11th Jan, 4:30am, Bombay airport

Are they looking at me? Have they noticed the bruise? Is the make up caking around my eyes? Revealing the ugly blue & purple underneath?

I can feel their eyes on me. Or maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks. Everyone must be as sleepy as I am at this ungodly hour to notice if other people have black eyes. But then they must be as bored. And looking at other people is the only source of entertainment for most of them.

What if someone asks me what happened? Maybe I will tell them that my abusive husband beat me up and I am running away from him. Might get interesting reactions. Hmmm.

Uh-oh. Now people are really staring at me. Sitting bang in the middle scribbling away furiously. I am trying real hard not to break out in a silly grin. From the corner of my eye I can see the guy sitting in the corner giving me covert looks over the big fat book he is pretending to read. Or the Bengali boudi there trying to point me out to her husband who is too busy gawking at some firang babes waiting for their flight to goa.

Or Austin Powers look-alike guy sitting opposite, staring at me quite steadily and openly. Every time I look up he eyes are right there. Wonder what he will do if I wink at him right now.

And then there is that… ah they are calling for us. Better go get that bus fast if I wanna get a window seat. Got to take some nice photographs. I am flying east just in time for sunrise. I am going home. :)