Shakeel and Hasina personally took Salma to Chennai and inspected the College as well as hostel facilities. Salma hated wearing the hijab as usual but knew she can get rid of it for a long time once her parents are out of there.
After all the necessary documentation and administration work was done and Salma’s luggage was shifted into her room she was given a huge list of instructions and the do’ and don’ts by her parents. Her father was still not convinced about sending Salma to Chennai but Hasina had somehow managed to convince him.
Finally it was time for Hasina and Shakeel to leave. Hasina bid a tearful farewell. Once the taxi left the building Salma jumped in joy and ran into the building. She first lied on the bed with her hands and legs spread wide apart. She felt absolute freedom for the first time in her life.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Salma opened it and saw a young boy in front of her who seemed to be her age. She had short jet black hair, a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans carrying a suitcase in his hand. The person introduced himself as her roommate. Salma was surprised as how the management allowed a girl and boy to stay together. But there was something odd about him. Salma stepped aside as the boy stepped and placed the luggage near the vacant bed and jumped into it lying on his chest for a few seconds. Then he got up and came near a shocked Salma and thrust his hand forward.
“Hi!!!!!!!!!!!! I am Bobby..........Full Name Babita Yadav. To clear your doubts, I am a girl” said the boy who was actually a girl. Salma was amazed looking at her. She could see the rippling muscles and broad shoulders which was extremely odd for a young girl.
“Well I am from a family of wrestlers in Haryana. I was trained to become a wrestler since childhood much like my brothers and sisters. But I suffered an injury a couple of years back in my back and the doctor advised me to quit wrestling much to the disappointment of my family but to my delight. I always wanted to study and join a corporate company and enjoy the city life instead of spending time in the dust and muddy village” explained Bobby.
Salma looked at her in awe. She always wanted a body and strength like her instead she was petite. After their initial introductions they hit it off like a house on fire.
Later that night after dinner, while walking back to their room Salma poured her heart out after much deliberation. She narrated all the important things that happened in her life and how she had developed since childhood. Now it was Bobby’s turn to be surprised. She never felt that such a petite and feminine girl would like to look masculine and behave like that.
As they reached their room and looked to change into their night clothes Salma noticed that she only had nighties, which she always hated wearing. Bobby laughed looking at her reaction. Bobby wore a t-shirt and track pant.
They decided to go shopping the next day so that Salma can buy some clothes of her preference. Salma had a good sleep that night and felt a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
*************************************
The next morning Salma got up by 5am and couldn’t sleep any longer as she was waiting for daylight to break so that they can go other their shopping spree. She kept tossing on her bed restlessly. Finally at 6am she got up and brushed her teeth and completed her bath. She rummaged through her clothes to find the least feminine salwar kameez. She chose a plain one consoling herself that by the end of that day she will no longer need to wear these disgusting clothes anymore. On the other hand Bobby too wore a salwar kameez.
“Well though I do look muscular sport a boyish hairstyle I am still a girl at heart. I love to wear saris, chudidars etc with all the finery. I am also planning to cut down on my body weight and grow my hair longer” explained Bobby.
The next 3 hours seemed like ages for Salma but finally the girls stepped into the city for their mission. They went straight into a barber shop. There were no customers yet and the owner was surprised when two girls walked in his saloon.
“I need a hair-cut” stated Salma as the man looked with a shocked expression.
“This is a gent’s parlour......the......the ladies parlour is further down the road madam” he informed.
“Well I needed a gent’s parlour. I want a Classic undercut hairstyle” said Salma proudly and went and sat on the chair. The man followed her in a trance. He took a scissor and comb but hesitated to touch her hair.
“What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for an auspicious time?” growled Salma.
The terrified guy started his work. Salma felt absolutely liberated as her wavy locks of hairs started falling down. As strands of cut hair fell on her lap she felt like she was freeing herself from iron chains. She looked at herself in the mirror as he changed the long hair to a short classic undercut hairstyle.
Finally the task was completed and she checked her hair in all angles and suggested a few changes and after complete satisfaction got down the chair. Bobby too was surprised with Salma’s change in attitude and confidence. After paying the owner of the parlour Salma looked at herself in the mirror. She took a cap out of a bag that she was carrying and put it on her head. It seemed better as currently with the hairstyle and her dress she looked weird to say the least.
***************************************
Their next stop was a shoe store. They went into the men’s section tried on several pairs of sports shoes. Luckily although Salma was only 5 ft 5 inches tall in height her feet were quite large for a girl of her size. So a men’s size 8 seemed to fit her she chose size 9 to be more comfortable.
With the hair and shoes sorted out they only needed the clothes so that she could look like a boy from head to toe. So the next stop was a clothes store. They made a list of all the items they require and realised the budget would easily cross Salma’s limit. But Bobby was gracious enough to lend money to a friend whom she had met just a day back. So with the finance sorted Salma went through the proceedings excitedly.
They started off with men’s underwear. Bobby laughed when Salma said that.
“Bobby, I don’t want to be associated with anything related to girls” said Salma.
Salma selected a few boxer shorts of known brands and topped it off with a few banians (under-shirts or vests).
Then they selected a few jeans as well as formal pants and lots of t-shirts and formal shirts. She went to the trail room and tried each and every outfit. She felt very proud of herself looking at herself in mirror wearing a pant and shirt. It felt very comfortable, almost like her second skin. Bobby knocked on the door and handed her a pair of clothes which were already billed. While Salma changed into those Bobby had the rest of the clothes billed.
As Salma came out of the store with Bobby and felt absolutely liberated due to the constant feel of the bra constrictions on her breasts. They stopped for a quick lunch while Salma chatted enthusiastically.
Thus started Salma’s journey towards the way she wanted to live her life. But it also meant that she had to live a dual-life. Whenever her mother wanted to chat with her on skype she would change into her traditional garb and put on a hijab so that her short hair could be hidden from her family. She hated changing into the salwar kameez and covering her hair but if she didn’t then she would be back in her home in no time.
Discussion (0)