It was already 5.40pm, India was batting and those were the last few overs left. She was supposed to have come at 5.00. ( I prefer our regular timings..means 12 hour settings). I decided to call her.There was no response.,rather out of coverage area. Tension was building up slowly. ( I am telling about myself, our Indian men in blue were pretty steady in their batting feats.). The plan was to drive back home before it becomes too dark,rather before they start the second session of the match. I preferred to hit the jogger rather than to sit simply and finish the plates of vadais.
I switched on the treadmill and there came my chinga kutti ( A lion cub..let him be so..will tell the reason later). I now had started on with the fast button..’DAD..I would also do treadmill along with you’.OH ,NO! This fellow would suddenly come and stand on a running machine. Where is the slow button..Better, Off button. He stood on the railing of the machine and told –‘O.K Start’. I pulled him back and told- ‘Son, I would be jogging fast .You cant match my speed’. You pretty well know how kids would respond when we tell about something which mentions about speed and strength.Same thing happened here too.Ultimately after much persuasion it was decided that I would walk for ten mins followed by him. Now, this was a new problem to tackle.He started to hang from the sofa to see whether the timing has reached 2 mins 3 mins and so on. I now had to stop the machine again and do some talking ..Our deal was ,he would sit on the sofa till I finish and I would count one , two , three after each minute . Perfect deal. Slowly speed was building up too.. I was almost huff , puff... panting, an eye on tv. Only commercials..and now..OH NO NO NO PUPPY.NO CARTOON NETWORK..I switched off the treadmill ,exchanged it for the tv remote.
Indians had made a pretty 338, It was 6.00 and my bitter half was no where in sight.Oh I never mentioned about where she went. The summary of the story is only this. She had a batch meet ( school friends from her place meeting in their school) in the afternoon. I wonder why they preferred a Sunday afternoon for a chat session. As a qualified driver husband, I brought her from salem to her mother’s place ( I was wondering how the other husbands allowed for this sort of a chat session.. ? blissfully ,they are out of coverage area for some time?). I don’t want to drive the winding road with headlights on and some brazenly rash private bus owners speeding in the opposite direction. So I took leave of my in laws and with my son started back towards my car.
The car was parked far away because the road in front of my in laws’ house was being re laid with fresh cement. She was supposed to stay back home as she wanted a consultation with her gynec madam( now that was a different matter , fought and settled.. of course in favour of her views). Me and my lion cub took a round about tour to reach our car. By this time I was scoffing with anger, preferring to pounce upon her at the first instance of her phone call. I could also give the excuse that I was driving the car and so I need not lift the phone. While I was about to go towards the car, the phone call came from a different mobile..I preferred to keep my cool ..at least for the first few sentences..Let me reserve my roaring for time being, now that I stand on a steady wicket.I have reasons to roar. Infact I showed my displeasure too..that she could have called from some other phone, that we had to walk quite a long distance.she told sorry profusely and asked me to wait .( I too wanted to wait,but told otherwise) while talking I saw her getting down from a car and coming towards me..slowly the tiger inside me started to shrink in size. But I still preferred to keep up to my standards.. Mentioned how I sacrificed a precious Sunday making way for her to meet her friends.We all started moving towards my car..and suddenly I remembered that I didn’t get my car keys..This was when I started my first me....ow....
She called up her dad, bought the car key and the farewell was perfect. Except for the fact that all her cajoling made my cub more sad and he started demanding her to join us. I then had to put a stern face , dissuade her from all her sweet talk and let ?him face thing s bravely. :( ( I had to take care of him this night and get him ready for school next day morning too..).windows closed, I put on my music and my cub started to curl up in the back seat.
On the tenth mile , there was a phone call..’Sir, I called up madam.but her phone was not reachable,there’s a patient with previous cesarean and pains’.Naturally she should have called me first.I am the gynecologist.( and now can you understand why the matter was fought and settled). This irritated me and the tiger inside me started growling. I called her home , told the situation ,asked her to be ready and see her doc some other day. Took a U turn, came and picked a silent wife and started zooming past. Both were grim and I was concentrated in driving. After quite sometime I wanted to break the ice..I turned to say ..Are you angry??..Where..there she was ..happily tucked her head between a pillow and a head rest and mildly snoring( naan inga karotti vittu pona , ava koratta vittu vara).
We reached the clinic. The patient had come in a bike. ( oh, of course with her husband)I got a stare from my wife for that . Then she complained of only leg pain. I examined her and declared “FALSE PAINS”. But anyways admit her for observation. The mighty tiger inside me started to mellow. She had a long face and I preferred not to disturb her psyche. We came home and I didn’t even try to watch my programme , rather I took up to computer. I listened to some vessels being utilized in kitchen. My son was deep asleep on the bed. I then stealthily took up to watch tv.
Food was served, rasam and roasted papad for me. After a long stalemate she opened her mouth.( I mean to talk).. ‘Every other time when I want to spend time with my ppl you put a long face and bring me back here.’.slowly talk disguised itself to sobs..’your parents too aren’t with us’.’mornings you have a nice time with colleagues while I stay put in the four walls of the clinic’..then all the other choicest archanai( like how my vishnu has some thousand names .. I too have.. that I bare my teeth only to her, that I have thick hide, that My stripes are frightening..).and now when I wanted to say something , the first thing was a mild meow... and after that only
Meoooo... w
meow.. meow..meow
Ps. I am not alone... I know about father meow, Uncle meow, father in law meow, friends meow..Only meow which is not seen is a son meow..as long as a son is not married he is still a chinga kutti (yerarntha kanni yeshodai ilam chingam...tiruppavai. kannan .the lion cub to yeshoda ,the one with deep looks)
நீராட போதுவீர் போதுமினோ நேரிழையீர்
சீர் மல்கும் ஆய்ப்பாடிச் செல்வச் சிறுமீர்காள்
கூர் வேல் கொடும்தொழிலன் நந்தகோபன் குமரன்
எரார்ந்த கண்ணி யசோதை இளஞ் சிங்கம்
கார்மேனி செங்கண் கதிர்மதியம் போல் முகத்தான்
நாராயணனே நமக்கே பறை தருவான்
பாரோர் புகழ படிந்தேலோரெம்பாவாய்
