My Facebook Lie

She was my Facebook friend.

I had never met her before.

But we had finally decided to meet that day after being virtual buddies for more than 6 years.

To say the least, I was nervous.

In fact, I felt weak in my knees.

For one, she was drop dead gorgeous.

Her Facebook pics revealed a tall and fair woman with full red lips and a domineering attitude.

She sported brown, shoulder length hair.

A mysterious smile lit up her face every now and then, and I found it so enticing.

She was always traveling.

Her videos showed her at times amid snow clad mountains of Himalayas and on other occasions, in the cozy lap of lush green valleys of Kashmir.

And she was a foodie.

The first thing you saw in the morning was a close up of her breakfast table showcasing the delicious yummies she was going to start her day with.

And she loved luxury.

Her pics at destination spas, night clubs and sultry beaches created an enigma around her.

When she was not traveling or socializing, she was at home and a decent one at that.

And then, there was  her husband - a well-built guy with a stupid expression.

I never thought he deserved her.

I liked her best when she was alone.

In all those moments, I felt she was addressing me.

Inviting me to break the barriers, overlook her diamond wedding ring and claim that she was mine.

I was a small town guy who had worked hard to make his way in life.

I never knew anyone like her.

In fact, I had no female friends.

I was simply mesmerized.

Her Facebook profile was bigger than life.

She was a queen out there, in perfect control of her life.

And today, she was going to be there with me, in a one-to-one chat.

It was a warm afternoon.

The October sun peeped in from the tinted glass windows.

A soft, soulful number played on the deck.

Finally, the café door swung open and she walked in.

She looked around herself, spotted me on the corner table and closed in.

Her face was hidden behind large, squarish black goggles.

As she sank into the cushioned chair opposite me, I could hardly believe it was actually happening.

She took off her goggles, dropped them on the table, looked up and smiled.

Somehow, I could not smile back.

There were deep, dark circles beneath her eyes and an ugly scar on her forehead.

Her hands shivered as she slowly sipped her coffee.

I saw a downcast woman there whose life was about to fall to pieces.

We talked.

Rather she did.

And for some reasons, sincerely.

Her relationship with her husband had soured immediately after their marriage.

He was stinkingly rich.

And he loved to drink and gamble.

He liked showcasing his gorgeous wife in his social circles.

But apart from that, he hardly looked in her direction.

He basically remained occupied with his weird hobbies that included collecting barbie dolls and daggers.

They quarreled.

And then, he started manhandling her.

That was the time she attempted suicide but God had other plans.

She survived.

Soon, she realized that as long as she left him free, he never troubled her.

But a yawning emptiness overtook her guts.

She felt no purpose, no meaning in her wretched existence.

And then, she took to Facebook.

Here, she could project a false but shining image to the world.

And no one ever bothered.

She gathered thousands of followers.

Her inbox was always full of lewd, superficial messages.

But that gave her a sense of power.

A sense of control.

A sense of accomplishment.

And she bashed on regardless.

As she sat there baring her soul to a stranger, one point kept haunting me.

Why, of all her admirers, she chose a simpleton like me to show her wounds?

Maybe, the answer was buried inside my question only.

She left after an hour or so.

I sat there in silence.

Outside, I could see scores of people moving around on the busy streets.

I watched them move.

Were they real?

The notification alarm on my mobile buzzed.

It was her again.

She had posed for a pic in the parking lot. It showed her with her goggles on as she was about to slide inside her luxurious sports car.

The caption read:

Live Life King Size.

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