This morning I got a phone call immediately upon waking up, that my childhood 'best' friend - in those days of innocence, who, when I would tell her to wait for me to finish a sum in math, would answer me with all sincerity, 'I will, once am done', and I would be happy that she agreed to - passed away, possibly a cardiac arrest!
Subalakshmi, also called as Subhasree by her folks, and I, we were best of friends from the age of 6 right through to 12/13, perhaps, after which age, we drifted apart, found new friends, formed new ideas and changed as persons, and lost contact. Through a common relative, I came to know she had also married, got a kid, then another and the usual cycle. She was in Mumbai.
I never think of her, except in passing, while recalling incidents of high schiool, where she became the School Pupil Leader, the favourite of Sr.Crescentia, our principal then, whom I used to 'HATE' and whom she used to 'LOVE' and was loved mutually by the Sister -and I think she told on us or something, a set of friends, and we got suspended from school for few days and were roaming around school without a badge - we were to actually feel very ashamed of ourselves, but, I do not recall ever having felt so much of it, except when my dad was called upon to hear a lecture of how badly his daughter was turning out to be, with Godliness going away from her, and the rest - My Dad gave it to me that day and considered it his worst insult in life, like he was being called to the police station to get his arrested daughter out of bail or something - who gets called to the police station, in my dad's case, the school?
All this is forgotten with the ravages of time and life moves on, but strangely some connections are just snapped for ever. Even then, today, ever since I heard the news, I have been very disturbed. Why? Because it just seems so cruel, so sudden, to go away leaving a 6 yr old and a 11/2 year old kid, today, I am thinking of how it would be for a child to grow up without a mother, how impossible it would be for a father to double up and do justice, try as he might, how her living parents and probably a grandparent, am not sure would be feeling, and along with all this, the realisation that life is so fleeting and the folly of immortality with which we move around, folly and beauty actually, because, no one wants to know when they are going to die, and yet, yet, it's just an instant. It's there, and it's over - one minute you may be thinking of doing up the curtains in your house and the next, you are not there!
What would Subalakshmi have been thinking of doing, what plans she would have made, she was on a holiday, what could be the conversation she would have had with her kids, her husband, her people around? And then immediately, I think, what about me? And same time, think, I should hit the gym, take care, warning signs - all along with the headlines - How fleeting it all is - and so back to the Moments theory - it is all and only in the Now, better be thankful for what is and live it up Now. In the Now, as Nandita used to say when she was 3 years old.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Minc
I was busy shopping for the top at Minc, already had made my husband buy 2 for me – yes, that is how I shop, in spurts, infrequently, but once at the shop, I can be done with swiping a LOT of money in very LITTLE TIME. Be it my card or anyone else’s!
But I did have a conscience – at least it decided to wake up, unannounced and it started telling me, “You pay for the third one, OK, your card, not his!” Damn Jiminy Cricket. And was about to take the credit card when I realized, my handbag was missing.
***
The handbag has 14 cards – of which 3 are credit cards. I haven’t seen so many cards in my life, all in one wallet. Let me see how much money is here in this. Rs.40/-. Damn. These rich plastic guys, all plastic, no real money. But am sure using a card is not going to be such a problem.. some card when put into that fancy machine the ATM will vomit money. Which of these but.. once I figure that out, am all set. But first, let me change from these Security uniforms and become a man. Just another man who has new found plastic. They should ban plastic, all forms of plastic and insist on paper. That way, I’d have cash in here. Hahahah.
***
“Hey, come here, someone’s left a handbag!”
“Great! Happy Thursday! We spilt the cards and the cash, as always”
“Make it quick, the Security is right outside, we need to slip it past him. Snooty bastard he is. Ever drooling for money”
“Oh, come on! You are no better, Mr.”
And then, they both looked up. A lady was staring with laser-like vision into the handbag, so much so that it seemed the contents would pop open and land into her hand.
“Ah, well, Ma’am, we were just thinking of leaving it at the Security – that’s what’s done normally.”
“Yess. Yess. Please check the contents, Ma’am.”
The laser woman checked thoroughly, all was in order. She had hardly any cash to give and so just thanked profusely and left.
***
I should have known, double-checked. How did people not forget? Or maybe something really wrong with me – the part of the memory which remembers the objects one had taken while going out with, probably had been infected. Or better, absent. The only saving grace was my cell phone was with me.. My husband had already started calling up the banks to block the cards. Thank God for men. Who do. And not set off thinking about which part of the brain was missing. But while he was making those calls, whenever he made eye contact, I knew what I was in for and what was being said, ‘How could you? Can someone like this exist?’
***
I walked out of the shop very happy with the two shirts and a trouser that I picked up – anything but blue is the motto. I will learn driving spoon, take my driver’s licence in these new clothes, and start driving the Innoa for some rich fat man and his even fatter wife – if Raghu can do that, why can’t I? Now, all I need is a pair of good sunglasses, just like that hero in the English film I took my son to last weekend. And yes, this shop has it – well, here I swipe, sign, am really good at this! And here walks out the new hero in his glasses!!
***
“Hey, come here, someone’s left a handbag!”
