Cinderella!

 "Mam what inspired you to make these elegant footwear for ladies?", the interviewer lady asked.

Antara, lifted her hand, placing the fingers rolled under the chin, smiled, "All women love to wear beautiful shoes, don't they?"

The interviewer lady nodded in affirmation.

"It's just that I didn't just want to wear them but also wanted all girls and women around me to have them and flaunt too".

"Could you share the story behind the huge success of your brand Cinderella?" the lady asked.

Antara said, "Sure, I always wanted to share this with everybody, if I could do it so can all of you".

"I wasn't born with a silver spoon. My mother worked as a househelp in one of the rich neighbourhoods. I used to tag along sometimes with her to those palatial houses. They had big porches, beautiful gardens with lush green lawns, countless rooms and each room distinctly designed. Their servant quarters were more deluxe than our tiny home. But the thing that caught my eye was the collection of footwear the daughter of the household had. Bellies to slip-ons in various colours, wedges to platforms of different heights, heels with distinguished patterns and colours, flat chappals with beads and pearls...you name it, she had it", Antara paused.

She looked at the stilettos she was wearing today, teal blue with diamonds along the edge. The shoes were stylish and expensive, besides that, it was her own design. There was a twinkle in her eyes and anybody could see the pride with which she glanced at her stilettos.

She continued, "I always wore random hand down slippers my mom got from the families, she worked for. I used to wear them to school, to play or to wander here and there. Well, obviously I had just the single pair. But this young daughter would pair her every outfit with diverse fancy shoes. She would wear stone studded ones with her party dress, slip-ons with her playdate dress, sneakers with jeans, flats with salwar-kameej. The black buckle-ups for her school, those polished, shiny ones. I wished I could pair them with my uniform too. When I watched her go to school in those formal shoes, I thought she must be the most brilliant student in the class".

"You know what, at my school too, there were girls who would wear such buckle-up shoes. I envied them. I wish I could dress up like that atleast once and attend the school in confidence. Shoes do make you feel confident, right?", Antara said as she laughed and looking at the lady said, "Just some marketing".

She continued her story, "And I was elated when those buckle-ups were passed to me the next year. I polished them for hours before going to school. I ironed my uniform and when I dressed up in that, I thought I could conquer the world. In the spur of the moment, I blurted, one day I will make my own shoes. My mom had grinned and said "Why not dear, if you dream, you can take efforts to make it true". And these words of encouragement made me toil towards my goal. I had put my feet in the right shoes, which showed me the path of success. I studied and passed with flying colours. I got a scholarship and learnt designing. I took random jobs at shoe making companies. And finally I'm here. Rome was not built in a day, so wasn't my career too".

The lady had a big smile on her face. She was curious about the name of the brand, "Why Cinderella Mam?".

"Isn't it evident? When this ordinary girl stepped her feet in those black buckle-up shoes, it was a Cinderella moment for her. She could be what she wanted to be, shape her life likeso. What name would suit my brand alternatively?", Antara smirked as her face glowed.

The interviewer announced, "Let's give a big round of applause for Antara Mam for receiving the Woman Entrepreneur award for this year".

And the whole auditorium echoed with the sounds of cheers and claps. Antara folded her palms in a Namaste and bowed down slightly to show her gratitude to the audience and moreover her parents sitting in the front row.

#Fiction.

PC: 123RF

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Where there's a will there's a way ~ George Herbert.

For the prompt 'Shoes' for #ThrowbackThursdays, today I decided to write a fiction instead of my personal story. Hope it inspires you!

If you like my blog hit the heart button ♥️, there's a comment box for suggestions and comments, for more, keep following!!!