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महिला ने पति की हत्या कर बाथरूम में दफनाया

भाषा| Mar 28, 2012, 07.19 PM IST

मेरठ।। महिला ने पति का गला रेत कर उसकी हत्या कर दी और लाश को घर के बाथरूम में गड्ढ़ा खोदकर दफना दिया। पुलिस ने पत्नी को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है। महिला का कहना है कि पति के अत्याचार से तंग आकर यह कदम उठाना पड़ा। हत्या के पीछे अवैध संबंध की भी जांच की जा रही है।

सेना से रिटायर्ड राजेंद्र पटेल (40) मेरठ के गंगानगर के डी ब्लॉक में अपनी पत्नी वर्षा पटेल (27), बेटी प्रिया (9) और बेटा तृगन (3) रहता था। रिटायरमेंट के बाद वह नोएडा की एक कंपनी में गार्ड का काम करने लगा था। कुछ दिनों पहले राजेंद्र ने इस मकान को अपने फौजी साथी के हाथों 13 लाख रुपये में बेच दिया था। 26 मार्च को वर्षा कचहरी जाकर बैनामा कर आई थी। 4 लाख रुपये की पेमेंट बाकी थी, इसलिए तय हुआ था कि खरीदार बाकाया पैसा जल्द ही देकर 2 अप्रैल को मकान पर कब्जा ले लेगा।

खरीदार जब मंगलवार को इस बारे में बात करने आया तो वर्षा ने बताया कि राजेंद्र लंबे समय के लिए गए हुए हैं, इसलिए वह पैसे उसे देकर मकान में कब्जा ले ले। खरीदार जब मकान के अंदर पहुंचा तो बाथरूम में नया प्लास्टर देखकर उसे कुछ शक हुआ। पड़ोसियों से बातचीत में उसे पता चला कि सोमवार को पति-पत्नी में झगड़ा हुआ था, जिसके बाद से पति गायब है। खरीदार ने पुलिस को जानकारी दी। पुलिस ने मामला संदिग्ध देख जब उस जगह की खुदाई कराई तो वहां से राजेंद्र का शव निकला। पुलिस ने वर्षा को हिरासत में लेकर पूछताछ की तो उसने सारा राज उगल दिया।

वर्षा ने बताया कि उसने 2002 में राजेंद्र से लव मैरिज की थी , लेकिन राजेंद्र शादी के बाद शराब पीकर उससे मारपीट करता था। वह घर में भी सेना की तरह अनुशासन चाहता था। उसकी इस आदत से वह बहुत परेशान रहने लगी थी। सोमवार की रात जब उसने उसके साथ मारपीट की तो उसने उसे खत्म कर मकान के पैसे लेकर गुजरात जाने का मन बना लिया था। रात को जब राजेंद्र सो रहा था तभी उसने उसके गले पर हंसिए से वार कर उसे मौत की नींद सुला दिया था। उसने कहा कि उसे पति की हत्या का कोई गम नही है। उसे सिर्फ अपने बच्चों के भविष्य की चिंता है।

पुलिस सूत्रों के मुताबिक वर्षा के संबंध शहर के ही एक युवक से हैं। कुछ दिनों पहले वर्षा 15 दिनों के लिए घर से भागी भी थी। मोहल्ले वालों ने भी पुलिस को बताया है कि वर्षा मोबाइल पर लंबी बात करती थी। पुलिस के मुताबिक, वर्षा के फोन कॉल डिटेल के आधार पर आगे जांच होगी। पुलिस को शक है हत्या और शव गाड़ने का काम अकेली महिला नहीं कर सकती।

