Monday, August 14, 2006

Que Sera Sera

Ten years ago, if you had asked me what I’d be doing ten years hence, you can bet your last rupee the answer wouldn’t have been ‘Married. With Kid. Currently Unemployed.’ And yet, here I am, busily washing drool off my keyboard as I type, while former classmates who at that point had the ambition of a snail are busy attending conferences in Thailand and Singapore and planning vacations in Bali.

People who knew me then would fall off the chair if they found out I had an arranged marriage, let alone mothered a child. Somehow they’d be more willing to believe that I’d run off on a trip to Rishikesh where I’d met a bearded weirdo and we were currently shacked up in the foothills of the Himalayas waiting out the winter so we could continue our trek to Nepal. Well unless hubby decides to quit cushy job and turn into a Yeti, I don’t see that happening anytime in the near future, which is going to cause quite of few of those ex-classmates to shake their heads and wonder what the world was coming to.

I recently ran into one such then-unambitious, now-jetsetting friend last week. ‘Sense! Is that you? Why you look positively… feminine!’ he said. ‘So do you.’ Said I, thinking it was only fair that I should return the compliment.
So… where have you been? What naughty things have you been upto?’ he asks, lighting up a smoke. I stare at him open-mouthed- this was the same chap who used ro get a coughing fit every time our canteen wallah maroed a tadka!
I’ve just got back from a 4 day conference in Singapore.’ He continued, 'life’s a bitch, man. Shitloads of work. Had to even cancel my plans of watching the football finals!’ ‘on the telly?’ I ask innocently. ‘No way dude. In Germany! You couldn’t make it either huh?’ ‘Nope. Was otherwise occupied.’ I said. ‘Oh? Work? Play?’ he asks elbowing me in the ribs and wiggling his brows.
Well, you could say that, although dangling a ball in front of Pickwick can’t technically be called play.
Pickwick? New pet?
Nope. New Son.’ Just then Hubby saunters in with cherubic face and a grinning Pickwick. ‘This is hubby- and That’s Pickwick.’ I say to the gawking classmate. ‘I’d love to stay and chat, but I gotta rush home and make dinner…’I throw out as I make my exit. That should remind him- I was always unpredictable.

12 comments:

Cloudy said...

Hopped over from IyerEd, loved reading this post :) This could have been written about me really, I ran into a classmate not too long ago, and she said 'this is not the cloudy I knew'... I just smiled a stupid smile, have never been bright enough to think of the sparkling witty answer in time...

Scrolled down a couple of posts and loved them... have never been a great fan of mothers talking about their kids, but you just changed the definitions :)

Andrew McAllister said...

That's interesting. The whole subject of arranged marriage hasn't come up yet on my advice site, but I wonder if it's only a matter of time. I did hear someone wonder the other day, though, if arranged marriages might have originally been introduced (way back when) in response to social and societal issues and the desire to avoid them. I couldn't even offer a guess because I know nothing of the history.

To Love, Honor and Dismay

Anonymous said...

Please don't dishearten me by saying that somebody could actually feel your ribs. I have 10,000 bucks on the line over here and you are cracking jokes about ribs being felt! You are 'not' supposed to be thin! Come Jan 2007, 10G lighter, get all thin you want, but not until then :P

I still haven't called. I agree. I am pathetic.

-A true friend.

IdeaSmith said...

True. Let it at least be acknowledged that thou art the most supremely interesting new mommy-housewife that yours truly has had a chance to know. Now pomposity apart...how dare you insinuate that I had the ambition of a snail? It was more like that of a mad hatter....to drink tea and talk nonsense all day.

La vida Loca said...

unperdictable huh?
But seriously would you have it any other way?
Wait..I dont expect to be contradicted :P

Unknown said...

cloudy:thanks, I promise to be the kind of mother that Pickwick will be ashamed to point out to his friends ;D

Andrew: no point in delving into the past. in today's day and age, arranged marriages work more like pre-approved dates!

Brad: get ready to be 10 g's lighter. your godson has no intention of letting me laze around and get fat (sigh!). And you're right. Bad Brad. Bad Bad Brad (followed by the 'ptttch' of a leather whip)

Iyer: lol... I'll be sure to check up on the 'shingapurkar' theory. stand up? sure thing. so when do want me to come over and get paid to insult your friends?

smithy: I'm shocked! you'd NEVER smoke.LOL.At least not in front of Pickwick...


Loca: Ok. I won't... contradict you, that is. :D

Varatanu said...

I got a lil senti with this... What I love about you, your all this now and you were all this then, and I still belive your one of the best in our breed. Honestly, to live a life and accepting its rules for the love of what is /are with us...is amazing. you know what im saying! lov ya

Kau said...

Babes - this post made me so mushy . Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans ..but more often that not - we find that we really love and enjoy the things that come our way ..and can still do the others ..in time .
I HATE it when ppl say ..."phh ..you look so feminine" ...Being a tomboy all through 23 myself ..I get that all the time and it always makes me gag !You know what ..if we can wear a catsuit and cook a 5 course meal at the same time ..more power to us ..Duniya Jale to Jale !

Rajesh Rajoo said...

true bharatiya nari and all that ugh? fancy that!

Kau said...

thats what they say ..and its not without good reason
"Bharatiya nari
Padegi sabko bhari "

lol!

Unknown said...

Iyer: you mean you're an insult you your friends? come now, don't be too ahrsh on yourself! lol.

Ruch: I Luv you too babe. :D

Kau: Duniya ka pata nahin, but love the 'main kahan tha' look on the exs' faces!;)

Bloom: Me thinks kau has said it all!

Rajesh Rajoo said...

i'm feeling terribly shameless today. so i'm ready for the tom tom. ahem. i've got a dead blog listed here in your favourites - it's called Joo.

care to change it to my active one href="http://kettleandmug.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Joo<

then you could read my 'how to fart and not get caught' post.

humbly,
joo