(For god's sake, this is fiction! Please don't start asking me when did you get married!)
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...the little things in life...
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Little things. Like the
half packet of milk that got spoiled the other day when someone kept the fridge
open. And the beggar who spat with hate when I passed him without giving alms. Little
things. They make up the whole of life.
Some of the little
things I encountered are sweet like gulab jamun. For example, the smile of a
little girl I saw on the road. She was a small girl. May be ten years old, but
already growing up into a beautiful lass. While I was passing her on my morning
walk, she gave me a startling smile. As if to say, hi uncle, I love you, how
about you~ I smiled back in haste before she and her mother passed me towards
their luxury car. They were rich. Its rare that rich people smile at poor
people. I am poor.
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| a smile matters |
Some of the little
things encountered are not so sweet unlike gulab jamun. For example, this woman
conductor I met on the way to my sister’s home. The bus was not crowded. She took
my money, gave me ticket. Then while dealing with another customer, she leaned
on me to balance. I didn’t mind. But she- the one who leaned against me- turned
around and says, “can’t you adjust and move to the front? What is your
intention?”. I was angry. She… but I controlled and said, “you asked me to go
back in the bus, I came back. Now are you asking me to go front again? I’m
sorry, I won’t”. She must have had bad experiences. Someone must have
disturbed/ molested/ attempted to touch her with evil intentions earlier. But I
was sad when I was branded as a womanizer/ eve teaser when I had the least of
it in my mind. She was a woman. Women sometimes are very negative towards men. I
am a man.
Little things. They do
matter. Once I didn’t tell my wife that I would be late. When it was too late, I
got a call. It was the war cry. The battle had begun while I was away. No more
sweet talk, no more allowances, no more concessions. The war is on. Till a
truce is called at the expense of my dignity, the enemy stands tall and strong.
Little things do make you hungry. For food and for other things.
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| :) |
I have only a few pairs
of clothes to wear. Just enough for an employee to survive on his 5 day office
schedule. But I need to wash daily, iron daily. One day’s default will cause
great stink and embarrassment. So out of love my wife asks me, hello why don’t we
buy you at least a pair of undergarments? I promptly say NO. I say no because I
am comfortable the way I am. She insists because she is comfortable the way she
is and she wants to make me comfortable the way she is. Great. Someone needs to
adjust. Compromise. Something of an agreement is necessary. So the next
evening, I go silently after office, and get me a couple of not-so-costly
undergarments to please my not-so-happy wife. I knock at the door, lifting the packet
to make my not-so-happy wife happy. The door is opened and two packets meet
saying hello. The packet she lifted up to make her not-so-happy-to-spend
husband happy contained five bloody pairs of expensive undergarments. Those with
pictures of hunks with huge genitals covered in white fabric. Wearing those men
could attract women like flies by a candle. Huh! Who won? Now I am suddenly
under-garment-rich. I got seven pairs to attract the gentle sex with! She smiles,
gives me a hug and asks me to try them on one by one. Pink first. Oh! These women!
I liked the last one the best. I felt like superman inside it… little things…
I asked my father’s
account number to transfer most of my first salary to him. A token of my
respect for parents. He told me its not necessary. I thought otherwise. It is
necessary. They might not need the money urgently. But of course they will need
the money some time. And its not about the money. Its about how one should feel
about oneself. Its about how one treats others and how one is treated. Its about
gratitude and love. While I was confirming the account number to him before
doing the transfer he told me, ‘son, its like you already gave me the money. Why
to do it. You keep it, you will need it’. Yes I will need money. Perhaps urgently.
I will need it. But that’s not important. What is important is this little
thing. Making my parents happy.