हिंसक

सभ्य समाज में महिलाएं अबला, बेचारी और सताई नारी के तमगों से नवाजी जाती रही हैं. लेकिन बदलती फिजा में नकाब के पीछे छिपा उन का हिंसक और क्रूर चेहरा अब दुनिया के सामने उजागर होता दिख रहा है. उन के हिंसक होने के पीछे की मानसिकता को परत दर परत खोल रही हैं रेखा व्यास.
घरेलू सहायिका राखी की हत्या हो, एअरहोस्टैस द्वारा घरेलू मेड को बंदी बनाना हो या मां की हत्यारिन रूबी को उम्रकैद, ये सभी स्थितियां समाज को सन्न कर देने वाली हैं.
महिलाओं के इन रूपों पर सभी को यकीन नहीं होता. एक नन्हे से भू्रण को देह में रख उसे अपने खूनपसीने से सींच कर दुनिया की सब से बड़ी पीड़ा प्रसववेदना को जीवन में एक बार नहीं, कई बार सह कर जो स्त्री पूरी सृष्टि का संचालन कर रही है, आज उसे क्या हो गया है? आज उस की सृजनात्मक दुनिया इतनी विद्रूप व विध्वंसक कैसे हो गई है?
नारी के हिंसक रूप ने उस के अंतरिक्ष की ऊंचाई तक नापे गए सफलता के कदमों को बौना कर दिया है. हिंसा के हर रूप को आजमाती हुई वह अपनों को ही नहीं सब को शर्मसार कर रही है. उस के हिंसक रूप पर जल्दी से यकीन नहीं होता पर यथार्थ कौन नकार सकता है. घर, दफ्तर, बाजार, दीनदुनिया, फिल्में यानी हर जगह हिंसक स्त्री प्रकट होती जा रही है.
‘सात खून माफ’ नामक हिंदी फिल्म हो या हौलीवुड फिल्म ‘प्रोवोक्ड’, इन में पति की हत्यारिन महिलाओं को भी सहानुभूति के नजरिए से दिखाया गया है. उन के अपराध को सहज, प्राकृतिक या सुनियोजित अपराध नहीं माना गया. इसी प्रकार राजीव गांधी की हत्या में शामिल नलिनी मुरुगन की फांसी को आजीवन कारावास में तबदील किया गया तो इस पर बावेला नहीं मचा. इस तरह की हमारे आसपास और दुनियाभर में हजारों घटनाएं मिलेंगी जिन में महिलाओं को अपराध के बावजूद ‘बेचारी’ समझा गया या उन के पीछे पुरुषों या परिस्थितियों का हाथ समझा गया.
आमतौर पर शांत छवि
आमतौर पर महिलाओं की छवि शांत, धैर्यमयी, सहिष्णु, सहनशील और दयालु की है. इसीलिए उन का उग्र, आक्रामक तथा हिंसक रूप सहज स्वीकार्य नहीं. लोग अकसर इस का संबंध जैनेटिक मानते हैं. पुरुष में जहां यह बात आम मानी गई है वहीं महिला में विपरीत या अपवादस्वरूप ही ऐसा माना, स्वीकारा जाता है. उन्हें तन से ही नहीं, मन से भी लचीला और कोमल माना जाता है. उस के इसी रूप को ध्यान में रख कर आएदिन उस के पक्ष में कानून बन रहे हैं.
बदल रही हैं स्थितियां
पहले स्त्रियां कम पढ़ीलिखी थीं. उन पर ज्यादा बच्चे पैदा करने व लालनपालन करने का इतना जिम्मा और बोझ होता था कि कब उम्र बीत गई, पता ही नहीं चलता था. 40-50 साल की उम्र में ही वे नानीदादी बनी अपने को बड़ाबूढ़ा अनुभव करती थीं. अब औसत उम्र बढ़ने के साथ ही कम बच्चे, अच्छी शिक्षा व रहनसहन, स्वतंत्रता और बढ़ते अधिकारों ने उस की स्थिति बदल दी है. स्वतंत्रता ने उसे स्वच्छंद, उग्र व आक्रामक बना दिया है. आज उस के पास समझ, समय, साधन, संसाधन, अधिकार, जागरूकता आदि सबकुछ है. इन सब ने उसे सकारात्मक के साथसाथ नकारात्मक भी खूब बनाया है. आज आई क्यू के साथ ई क्यू यानी इमोशनल क्वोशंट पर भी बराबर जोर देने की जरूरत है.
गलत रोल मौडल
प्रकृति विज्ञानी डा. संसार चंद्र का कहना है कि अरसे से घर, परिवार व समाज को पुरुष लीड करते रहे. पुरुष प्रधानता के कारण स्त्रियों ने समझ लिया है कि पुरुष जैसे गुणों (असल में दुर्गुणों) के बिना वे राजकाज नहीं चला सकतीं. इस सफलता के लिए तेजतर्रार, उग्र, आक्रामक होना ही होगा इसलिए न चाहते हुए भी घरपरिवार, दफ्तर, सरकार सब जगह महिलाएं उग्र, आक्रामक, हिंसक होती जा रही हैं. फिर हमारे तथाकथित धार्मिक आदर्श भी उसे सिखाते हैं, जैसे ‘भय बिन प्रीत न होय गुसाईं.’ वह अपनी सफलता के लिए नकारात्मक स्थितियों का सहारा लेती है और फिर वैसी ही होती चली जाती है.
फेवर करते कानून
