FACE

‘Seen your face in the mirror?’ perhaps ashamed of facing such question even during college heydays I never purposed any girl. Gifted with longer than normal nose, tiny chin, large forehead, dark complexion, oily skin & no tinge of any intellect; rather confused emotion spilling through those deep small eyes how can one dare to purpose any girl? Well in dreams I did that many a times & had my dream girl too, why lie! Looking at all those fair complexioned, nice nosed, great chocolate faces I’d envy them all through my childhood till teen. This was the reason I’d started to exercise & spent some money even in buying dumbbells, skipping rope etc. If not face, popping muscle through the half sleeve shirt would impress at least some one was my aspiration.

‘This face has created many problems than somebody’s fate would have…’ I was pouring out my mind to my closest friend in deep voice after taking him into confidence over three plates of burgers & two glasses of coke at McDonalds’. He listened till he finished munching free burgers & sipping free coke, wiping his fingers to the paper napkin & then his lips he questioned, ‘anything else?’ ‘Actually you see..’ I continued, relived at least I can talk to him looking into his eyes. ‘I mean anything else to eat?’ he opened his mouth for the first time other than to eat. My already un-presentable face must have turned into unpleasant too if somebody noticed me that evening.

Worried & unsatisfied with this face I cursed the god many a times on how come the genes responsible to grant good face went on strike while I was created? I took the decision to take the things into my control & visited the plastic surgeon. ‘Yes what can I do for you?’ the fellow literally bombed my ambition of looking handsome. I thought the moment he sees me, he’d present his recipe of turning my face into the face of great roman warrior. Perhaps he forgot to put on his glasses I felt. Yet, collecting courage I persisted, ‘I’d like to do my face lift. I’d like my nose to be shortened, chin to be increased, upper part of my forehead may be implanted with hair to make it little short & good looking, ….’ I poured my list of expectations. ‘Then what?’ he asked me with no change in his face, no wrinkle changed its place, no wrinkle cured or straightened. ‘Well, I’d like to look better, handsome!’ I’d come to him with certain cause & it was me who was going to pay him & get the work done. ‘It will cost you dearly’ ‘I don’t bother’ I cut him short, perhaps the fellow doesn’t know how it pains when somebody teases you, girls simply avoid you, nobody takes you seriously. ‘It will cost your dearly’ the doc again continued his line perhaps making it rather clear that dearly means really not affordable money, ‘and most important, who will recognize you with your changed face. You will be a different man altogether’ he finished his sentence. Getting down from his stairs, I was a different man without plastic surgery correcting my unpleasant looking face.

‘Man’s strength lies in his ability in making money & protecting his family, while woman’s strength lies in her beauty; man doesn’t need to look good’. My father was comforting me before we started searching for a match for me. But, by then my priority was changed I was more worried about my career. And way to a good career goes through interviews & to impress interviewer it needs good face which I lacked.

‘You didn’t mention the year of passing of your graduate?’ I found myself asking such question to job seeker to my own office. It was my face which changed face of my career, tired of giving interviews in pursuit of good career I finally left job & started my own business. It was nice & great feeling to be in the seat of interviewer than being interviewee.

I still remember the day I took first interview of a candidate seeking job with me. I closed my eyes in the bed that night & thanked god profusely for having gifted me such a face. HE does right; it is we who take time in understanding HIM.

By

Vijay Yelmelwar