Sketchstory No. 7 - 'Urmila's Story' by Sandhya Srinivasan

Window seat, on the right side, front row – this was Urmila’s favourite seat on the plane. Once she settled down, and fastened her seat belt, her book came out promptly. She ensured that she wouldn’t have to look up till they landed. Her husband, Vikram, who uncomplainingly sat in the middle seat, would handle all interaction with the cabin crew, refusing any service for her. Thankfully, the toilets were in the rear of the plane, so she didn’t have to see any of the other passengers. Once all the passengers had walked past Row 1, she could finally move the scarf off her head and let it fall around her shoulders. Even though her scarf was a beautifully spun cotton one, and was colour-coordinated with her shirt, it was still uncomfortable to have it over her head all the time.

While her eyes were on the book on her lap, her thoughts were far away. It had been over 6 months since she had last visited her parents. This was the longest she had not been home, but the circumstances had been such that Urmila couldn’t travel, and age-related issues prevented her parents from travelling. Many a tear had been shed over the phone, as Urmila had insisted on voice calls rather than video. It was easier to sound good over the phone, when one’s face was not visible to loved ones who could understand an entire story from just a frown or bags under one’s eyes. She didn’t know when Vikram had reached over and held her hand, but she liked the feeling of his warm hand over hers and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. It had been a traumatic few months, but hopefully now things would be better.

As the pilot announced the instructions for the cabin crew to be seated for take-off, Urmila looked up to catch the eye of one of the airhostesses and quickly looked away. She did not want to engage in any way with anyone. During the flight, she kept her eyes closed when not reading. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the stare of the airhostesses as they went past her while carrying out their duties. She wished she had the courage to stare right back at them and say, “What are you staring at? Have you not see a bald woman before? Yes, I had cancer, and this is what my battle has left me with – a hairless head, a face with no eyebrows or eyelashes, no breasts…shall I go on with the list?”. Urmila had had enough of pity over the past few months. She knew her friends cared for her and were desperate to support her in any way they could, but the underlying pity in their eyes put her off. She also did not want to hear one more person comment on how brave she was. She had lashed out

at Vikram, at her friends, at fate – she just hated the person she had become. The before-cancer Urmila was a super-confident, happy woman with an infectious smile, not overly-bothered about her looks. When would she go back to being that Urmila?

Some discussion between Vikram and the airhostess broke into her reverie. She looked up to see Vikram smile and shrug and then the airhostess looked at Urmila. “Excuse me Ma’am”. Urmila turned towards the window and stared out steadfastly, ignoring the voice. “Excuse me Ma’am”, the lady said again. Urmila felt Vikram tighten his hold on her palm for a minute. She turned to look at him angrily, but the look on his face was so gentle and tender that she couldn’t say anything. She looked up at the airhostess, who immediately said, ‘Ma’am, I am sorry to disturb you. I don’t want to irritate you. But I just wanted to tell you that my colleague and I have been admiring you from the time you boarded the flight. Your hair is lovely and you carry yourself so beautifully. We hope we are

as graceful as you when we reach your age’.

Urmila’s eyes filled with tears immediately. Before looking away, she managed to smile and

thank the young woman. This time her smile went all the way down to her heart and she

felt something very heavy lift away.

After landing, as they gathered their belongings, Vikram said,“Urmila, you’ve forgotten your

scarf”. Urmila replied, “I did not forget it. I don’t need it anymore”. She ran her hand over

her short hair, tossed her head and set out to meet the world with a smile.

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