The Style That Wasn't

He lived in style. He used in style. He ate in style. He thought that he even thought in style. But the sad truth was, he had no style.

She was even far worse off than him. In her vocabulary, the word 'style' did not exist. She did not know the existence of the word, what more to comprehend the meaning of it. And then she met him. 

She thought he HAD style. In her stunted mind, she thought he lived the style, walked the style, talked the style and IS the style. 

The sad story became pathetic. They ended up as a pair in life. And what a pair they were. And she thought that she had made it in life.

She worshipped the ground he stood on. Waited on him hand and foot. And encouraged him to continue his wonderful 'style' of life. And together they lived a life of 'style'. 

All seemed 'stylish' on the surface. But hidden beneath was a different story altogether.

Deceit, greed, selfishness, ungratefulness and looking down on others whom they thought were not on par with them was needed to maintain their 'style'. They thought they were projecting sophistication and a lavish lifestyle. But instead, all that the others saw were emptiness, hypocrisy and lies. The others knew that their boasts were hoaxes. That after every extravagant meal that was paid, the guests were made sure to know that it was 'VERY expensive', and that they expected the same expensive meal in return. If not the same, more. They laughed and mocked at others when they saw that they wore clothes cheaper than them, ate cheaper food, or went to destinations that were not of 'style'. And behind every good deed that they did, they had ulterior motives. It was because they wanted to use the others for their 'stylish' lifestyle. Favours, expensive stuff at discounted rates, free lodging and food. In fact, free everything would have been perfect. 

So as the years went by, their circle of friends became smaller and smaller and smaller. Of course Mr. and Mrs. Style thought that the others envied them and were extremely jealous of their 'style' to the point that they could not stand them. But the sad truth was, nobody could stand their fake-ness, hypocrisy and yet think that they had the 'ultimate-lifestyle-that-everyone-absolutely-would-die-for'. In reality, no one wanted to be within 500 miles of them. For they reeked of an odour that permeated the air so badly that nobody could stand them.

Of course Mr. and Mrs. Style made sure that they 'grew old in style'. Whatever that means. And they certainly 'died in style'. And yet, not one went to the funeral that was lavished in 'style' and grandeur.

Simply because they were the style that wasn't.