning from a bubbly college girl into a vibrant woman. I tuck my pleats while I was staring at my navel which was gazing right back at me sitting just above those pleats, unruly thoughts rushed through my head of giving my navel a chance to see the world with no restraints. I was devilishly drawn towards my navel to an extent that it consumed me with a force that wouldn’t allow me to take away any attention from my own navel. And just as I swayed that pallu over my shoulder, my navel was lost like a shadow in the dark, leaving behind mild withering glimpse of it that was translucently visible through the layer of my saree which was trying to protect it from the world. Absorbing the reality of my saree touching my skin, it was giving me an enhanced uplifted attitude directly binding me with my navel through some kind of evil force of nature.

I give myself a final glance and lucidly debate with my inhibitions before I slowly begin to slide my saree’s pallu to the right, allowing myself the good fortune to fall in love with my navel one more time and also granting this world an opportunity to savor the sight of my remarkable navel. Ignoring my inner voices which were alarming me of the catastrophic behavior that may transpire due to my obsession towards my navel, I smile at it and then slowly peer into my eyes in the mirror, which showed all the confidence it needed for the immoral plan I had shamelessly infused in my head.

**at the bus stop

Walking down the street in my elegant saree I cut through the street like an unstoppable wave with my mildly exposed navel which was feeling the unforgiving breeze entering its depth with a stroke of love. Slightly patting my ego I almost reach near the bus stop.

I patiently wait for my bus to arrive and glance at the crowd around me. Unusually there were not that many people with the desire to catch the bus that morning. Feeling a bit disappointed to not see the same crowd I am use to seeing everyday made me feel less achieving. I had high hopes of being appreciated even by those who were not present at the time. Deprived of not feeling the pleasure to impress everyone I had pre-assessed, I tried to enhance my seductive nature to hoard all the attention possible.

I stroll along the two ends of the bus stop and meticulously hold my position in the center of the stop by standing against the oncoming breeze. I cleverly managed to glorify my presence with each blowing gust of wind that impolitely kept on swaying away my pallu sideways, resulting in further exposing my belly and permitting my navel to dictate its precedence. I was amazed how much attention I was getting by inconspicuously noticing every passing by glance at me, especially all the gravitating look towards my belly which made my navel blush exuberantly.

Hoping that at least half of these admirers may board the same bus I was waiting for, I refine myself for a delightfully satisfying bus ride. I find a comfortable spot to brace myself with futile and laughable efforts to keep my belly covered. Noticing most adult men giving my belly all the importance they could give, I didn’t want to withdraw them from contemplating my navel. With each prolonged glance at my navel, my confidence kept on pushing itself to a higher level.

Luckily! Before I could fill my head with self-conceited attitude, my stop arrived!