एडवोकेट अश्विनी शर्मा कहते हैं, ‘‘स्त्रियों पर अत्याचार आसानी से संभव होने के कारण उन के हक में कई कानून बनते हैं. इन कानूनों का महिलाएं मिसयूज करती हैं. इस से सामाजिक व पारिवारिक रूप से स्त्रियों का हिंसक रूप बढ़ता जा रहा है. पहले तलाक का बहुत ठोस कारण होता था. दहेज कानून लचीले हुए तो महिलाएं आसानी से इस का सहारा लेने लगीं. अपने हिंसक व आक्रामक व्यवहार को वे ससुरालियों पर थोपने लगीं. जीवन के प्रति उन का नजरिया बदला है. वे बदला प्रतिकार और सबक सिखाने के लिए कानून का सहारा लेती हैं.
‘‘हमारे पास इस तरह की महिलाएं आती हैं. वे चाहती हैं कि हम केस को लंबा खींचें ताकि उन के पति व घर वालों को अच्छा सबक मिले. हम उन्हें सचाई और अपने प्रोफैशनल एथिक्स से समझाते हैं तो कुछ मान जाती हैं जबकि कुछ हमें उपदेशक या गलत समझ लेती हैं.’’
एक और वकील वत्सल कुमार भी ‘वीमन फेवरिंग’ कानून को बढ़ती हिंसा का काफी हद तक जिम्मेदार मानते हैं. वे कानून को समझ कर ‘करे कोई भरे कोई’ वाली स्थिति सीख गई हैं. ऐसा नहीं है कि यह बात कोई जानतासमझता नहीं, धीरेधीरे लोग पुरुष उत्पीड़न व जरूरतमंद महिलाओं को लाभ न मिलने की स्थिति को काफी हद तक जाननेसमझने लगे हैं. हमारे देश के उदार और महिला लाभ वाले कानूनों का इसी तरह महिलाएं फायदा उठाती रहीं तो यह लाभ बंद किया जा सकता है. जिस से असली दुखी, उत्पीडि़त महिलाओं को उस का लाभ नहीं मिल पाएगा. हिंसक होने से स्त्री समाज को घाटा ज्यादा है.
कानून कितना ही लचीला और महिला फेवरिंग हो, फिर भी हिंसक महिलाओं को उस की कीमत चुकानी ही पड़ती है. सजा थोड़ी कम भी हो तो क्या सजा तो सजा ही है. शारदा जैन ने आत्माराम मर्डर केस में उम्रकैद की सजा पाई जबकि मुंबई में बच्चों की हत्यारिन कई महिलाएं फांसी के इंतजार में हैं. इन्हें महिला होने का लाभ भी मिले तो क्या, सामाजिक छवि में सुधार, सम्मानजनक जीवन व संतोष तो नहीं ही मिलता. गलत तो गलत ही होता है.
मनोवेत्ता व मनोचिकित्सक डा. नीलेश तिवारी कहते हैं, ‘‘महिलाएं भले ही हिंसक होती जा रही हैं पर ज्यों ही उन का क्रोध, आवेग, आक्रामकता शांत होती है वे पछतावे, प्रायश्चित्त व अवसाद की ज्यादा शिकार हो जाती हैं. फिर हिंसक पुरुष जितनी सहजता से सामाजिक जीवन में स्वीकार लिए जाते हैं उतनी सहजता से स्त्री नहीं स्वीकारी जाती. सामाजिक जीवन से दूर हो जाना, सामाजिक बहिष्कार और ऐसी ही पीड़ाएं एक हिंसक स्त्री को ज्यादा भोगनी पड़ती हैं.
‘‘स्त्री वर्ग में सुधार के बावजूद लोग उसे गलत समझते हैं. एक बार का लगा ठप्पा हटाने में अच्छी छवि भी काम नहीं आती. प्रेम में धोखा खाई हुई एक लड़की ने हाल में ही उस प्रेमी पर तेजाब फेंक दिया. किसी भी तरह इस हरकत को जस्टिफाई नहीं किया जा सकता.’’
क्रूरता के भयावह रूप
28 मार्च, 2012 : मेरठ में एक महिला ने वहशीपन की सारी हदें पार करते हुए अपने पति का गला रेत कर उस की हत्या कर दी और शव को घर के बाथरूम में गड्ढा खोद कर दफना दिया.
20 फरवरी, 2013 : इंदौर में खजराना इलाके की नादिरशाह कालोनी में एक औरत ने अपने पति को गोली मार दी. पति को गोली मारने के बाद महिला ने तड़पते हुए पति और खुद को एक कमरे में बंद कर लिया था.
जुलाई, 2013 : प्रेम प्रसंग के चलते एक पत्नी ने पति को मार कर जमीन में दफना दिया. बवाना क्राइम ब्रांच पुलिस ने इस सनसनीखेज हत्याकांड का पर्दाफाश किया.
1 अक्तूबर, 2013 : दिल्ली के वसंतकुंज में मकान मालकिन ने एक नौकरानी को झाड़ू और डंडों से पीटा और प्रैस से जला भी दिया. मकानमालकिन पर नौकरानी को कुत्ते से कटवाने का भी आरोप है.
5 नवंबर, 2013 : उत्तर प्रदेश के बसपा सांसद धनंजय सिंह की पत्नी जागृति सिंह को क्रूरता की हद पार करते हुए अपनी 35 वर्षीय नौकरानी की हत्या के आरोप में गिरफ्तार किया गया. जागृति के घरेलू सहायकसहायिकाओं पर जुल्मों की दास्तां सामने आ चुकी है.
उपरोक्त घटनाएं महिलाओं के बदलते आक्रामक रूप का पर्दाफाश करती हैं.
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Beared Lady

