Health and Needs

Seema awoke with a start - she looked around, the early pink light of dawn in South India filtered through the insect mesh of the window of her one-roomed house. She could see the wall clock through the door of the room on the wall of the medium-sized hall. It showed just past five a.m. - she was on her back and turned to her right, that was when she realized what had awakened her.

Her crotch inside her cotton nightdress was wet, her panties sticking to her intimate skin. Her entire bum was wet too. Reluctantly, she forced herself to get up and check on her nineteen-year old son who was sleeping on a mattress on the ground in the hall - he was sound asleep, having come home tired after a long day at work.

Quietly, so as not to wake him, she gathered a fresh nightdress and panties and stole into the common bathroom she and her son shared with the other occupants of the one-room-hall unit next to theirs. She stripped herself bare after locking the bathroom door behind her - the toilet was an Indian-style commode separated from the bathroom, which they again shared with the occupants of the unit next to theirs. She had a quick bath using cold water direct from the tap, collecting the flowing water in a large brass mug and pouring it over her body. She applied the hard, carbolic soap over her skin, paying special attention to her crotch, washing out the remnants of her incontinence during the night.

After she had rinsed herself clean, she dried herself using a flat towel made from coarse cotton and thought about her problem. Since the last four days, she had wet her bed. This was very embarrassing for a woman in her late thirties like her. She resolved to consult the lady doctor at the primary medical center run by the government in their low-income colony, occupied by others like her who worked menial jobs at offices or homes of the better-off middle- and high-income households across the railway tracks from their colony.

Unlike many others in the colony, Seema was a widow. She had lost her husband and father of her only child five years ago in an accident. He was waiting for public transport at a bus stop when an overloaded truck lost control on the road and crashed into the bus shelter he was standing under, waiting for his ride to work. Three others had lost their lives, and the police inspector assigned to investigate the incident had kindly liaised with the truck's insurance company to ensure that the victims' families were compensated adequately. Not only that, he had contacted a social welfare organization that guided the victims' families to properly invest the compensation received so as to ensure a regular income that would offset at least a part of their living costs.

Her husband had been a freelance cargo broker, matching cargo loads to trucks at the city's freight terminal and earning a percentage of the fee from both sides. She had been a virgin and her husband had deflowered her roughly. It had pained at first, but she had been warned by her mother and friends so she expected it. Soon the pain turned into a pleasurable feeling, and she enjoyed the two other times they id it that night..They had been married early, he was 22 and she was 18, and within a year she had delivered her son. Once her son was weaned off her breastmilk, she found work as a housemaid working for a couple of households across the tracks. Together, they lived a comfortable life, within their means. They used to save a little of their earnings, hoping to provide for difficult times. Their sex was regular, at least thrice a week and more than that many times.

She enjoyed her husband's foreplay - he would play with her B-cup breasts with their dark-brown-almost-black nipples and areola. He was fascinated by her boobs and butt, and having heard from other couples, they tried oral sex too and both liked it. Their love for each other was not intense, but it was mutual. She had never refused her husband's desires, even when on the odd day her monthlies had started and she was spotting. While she was menstruating, she would happily satisfy her husband orally or manually, she had been instructed by her mother never to leave her husband dissatisfied in this aspect of their marital life. Her mother had told her that while she would enjoy the sex, it would also dissuade her husband from other women. She had faithfully abided by those instructions, even after she had lost her mother to old age. As a result, while her sex life wasn't spectacular, it was very satisfying, and her husband never strayed. Though, a couple of times, he had fantasized sex with some of the movie actresses they saw on screen once a month, and he often told Seema that she resembled Jaya Prada, fine actress of those days. She had played along, and role-played being the actress to her husband. A couple of times, he too had role-played being one of the movie heroes during their love-making. They were both happy with each other.

They had decided early in their marriage to limit their offspring to one, to ensure that their child had a good education and base, given their limited financial and social resources. Accordingly, she had been sterilized permanently by having her tubes tied after the birth of her son. Their sex improved after her sterilization, since she had no worries about an unwanted pregnancy, and he could ejaculate in her without consequences.

