She vaguely remembers her first prom. It was probably in her middle years. Her neon pink dress is the only thing she remembers when she goes down the memory lane. That dress has always been lucky for her. The first time she wore it, her brother (who eloped with a French lady) called her after three years, from Berenice, a beautiful, ancient city, in Egypt. James had always wanted to become a photographer; he would click pictures of Brida with a black and white camera that he inherited from his great grandfather.
Later, when he went to college, he bought a professional camera to enhance his photography. He started travelling to various cities in North America, to capture the utmost gorgeous pictures. It wasn’t surprising for Brida to receive his call from the red sea cost.
That day, when James called her, she was choked and tears flooded in her eyes.
They had always been close siblings. In fact, the day he eloped, Brida started writing letters to him. Each day, it became a necessity for her to write to him. She had piles of letters that she didn’t know where to post. She lived with the hope that one day; she’ll get her brother back.
It was a breezy Christmas Eve and Brida was getting ready for the legendary family dinner and carol choral session.
As serendipity had it; she saw a neon pink cloth stuck to the edge of the slightly unlocked bay window. Curios, she headed towards the window. She picked up the cloth from corner decorated with beautiful sequence in fuchsia. When she unfolded the cloth, she found sleeves with embroidered borders. She couldn’t resist and quickly wore it, making an effort to handle it with care. The neon pink suited her white and flawless skin. Her wavy hair fell on the sequence, and the reflection of fuchsia on her hair changed its colour from light brown to wine which further accentuated her looks.
That very moment, her old fashioned telephone rang. She hurried en route for the phone and picked it up. She heard a spontaneous ‘ida’, just the way her brother used to call her. She hit nostalgia. The only thing she could say was ‘broth..ja..you..’’ . There was an awkward silence for five minutes, mutually. She was content yet miserable.
‘’I’m in Egypt; I’m here to portray the red sea coast for my latest portfolio. How are you Ida?”
Brida, for a matter of fact knew he’ll be somewhere far away with the kind of dreams he had.