From the very first time Sangeeta walked through the front door at the firm, everyone took notice. She was tall, with long, lustrous, auburn hair. She had the face of a Punjabi princess and a long, slender body to match. She strode in the door wearing a navy blue pinstriped suit, a high starched collar on her dress shirt and wing-tipped, stiletto heels that were so glossy, they picked up blinding glints of sunlight as she walked. Her make-up was sultry but subtle and she wore no jewelry save for small, gold earrings and matching cufflinks.

Day in and day out, she was always at the height of glamour and fashion, though she always had a very masculine bent to the way she dressed, as if to say, "yes, I'm beautiful, but I'm also good, so pay attention." We worked well together, but I was beyond smitten. I never misbehaved or made any overtures, however, because I was always acutely aware that she was out of my league. Still, I delighted in every time I made her laugh or impressed her with an observation. We were both department heads, but I cared far more about impressing her than I did our bosses.

One day, however, things began to change. I had been out of town for a month, setting up a new office in Hong Kong. Upon my return, I knocked on her door to discuss the progress of her counterpart at that office. It was winter, and she was wearing gray, flannel trousers, a brown, cashmere v-neck with a starched, blue shirt that had white cuffs and collar. Under the collar, she had a red, silk tie in a double Windsor, and she completed the look with a wide-lapelled double-breasted jacket to match her trousers.

After exchanging pleasantries and a handshake, we sat at opposite sides of her desk and got down to business. It was then that I noticed a layer of pervasive, dark fuzz all over her face. It was more densely collected and longer on her cheeks and upper lip, but it caught the light rather dramatically on her chin. Then I noticed that in spite of the familiar length and volume of her hair, I could see through to her scalp. It was noticeably thinner at the top.

I put it out of my mind and continued the meeting, but that night, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Over the course of the next month, Sangeeta’s hair got thinner and her face got furrier until one Monday morning when her face was suddenly bare, and her hair was conspicuously darker and far fuller.

Later that day, I rounded a corner in the hall and caught Sangeeta studying her chin and upper lip in her compact. Several days later, seated beside her at a meeting, late in the day, I noticed that she had five o'clock shadow. It was then that my suspicion was confirmed. She had been shaving her face.

At the end of the meeting, the others left while I decided it was time I took a shot. Suddenly, I felt she was not only attainable, but whether interested or not, she may appreciate the idea that someone would want her. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Sangeeta."

"Yes?"

Suddenly, as her piercing eyes locked with mine, I lost my nerve.

"Oh, I... I just wanted to see if you had an opening tomorrow to discuss the quarterly numbers."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Yes. The scheduled appointment we already have at ten."

"Right. That's right."

It was then that she stood up but her hair didn't all go with her. In a flash, I picked it up, replacing it on top of her head before anyone else had seen. She looked at me, petrified. She said nothing and scrambled to collect her papers, disappearing without a word.