Her pussy was shaved once a week, the result of another instruction from her mother. Her husband was pleasantly surprised on their wedding night to see his wife hairless below her neck, and once they started oral sex, he took to trimming his pubes too, both for hygiene and comfort.

Her husband drank alcohol in moderation - once a fortnight, he would buy a small bottle of rum or brandy to bring it home and they would share it. He would drink the lion's share, but he would ensure that she also shared a drink or two with him. He would also buy a packet of Charminar cigarettes for these drink sessions. A couple of years after their son was born, she had expressed an interest in trying to smoke, and he patiently taught her to smoke and inhale - he was sexually excited that his wife would smoke, like some rich heiress in the movies. He was very excited tasting the tobacco on her lips when they kissed after their drink-and-smoke sessions, and she learnt that this would result in better sex for both of them. 5-8 cigarettes and a small bottle of rum or brandy shared twice a month was a measure of their vice.

With the guidance of the women of the houses that she worked in, she had enrolled her son into a reasonably good school, and he was a good student. Until the boy reached the ninth grade and their world turned dark. Her husband had been run over by the overloaded truck, dying instantly. Facing dark times ahead, Seema was quickly taken under the wings of the women of the houses she worked at, and was guided by one of their husbands on how to better invest the proceeds of her husband's life insurance and the insurance funds received from the trucks insurer in bonds and debentures that yielded regularly monthly income, supplemented by her own wages, and she found they could continue to live st the same house, paying the rent and meeting their expenses with very little left over at the end of the month.

Her son did well at school, and was good with basic mathematics. One of the husbands of the housewives she worked for was an accountant, and took her son under his wing, teaching him after hours to write the chartered accountancy preliminary exams. Her boy had comfortably cleared the exams, and after joining a good public pre-college (High School in Europe and America), was now working in the same freight yard where his father worked as a loader after school finished midday and put in extra hours with the accountant as an intern. The boy was exerting himself physically and mentally, with the result that he slept well at night, exhausted. Seema continued to work households.

With her interactions with other women, she knew that it was too early for her to have urinary incontinence at her age. Her visit to the Primary Health Center triggered further investigation, and she was diagnosed with having a weak pelvic floor. She was prescribed exercises for her muscles down there. The lady doctor also recommended that Seema consult the senior gynaecologist who was on night duty that week, so Seema was asked to visit the Center after nine p.m. that night. The senior gynaecologist confirmed the previous diagnosis after a detailed examination, and made Seema do the prescribed Kegel exercises on the examining table to ensure she did it right, and then advised her to continue regular sex with her husband, as it would strengthen her pelvic muscles and this would likely solve her nightly incontinence and bed-wetting. Seema told the doctor that she was a widow, that she lived with her son alone. That her sex life had ended more than five years ago. The doctor asked if she masturbated. Seema was shy and it took her a couple of minutes of silence before she affirmed that she would masturbate infrequently, maybe once or twice a month. But Seema didn't tell the doctor the whole story.

For Seema would crave a cigarette every now and then. She would wait for her son to fall asleep, and would buy sometimes a Charminar cigarette or even a couple of bidis (cheap cheroots) when money was tight. In the dead of night, she would sit by the window of her room after carefully shutting and locking the door from the hall into her room. She would light up her smoke, and inhale deeply. This would bring back memories of her husband, and their sex, and she would rub out at least three good orgasms on those nights. But these "escapades", as Seema thought of them, were never more than once a fortnight, echoing her husband's frequency. She found that her vagina could take up to three of her fingers at once, as she silently pleasured herself. Since she and her husband had their most pleasurable sex after drinking and smoking, she would always get horny and excited when she was around tobacco smoke. She would then run the ceiling fan at full speed for a few minutes to dissipate the smells, and go back to bed.

