Very Lucky Indeed

Hello, I am Tina Banerjee. I live in Calcutta and I am a fashion model.
I started doing fashion shows after passing out from college. I am
twenty two now. I admit I started late. Most of the girls start working
after high school. And the fashion industry is so competitive. But I
look young for my age. And I work hard to look the way I do. I eat
fruits or salads for lunch. I actually take just one meal-that's
dinner. This meal happens at seven thirty. No matter where I am, I must
have my dinner at this time. Most of the time I end up eating just
before a show. It makes me feel more energetic and confident before I
hit the ramp. My father is an actor. He used to be a hero in his young
days. Now, he gets only small, insignificant parts. My mother nearly
became a singer. She married my father and her career ended there. The
truth is that my father doesn't want me to work. But he has no way. I
pay all the bills these days. Whatever little money he earns is spent
on alcohol. Indeed, Dad is too drunk to even stand up after six thirty
in the evening. So he hasn't seen any of my shows. But mom has. And she
loves it. She thinks I look very pretty in the clothes I wear. I am
happy because she is happy. I love all the attention that my profession
brings. People want to come near me, talk to me, even touch me. They
make me feel so wanted, so special, so lucky. But all that is about to
change. My favourite designer Rita Berry had a show last month. It
happened at the Grand Hotel. The dresses we were displaying were some
long gowns from the last century. The dresses were rather elaborate and
complicated. Mrs Berry called each of us for a separate fitting
session. Mine was on a Wednesday morning. The tailor was in a bad mood
and kept on saying that we models don't wear our dresses as they should
be worn. As a result the fits are far from perfect. I had to try out
three dresses. The first two were fine. The third one was really an
authentic reproduction of a very traditional gown. There were layers
upon layers of cloth. Wearing it properly was not enough. The rest of
the garment which I could not reach had to be arranged so that the
whole thing looked orderly. It was difficult for two people to achieve
this so a third person was asked to help. I mentioned the matter to Mrs
Berry. She said that people would be available in the dressing room at
the hotel to help with the dress. And I did need the help. The fashion
show began at eight pm. Different parts of the show dealt with
different periods of the last century. There were three parts in all
and each part dealt with one one-third of the last hundred years. We
began from the decade nearest our time. Walking the ramp in the first
two dresses was a cakewalk. The crowd present were the glitterati of
Calcutta. I spotted filmstars, authors, industrialists and cricketers.
Other than this there were some people who had purchased passes for the
show at exorbitant prices. Only the third dress was left. I had to wear
it now. I looked around. There was no one around to help me. I had to
wear the gown all by myself. It was going to be difficult but it had to
be done. Ten minutes later I was asked to take the ramp. The dress
looked alright from the outside. But I knew that there were many
straps, buttons and zippers in that dress that needed to be dealt with.
I knew that I had worn the dress and had to walk on the ramp before me.
That is exactly what I did. As I walked towards the end of the ramp I
felt that the dress would come off or I would slip. I was at the far
end of the long ramp when the most horrible thing happened. Well, I
fell off the ramp. I lost consciousness thereafter. When I came to, I
found that I was sitting all over a very prominent cricketer. He told
me, somewhat haltingly, that I had fallen from the ramp straight into
his lap. As long I was unconscious I had refused to let go of him.
Well, both of us were sufficiently embarrassed. We started going out
after a week. John is a very talented cricketer. Besides, he is rich
too. The incident during the fashion show gave us an opportunity to
come closer. I am going to meet his parents tomorrow. Maybe he will ask
me to marry him. That's what my mother says.