Realizing how upset she may have been, I followed her to her office. "Sangeeta?"

"Come in."

"Sangeeta, I..."

"I'm okay. Please, just..."

"No. Sangeeta. Of course you're alright. I didn't really want to ask you about tomorrow. I wanted to ask you out to dinner."

"Why would you tell me that now?"

"Because I'm asking you now."

"After what you just saw?"

"Sangeeta. We work in very close quarters. I already knew. So? Would you do me the honor?"

"Uh... Sure. I mean, yes, of course."

"How's Friday at eight?"

Her look of astonishment melted away and she curled her lips into a smile.

The rest of the week dragged on. We never mentioned our plans, but I did notice her responses to my jokes were a bit more boisterous and Sangeeta had taken up the practice of touching my elbow from time to time.

When Friday rolled around, Sangeeta was wearing a pair of brown, wool-cashmere trousers, a striped, green button-down with a silk ascot, and a dark green, tweed jacket. By five o'clock, her facial hair had begun to peek out and I caught her itching her hair piece.

"What kind of place are we going to? What should I wear?" she asked.

"Dark. Candle lit. Quiet, but laid back. I was kind of hoping you'd just come as you are."

"Oh. Well, sure."

"In fact, Sangeeta, I kind of figured that you look forward to taking that off at the end of every day."

She looked embarrassed.

"No. I mean, I picked a place I thought you would feel comfortable without your wig. You don't even have to shave. Not that it needs to be dark. I'll take you anywhere."

"What? How did you?" She seemed angry at first, then shifted, perplexed. "Do you mean that?"

"Absolutely, Sangeeta. I don't want to embarrass you, but you are an incredibly beautiful woman."

"Well, I was..." "You are."

It was seven fifty when I arrived at Sangeeta's building. I buzzed her unit and she called down. Minutes later, the door opened and I was floored. Suddenly it occurred to me that I didn't look at her head when the wig came off. Sangeeta's hair had been cut to an even length of a few inches all over. The sparse top was combed forward and her pink scalp showed through. As I had suggested, she spared her face another shaving, and she replaced her jacket with a soft sweater. She looked at me as if to ask for my approval.

"I'm not quite sure of all the rules of dating a coworker, but I think I can safely say that you look gorgeous tonight."

Her smile made my heart swell.

Dinner went well, but we were far too polite for a couple on a first date. During the meal, we only discussed business. But on the way back to her building, I decided to get honest. I put my jacket around her shoulders.

"So, what happened, darling?"

She looked me in the eyes, clearly gauging my sincerity. Then she looked down on the sidewalk as the cuffs of her pants danced around her wool socked ankles. She pulled my arm tighter with one hand and drew the other to her stubbly chin.

"They don't know, exactly. They thought it was hormonal, but all of my hormone levels are normal. The theory is that certain receptors in my body are simply hyper-sensitive to normal levels of hormones. Do you really want to know?"

"Absolutely. I want to know. Is this permanent?"

"The truth is, it will probably only get worse. I'll get hairier most places, and I'll just get balder and balder on my head."

"And you want to just keep wearing wigs and shaving?" "What choice do I have?"

I stopped and pulled her close, running my hands over her head and around to the velvety stubble along her jaw-line.

"You could embrace it. You could just be the uniquely extraordinary person you were born to be."

She was briefly pulled into me, about to allow me a kiss when she pushed away, leaving me to catch up.

"A freak show."

"No. A beautiful woman with qualities few other women possess."

She fell quiet, but permitted me to hold her head against my chest as we walked. Eventually, we came to a barbershop that was open late. She stopped and looked in the door. As suddenly as she stopped, she resumed a brisk pace.

"So you're telling me that if I showed up tomorrow with a beard and a bald spot, you not only wouldn't skip a step, you'd continue to take me out, romantically?"

I pulled her close again, and kissed her.

"Sangeeta, from the day I met you, I have dreamed of being this close. I would consider myself the luckiest man alive if you would continue to date me while you explore this situation."

After another kiss, I took her home and we shared another beautiful moment.

The next day, I got to work early, eagerly anticipating Sangeeta's arrival. Right on time, she strolled into the office, wearing her hair piece, a pair of wool, charcoal trousers, a plaid, silk, sport coat and a white shirt with a red and black stiped tie and a pair of tasseled loafers. What impressed me, though, was that she hadn't shaved. It clearly impressed the whole office as hushed chatter swept throughout.

