Saga of inner wear: Being Woman
The weather is muggy out here. It’s hot, it’s humid, people sweat all the time and the heat never tends to go. Ahana was sick and tired of this weather. She was little plump, because of which she felt she used to feel the heat more than the rest. She has been staying with her husband in this place for 7 years now.
Her husband was a big time fan of his friends. He had a huge circle of friends. He loved it when they come home. Ahana also liked when they come, but then, because her husband’s friends circle was huge, every other day, she had his friends coming over to her home. Her problem was not with Ashay’s friends coming over. Her problem was, the entire circle of Ashay’s friends comprised of 25 males. Now whenever they come, she has to be properly dressed. The worst part is, in this heat, she hated wearing ‘brassiere’. Plump as she was, the elastics used to hurt her and with the sweat and the heat, it was unbearable to wear it all the time. When she tells Ashay about the problem, he would say, ‘Oh come on Ahana, every woman under the sun wears this. Is this is a reason not to have people around me every day?’ Ahana would say, ‘ Ashay, I never mean to distance you from your friends. But, I need atleast a day or two comfortably at my home. You know ours is not a huge apartment. I can’t just go to a different room and relax. I have to be properly dressed all the time in this heat, unlike you guys wearing just a pair of shorts and a transparent t shirt. Ashay would say, ‘I don’t buy this reason of yours. Wearing a brassiere all the time is nothing to complain about. How do women in joint families manage?’ Ahana would say, ‘That’s a pain for them too. But then, is there a way for them? With so many people around, they don’t have a choice.’
Ashay wouldn’t budge. Today Ahana was determined. She told Ashay, ‘ It’s silly, but I have a challenge for you.’ Ashay and Ahana were school and class mates, so they used to accept each others challenges. Ashay smiled and said, ‘I am up for it. But if I win, Saurav, Raghav, Sohail and Samarth are coming home for dinner tonight.’ Ahana said, ‘Yes. I am ready. But, you have to keep up with your challenge for 24 hours.’ Ashay said, ‘Fine. What’s the challenge.’ Ahana smiled wickedly and said, ‘ Here you go. These are two fluffy soft balls. Put them on your chest and wear this brassiere for 24 hours. That’s all.’ ‘You have gone crazy’, yelled Ashay. ‘I will not do this. My friends will see me in this avatar and they will laugh at me.’ Ahana said, ‘ See, if you are concerned, that your friends will see your protruded chest, you can wear a scarf as if you are suffering from sore throat. Just use it to hide your chest. I do it all the time when your friends are around. Come on, Ashay, be a sport.’ Ashay reluctantly agreed. Today the temperature was 32 degree Celsius, but it felt like 36 degree Celsius. Ahana got the perfect fitting brassiere for Ashay for the day. Ashay wore it along with the fluffy cotton balls. He felt like itching, but then how much will he itch. The elastic straps hugged him so nicely that he could feel discomfort and some bit of rash. When his friends arrived, he took a long cotton scarf around his neck and used it to cover his bosom as well. He told his friends that it was because of sore throat. That made him feel the heat and discomfort more. He wanted to scratch his back near the hooks of the brassiere, but his hands wouldn’t reach. He could feel sweat trickling everywhere. He waited for his friends to go so that he could take off the brassiere but then his friends kept on chit chatting with their drinks forever. At night, when he was about to take off the brassiere, Ahana reminded him, ‘sweetheart, it’s not 24 hours as yet. You need to wear it till tomorrow morning.’ Ashay joined his hands and said, ‘Let me take it off Ahana before I die. It’s so hot. It’s itching everywhere.’ Ahana smiled and said, ‘Really? But it’s something a woman wears every day. What’s the big deal? And why did you want your friends to leave early today?’ Ashay cried like a baby and said, ‘I am sorry Ahana. I just want to take this stupid brassiere off?’ Ahaha laughed and said, ‘Alright. Go ahead.’ The moment Ashay took it off, he felt he was breathing after a long time. His chest was red with rash with the elastic straps leaving red marks. He looked at Ahana and said, ‘I am sorry. It’s not easy.’ Ahana smiled and said, ‘ So, now, just for the summer, can I please stay comfortably at my home wearing loose clothes without having any other male around other than you? You can invite your friends for sure, but only on weekends, please.’ Ashay hugged Ahaha tight and said, ‘Yes. I understand now. It’s not easy being a woman.’
