Another guy had tried to ‘tame’ her, and failed. She grabbed her bag, made her way out of his apartment one last time and took off into the lonely night. It was time to be alone once more. And no, there won’t be a single tear.

She’s an old friend who slogged for years to build her own enterprise. She’s an ex-colleague who moved overseas for her career. She’s a cousin who studied hard and aced in academics. She’s a stranger who’s doing ridiculously well for herself.

She’s the one who doesn’t take “no” for an answer and chases after her dream. She’s a feisty fireball, far away from the definition of demure. Her passion is an electric field, scaring away anyone who comes too close. She won’t let anyone control her years of youth. She’s the one in charge.

She’s quite a handful.

‘She’ happens to be pretty much every young woman with a good education, strong sense of identity, desire for privacy, unwashed mouth and mind of her own. She meets her own expectations, no one else’s. Neither is she scared or hassled about an uncertain ‘future’.

Still, she’s a victim of her own potency; the kind of independence and stability that should’ve been her greatest boon but becomes her biggest curse. She’s isolated in a shitty society. No wonder finding a partner is tough. She’s obviously too much for the men around her.

She is patriarchy’s enemy. She is sexism’s opponent. She is feminism’s flag-bearer. She is the change we all need.

She is wonderful in her many avatars, and has so much to offer, then why is she still going through her days alone?

Why?

Because she was told from a young age that she wasn’t good enough but showed everyone that she was even better? Because she has more male friends than female? Because she wears what she wants? Because she puts work before domesticity?

Because she doesn’t dumb herself down to be likeable or hide her achievements to be acceptable?

She was discouraged from becoming who she is today. Her dreams were shunned, and worse, laughed at. She was never taken too seriously. Her words, so full of meaning and purpose, bounced back from deaf ears. She remembers everything.

She has been on the forefront of rebellion for a while now but doesn’t want to fight. She just wants to live on her own terms. She keeps her weapons in place, hoping she never has to use them. But the attacks keep coming. How can a woman exercise free will without going to war? Who’s on her side?

Not many, because she’s that woman who dared to live on her own terms. She never let a father, brother or mother tell her what to do, where to go, and who to meet.

She did everything needed to stand the fuck up on her two pretty feet. She cared more about using her brain than her beauty. She moved out when she was made to feel like a liability, when no other way was left.

She said no to arranged marriage. She said she wanted to find love.

She brought shame to her family, living without support or supervision, like every woman is supposed to. She had the guts to do better than her brother. She shared a roof with men, none of whom were her husband.

Sorry, she’s simply too advanced.

Always at odds with those around her, she was tagged as an outcast, with many other names to her credit. She’s the evil girl who broke convention, the shameless bitch who rejected tradition.

Even most men find her success turning off. Her salary threatens them. All’s okay as long as she likes to cook but how can she pay for dinner? Her outgoing ways and stamped passport are usually met with judgment. Surely, she can’t be doing it all, living the good life, by herself?

Why, oh why is she not leaning on others to survive?

Thankfully, she’s finding likeminded people now. Those who make her feel like she belongs. Those who tell her she has every reason to be proud for racing ahead of a weak and hypocritical system, for sticking to what she believes.

She’s the new face of her gender. She’s the game changer of generations.

She’s the woman of today.

She got her life itinerary ready. Armed with her own ambition and money, ideas and principals, she’s ready to finally find her equal counterpart for a long and exciting journey.

He’ll be the man who hasn’t been brainwashed into becoming his orthodox, domineering father. A man who looks up to his mother as much, a man who’ll teach his kids better. A man who’ll value his wife like a prize, not treat her like a trophy. He’ll be someone who doesn’t try to turn her into a baby-making machine or let anyone comment on her ‘ticking body clock’.

That man won’t cage her; he’ll set her free.

And she’ll be on the lookout till she finds him. She’ll wait. Otherwise, she’s more than fine on her own. She always was, and always will be.