For the first part of the day, Sangeeta seemed almost to forget the previous night. Then, around lunch time, she knocked on my door, opened her blazer, plunged her hands into her pants pockets and lifted her pants to her waist.

"Do you stand by everything you said last night?" "Of course."

"Alright. Follow me."

Twenty minutes later, after an almost silent walk, studying Sangeeta's growing beard in the sunlight, we stepped up to and into the barbershop from the previous night.

"What are you planning to do here?" I asked with a flirtatious grin. She responded in kind, saying only, "you'll see."

Almost as soon as she crossed the doormat, Sangeeta made a point of ignoring me, as though she were pretending we were strangers. As she passed the lone, female barber, they exchanged nods and we sat. When I sat beside her, Sangeeta stood up, ceremoniously removed her sport jacket and sat back down, several seats away, hanging the jacket over the back of the next seat. She picked up a magazine, and I followed suit.

As I pretended to peruse an old New Yorker, I looked up at the barber. She put the finishing touches on an older man's haircut. She was younger than us by a few years, maybe 26. She was hip, wearing tight black jeans and an old white t-shirt. Its collar had

been stretched out so that as she shifted her shoulders, it almost drifted off, and occasionally revealed much of her cleavage. Her hair was long and pulled into a ponytail, but a fringe of feathered hair wrapped from cheek to cheek.

When she finished the older gentleman, she had a short, bubbly, exchange with him as he handed her a twenty dollar bill. After accompanying him to the door, she turned to me.

"So, what can I do ya for, handsome?"

"Please. I believe she was ahead of me," I returned, trying to play along with Sangeeta's charade.

"Oh, please forgive me. Sandy, what do you say you hop right up here? What will we do today?"

Sangeeta slid her wig off and, strangely, onto the floor as she stood. Her hair laid flat to her scalp except where it poked awkwardly out over her ears and the back of her collar. As she stood before the barber's chair, she loosened her tie, opened her collar, and lifted her trousers to sit down. As she crossed her legs, I got a glimpse of long, dense fur above her black socks.

"Shorter on the sides. Long enough to part on top." "And the, uh..?"

Sangeeta leaned in to whisper into the barber's ear. Then she turned to me, smiled and winked as the barber walked over to me.

"I'm sorry, sir. You'll have to leave. You're making the lady uncomfortable. I felt cheated, but I understood. She set me up. Now she wants to build up anticipation and surprise me. On my way back to the office, I received a text message from Sangeeta that read:

"My place. 9 o'clock. Bring a tooth brush and a change of clothes."

When I got to her place, I was fresh out of the shower at the gym, dressed to go out, with my gym bag full of work clothes and toiletries. She buzzed me in.

Out of the elevator, I came to her door, which was cracked open. Inside, it was dark, but I could see a candle lit through a door at the end of the hall. I set my bag down and walked toward it.

"Sangeeta?"

Her voice returned from inside the door, "keep coming, darling. Take a seat at the foot of the bed."

I entered. In the light of the single candle, I found the end of the bed and sat. "What's with all the..."

"Shhh. Just be patient," she whispered from the shadows.

With her back to me, she stepped in front of the candle and it went out. The room went totally dark. Seconds later, she picked up my hands and placed them over her waist. She was fully clothed in the thick, soft fabric of one of her suits. I slid my hands down to her tight, round butt as she leaned in to kiss me. First, on my cheek, then my lips, then again on my lips only to part her own, softly biting my lower lip. With each kiss, I felt a soft, velvety mustache brush over and press against my skin. It felt different, though. It felt like it had all been trimmed neatly just over her lip.

She rubbed her cheek against mine, revealing that it was bare. It was so bare that I never would have known it had ever been bearded. I ran my right hand up, over the back of her suit to her neck. It was also bare, up to the base of her skull, where it tapered gracefully from tiny, sharp bristles to soft, crushed velvet. My thumb jumped over her ear to where she had a short bristly sideburns that came to her earlobe. It wasn't tapered or pointed like most women wear them. It was blunt. Before I could do any more exploring, she pulled away and flipped a switch, lifting the veil of darkness.

As she walked forward, I saw that her hair was parted on top in a very conservative, men's haircut. It was clippered short on the sides and in back. On top, due to the thinning, I could see her scalp receding to the back under the part, but the part did disguise the full extent of her hair loss more than her longer hair. The widow's peaks above her temples went dramatically far back, but it was still flattering combined with her beautiful features.