“Great! Happy Thursday! We spilt the cash, as always”
“Make it quick, the Security is right outside, we need to slip it past him. Snooty bastard he is. Ever drooling for money”
“Oh, come on! You are no better, Mr.”
“Hey, hey, let’s just split what’s in it, head out together, anyway our shift’s done, and hit the shops!”
And off they went.
***
Beep!Beep! Message – thankfully my mobile was still in my pocket. Shit! My credit card limit is Rs.36,390/-. I swear it was Rs.83,000 something yesterday! Shit! Shit! Fucked to the core! But I did call them and block the card, I mean, he did, but all the same. Damn plastic.
***
Beep!Beep! Him. God, I don’t know how badly I want to run now. “Am upstairs. The Security wants you to identify the contents of the handbag – one bag’s been found. I raced upstairs – and was quizzed by the Security.
What colour is your handbag?
Easy one, “Black”.
How many cards do you have in there, madam?”
Not so easy. “Let me think.. one debit card, two credit cards, a few other loyalty cards….?”
“There are 14 cards in here madam. It’s been an hour since the show got over.!”
Nothing to say but stand and wait for the bag. And avoid the look of disbelief in his face and the Security’s that someone could actually be like this.
:::: Inspired by key words - Source Code – alternate realities – parallel universe ::::
One of the above happened in the reality I live in. Which one, is the reader’s guess
But I did have a conscience – at least it decided to wake up, unannounced and it started telling me, “You pay for the third one, OK, your card, not his!” Damn Jiminy Cricket. And was about to take the credit card when I realized, my handbag was missing.
***
The handbag has 14 cards – of which 3 are credit cards. I haven’t seen so many cards in my life, all in one wallet. Let me see how much money is here in this. Rs.40/-. Damn. These rich plastic guys, all plastic, no real money. But am sure using a card is not going to be such a problem.. some card when put into that fancy machine the ATM will vomit money. Which of these but.. once I figure that out, am all set. But first, let me change from these Security uniforms and become a man. Just another man who has new found plastic. They should ban plastic, all forms of plastic and insist on paper. That way, I’d have cash in here. Hahahah.
***
“Hey, come here, someone’s left a handbag!”
“Great! Happy Thursday! We spilt the cards and the cash, as always”
“Make it quick, the Security is right outside, we need to slip it past him. Snooty bastard he is. Ever drooling for money”
“Oh, come on! You are no better, Mr.”
And then, they both looked up. A lady was staring with laser-like vision into the handbag, so much so that it seemed the contents would pop open and land into her hand.
“Ah, well, Ma’am, we were just thinking of leaving it at the Security – that’s what’s done normally.”
“Yess. Yess. Please check the contents, Ma’am.”
The laser woman checked thoroughly, all was in order. She had hardly any cash to give and so just thanked profusely and left.
***
I should have known, double-checked. How did people not forget? Or maybe something really wrong with me – the part of the memory which remembers the objects one had taken while going out with, probably had been infected. Or better, absent. The only saving grace was my cell phone was with me.. My husband had already started calling up the banks to block the cards. Thank God for men. Who do. And not set off thinking about which part of the brain was missing. But while he was making those calls, whenever he made eye contact, I knew what I was in for and what was being said, ‘How could you? Can someone like this exist?’
***
I walked out of the shop very happy with the two shirts and a trouser that I picked up – anything but blue is the motto. I will learn driving spoon, take my driver’s licence in these new clothes, and start driving the Innoa for some rich fat man and his even fatter wife – if Raghu can do that, why can’t I? Now, all I need is a pair of good sunglasses, just like that hero in the English film I took my son to last weekend. And yes, this shop has it – well, here I swipe, sign, am really good at this! And here walks out the new hero in his glasses!!
***
“Hey, come here, someone’s left a handbag!”
“Great! Happy Thursday! We spilt the cash, as always”
“Make it quick, the Security is right outside, we need to slip it past him. Snooty bastard he is. Ever drooling for money”
“Oh, come on! You are no better, Mr.”
“Hey, hey, let’s just split what’s in it, head out together, anyway our shift’s done, and hit the shops!”
And off they went.
***
Beep!Beep! Message – thankfully my mobile was still in my pocket. Shit! My credit card limit is Rs.36,390/-. I swear it was Rs.83,000 something yesterday! Shit! Shit! Fucked to the core! But I did call them and block the card, I mean, he did, but all the same. Damn plastic.
***
Beep!Beep! Him. God, I don’t know how badly I want to run now. “Am upstairs. The Security wants you to identify the contents of the handbag – one bag’s been found. I raced upstairs – and was quizzed by the Security.
What colour is your handbag?
Easy one, “Black”.
How many cards do you have in there, madam?”
Not so easy. “Let me think.. one debit card, two credit cards, a few other loyalty cards….?”
“There are 14 cards in here madam. It’s been an hour since the show got over.!”
Nothing to say but stand and wait for the bag. And avoid the look of disbelief in his face and the Security’s that someone could actually be like this.
:::: Inspired by key words - Source Code – alternate realities – parallel universe ::::
One of the above happened in the reality I live in. Which one, is the reader’s guess
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)