The senior gynaecologist explained how her pelvic floor was deteriorating due to lack of use, and that the Kegel exercises and regular sex would rebuild their strength and elasticity. If she didn't have a male partner, even masturbation would help. But good penetrative sex with a man was the better option. The strengthened muscles would help to reduce and stop her urinary incontinence. That this was a common occurrence, and not too serious. That as long as she exercised those muscles her body would be fine. The doctor prescribed two tablets of a steroid that would help her build muscle mass, and asked her to increase protein in her diet.

Seema returned home after getting the prescribed tablets from the dispensary, thinking about the doctor's advice. She set out dinner for her son and herself, and once dinner was done, dishes washed and put away, she went to her room and shut the door. She undressed her lower half and performed the prescribed exercises. They consisted of her using her muscles to stop an imaginary flow of urine, and also inserting a finger into her vagina and trying to use her vaginal and pelvic muscles to grip the finger. The first exercise was not too difficult once she got the hang of it, but the second one was a little difficult. She was exercising muscles that had gone dormant, and she kept up her attempts for a further fifteen minutes, too tired to continue. Her vagina was wet, a good sign, so she added another finger and rubbed out an orgasm. She discovered her clitoris, it felt good when touched and quickened her climax.

Though she had heard other women talk of the "button" on top of their slits, this was the first time she felt the excitement and stimulation. She was getting aroused, and a quick climax later, she was still only partially satisfied. She pulled out the remaining cigarette from her last purchase and lit it by the window, ensuring that there were no lights for anyone to see her, even though the window faced the compound wall. She inhaled the smelly acrid smoke, holding the cigarette in her left hand as she use her right hand to play with her clitoris. Her arousal increased, her wetness lubricating her efforts on her pussy. She drew on the cigarette again, deeper this time, and inhaled the smoke deep into her lungs. Her nipples were erect, her breasts taut as her arousal increased further. Soon, she was down to the last drag on the cigarette, and her orgasm hit her hard. Her hips bucked up involuntarily as she felt her vaginal muscles clamp down on her fingers. It was one of her strongest orgasms, and she was drained by it. Sleep came quickly.

The next morning, she awoke refreshed after a long time, noting that her pelvis and bed-sheets were dry. She did doubt the gynecologist's advice but the evidence was too strong. She awoke, roused her son, and they went about their day, he to the freight yard and she to her households. She would reach back home a couple of hours before her son, who was working with his books, keeping accounts for small businesses after his day at the yard. They both had dinner, and she took her first tablet after that. That night, sleep was light, but the morning saw her sheets and hips drenched, though less than before. She had neglected her exercises, she realized.

At work, one of the ladies she worked for asked her if she could help her brother, who was a middle-aged divorcee, with cooking and cleaning. She was told he would pay handsomely, and she agreed, since she could add this into her daily routine. The divorcee was visiting their city for a few months only on a temporary assignment, and would return to the big city after that. The money was certainly welcome, and she took it up. He would arrive three days later and live in a different house, but close by.

The days passed quickly, she didn't neglect her exercises at night and was rewarded by a dry bed in the morning. The first day of the new assignment was today, and the lady who had recruited Seema took her to a house just two doors away. She was introduced to the man, was explained the work. He had taken up furnished accommodation, and everything was available. She cooked dinner and breakfast quickly for her new boss, who asked her to call him by name, since they were close in age. He seemed a couple years older, and at the end of her day gave her an advance of five hundred rupees without being asked. She was told it was to help her adjust her timings and prove his good faith. The money felt good in her hand, and she knew it was a tenth of what he had promised to pay her each month. As she collected her bags containing her lunch box and personal stuff, the man lit up a fine cigarette as he sat in his hall, with an ashtray in front of him. Her nose immediately picked up the odour of tobacco, and she knew it was not a cigarette she could afford. She left quickly and reached home.

