The Invisible Client

She gets out of the car and hurries towards her husband who was speaking with the real estate agent. She did not want to miss out on essential details about this property just like the previous two. Her sandal gets entangled in her saree. She struggles to keep up with them wishing she had worn her denims today!

To be fair it was her idea. They were house hunting and she knew traditional attire would almost always invite looks of approval from prospective landlords. She did not remember when or who taught her these ‘useful women tips’, felt like she had known them all her life.

Both men have already gone inside the property. She follows after them.

The realtor is already in the middle of a conversation “......after the lockdown. Look sir, here is the master bedroom, attached balcony, this is the pooja room” saying he moved into another room.

Trinnnng Trinnnng.

The husband stays back to receive his phone call.

While she continues to follow the realtor who’s waiting in the other room. The two of them just stand there in awkward silence, waiting for the husband.

Once the husband joins them the realtor resumes.

She thinks to herself, had the realtor waited for her if she had received a call instead ?

This was her third property of the day and the realtor didn’t make a single eye contact.

The lease was going to be on both their names, she will be sharing the rent equally. Yet in every discussion she was present, she felt invisible. As if she was just a ‘plus one’ not a prospective client.

She was deep in brooding when her husband came back looking for her, ‘Hey! He’s showing the kitchen, check it out. I don’t want to hear any complaints later.’

She slowly followed him into the kitchen. They did remember her after all. Her opinion definitely mattered in the kitchen!