What I had not noticed until just then was that her hair was turning a silvery gray. The sides had become almost uniformly silver and the sparse top showed strands here and there. Her mustache, which was all that remained of her beard, was still very dark brown with red highlights here and there. It was thicker than I had remembered and trimmed to just over her lip in a precise line, extending from just past each corner of her mouth. It was strange, but somehow extraordinarily arousing.

She was suited from head to toe in a wooly tweed. She wore a broad tie beneath a high vest, wrapped within a wide-lapelled, double-breasted jacket tailored to wrap tightly over her breasts and around her tiny waist over pleated, cuffed, straight-legged trousers. She kicked off a pair of brown wingtips, revealing brown, red and tan argyle socks.

"Now, get to work. You take the rest off," she commanded.

I stood up and walked up to her. I removed my own clothes and pulled her close, kissing her as I opened her jacket. I then got on my knees.

I opened her belt and trousers. I slid her pants down. Her legs were carpeted all the way into her panties. I wrapped my hands around her ankles and ran them all the way back up, making the long, dark hairs stand up. I lowered her panties, which had bulged from the crotch. Once down, an eight inch beard clung, extending up over her stomach. I parted the beard to reveal her lips and pressed my own against them before standing.

I took her by the necktie, pulling it just an inch or so from the vest, and again, pressed my lips against hers. I plunged deep into her mouth with my tongue as I relished the sensation of her soft, fine, mustache. In one quick motion, I threw her toward the bed and bent her over the edge. I forced her legs apart and plunged my hand into her furry crotch. As she arched her head back, I could see the bare circle at the top of her head. Oddly, it only turned me on more, and I pulled her close as I plunged my penis inside her.

When I woke, she was sprawled out naked. I saw her in all her splendor for the first time, and I found that her chest and back were even hairier than mine. I ran my fingertips over the alien terrain, waking her up. We kissed and I lifted my fingers to her mustache, combing it against the grain. To my surprise, no stubble had emerged over the night where her beard had been.

"Why is your face still so smooth?" I asked.

She rubbed her cheek and jaw, and flattened her mustache back down.

"The barber did it with a straight razor. I don't know why, but it usually stays smooth for a couple days after that."

She kissed me again, and then took me by the hand into the bathroom.

"Speaking of which, I have a job for you." She handed me a safety razor and a can of shaving cream. "I need you to shave off my mustache."

"What? Why? I kind of like it."

"Honey, I'm a balding woman. That's unique enough. I don't need to be the bearded, bald woman."

So we hopped in the shower, and I did as she asked.

For several months, we alternated nights at each other's apartments. I tended to her beard, and she went to the barbershop once a month for a trim and a shave. Gradually, she lost more and more hair on her head. I found that she wasn't so much balding entirely as the hair that was growing in as thicker hairs fell out just wasn't maturing. It was thin, sparse, and translucent. The rest of her hair became progressively more silver, but so far as I

could tell, her beard was still dark, though I was tasked with shaving it morning and night.

Our six month anniversary came two days after I returned from a month long trip overseas. When I got to her apartment, no one was home. I made myself comfortable on the couch and set out to catch up on some shows on the DVR.

Somehow, Sangeeta snuck in without a sound, and she startled me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders from behind. I pulled her over the back of the couch and into my lap.

To my surprise, she had changed her hair and begun to grow her beard. I plunged my lips into hers for some time, and then I sat back to take her in. Her hair had been reduced on the sides and back to a bare shaved scalp. From there, her hair was precisely flush with the scalp and seemingly perfectly flat on top. At the very peak of her head, it was completely bare. Her hairline had retreated further up, but it only served to highlight her extraordinarily beautiful features. She had apparently colored her hair, restoring it to a reddish brown.

Her face was similarly precisely trimmed. Below her jaw-line, it was shaved smooth, and the border her jaw constituted was as flat as the top of her head. From there up her cheeks, chin and mustache were all one length, creating a lustrous, velvety texture.

"Do you like it?" she asked, with a spritely confidence. "I do."

Over the next several months, Sangeeta maintained her haircut and grew out her beard. With each week, her cheeks, chin and upper lip got fuller while she had her barber maintain a precise plane at her jaw-line and just over her upper lip. Every night and every morning, she brushed and combed it as though it were the long mane she once had on her head.

All the while, the hair on top of her head became less and less apparent. She still maintained the precise flattop with the insubstantial fuzz that lined her scalp, and she became even more determined to keep it dark.