Days passed, it was time for her monthly salaries. She looked forward to this day, for the money it would bring. She had already earmarked the new boss' salary to buy clothes for her son, he needed them if was going to work in an office. He told her he had an important exam coming up, and he need to study for a longer time to pass it. It was a difficult exam, he said, but if he passed it he would earn at least twice as much as he was earning now, and could even give up working in the yard and work full time in an office. She had been regular with her exercises, and her incontinence had dropped markedly, only twice in the previous three weeks. She had completed the course of medication, and now it was only her exercises she did to correct her condition. She did indulge in her tobacco fetish once a fortnight, and tonight she wanted to have an extra "smoke" day to celebrate her increased earnings. She collected her wages after work at each of her workplaces, but at the divorced man's house, she was once again entranced by the cigarette odour as she took her wages from him.

He in turn was lonely, his only comfort being his cigarettes and his thrice-a-week masturbation to assuage his loneliness. He caught her fascination for his cigarettes, and decided to ask her about it soon, in a non-intrusive way. He was a gentleman with her, never making her feel uncomfortable despite his lack of female company. He treated her well, like he would treat any of his colleagues at work. Seema was impressed by the way he treated her, and the way he did not try to touch or speak to her unnecessarily. Her responsibilities for him including the general cleaning, washing but also cooking two of his meals for him. When she arrived at his house at half-past-six every evening, she would cook his dinner and lay it on the table. She would also cook breakfast for the next morning, which he would warm up in the microwave oven before heading to work at eight a.m. His lunch was provided by his place of work. Seema used to show her appreciation of him through making tasty food, and would even learn fresh recipes from his sister for him. She even took extra efforts with cleaning, putting away things he had used and not kept back, or even picking up dirty stuff without being asked to.

She reached home, flushed with her arousal of the aroma of the man's expensive cigarettes. She made dinner for herself and her son, he arrived home after her. They both ate silently, and Seema cleared the dishes and washed them. She retired to her room for her planned celebration. and locked the door gently behind her. She opened her window, leaving the insect mesh covering it. She switched off the lights, and pulled out her quota of two cigarettes. She also changed into her nightdress, a one-piece dress that reached below her knees. She ensured she did not wear any undergarments, to ease her masturbation session later. She unbuttoned the top of her nightdress, giving her access to her breasts. Her breasts had very little hint of sag, given her physically active status. Since she started masturbating regularly as per the doctor's instructions, she had taken to trimming her pubic hair once again, something she had stopped doing after her husband's funeral.

Through the light filtering in through the window, she arranged her matchbox, cigarettes and an empty bowl she would use as an ashtray within reach. She sat on the floor next to her bed, having raised her nightdress to just above her mid-thigh region to be able to access her pussy easily. She leaned back against the wall behind her, and taking one of her cigarettes, she lit it and pulled in a light drag before swallowing the acrid smoke into her lungs. She exhaled quickly, going through two more light drags before taking a deep one, this one was usually the beginning of her sexual fantasy. Her husband would encourage her to use the cigarette and not waste it without taking the smoke into her lungs. The buzz began, and her vagina began to moisten between her thighs. Her husband used to kiss her when she took in her fourth inhale, taking the exhaled smoke from her mouth into his own, sharing her second-hand smoke as his hands would fondle and caress her breasts.

Her skin was wheat-ish in colour, not very fair. But she was also not dark-complexioned either. With her cigarette in her right hand, she used her left hand to stroke her right breast through the opening of her nightdress, tweaking the already firm nipple into rigid hardness. She squeezed her breast, using practised motions that she used when her son was much younger, expressing her milk. It felt good as usual, but she felt an extra buzz today remembering the man's expensive cigarette aroma. She moved her hand to her other breast, pulling it out of the top of her dress. She touch the end of the cigarette's filter to her rigid nipple, before taking the cigarette back to her mouth for her fix. She fantasized her husband was there, he would suck her nipples and lick them, wetting them fully with his saliva. His hands would be touching her inner thighs, pinching them gently as he progressed upwards towards her pussy.