Rhea always get ready first and spends time with her toys before going to school. While she plays, we are running around, getting ready!
Month: February 2011
If you have ever been somebody’s Valentine, you would have noticed that more often than not the Valentine’s Day celebrations fade out with time. Being an average next door couple, we both have almost stopped celebrating this day.
Now, before you go ahead get judgmental, let me tell you that I am not a great fan of the Archies-driven & promoted days like Mother’s day, Sister’s day , Brother-in-Law day, Cat day Valentine’s day etc, but I like the fact that these days act as reminders in our busy lifestyle.
Both my life and wife weren’t so busy in the initial days, and as a result our Valenine’s days were a time to remember and celebrate our relationship.
Don’t believe me? Read what and how we celebrated in the past years below:
2004 was my first experience with the concept of Valentine’s day. Coming from a small town Madurai, I wasn’t aware of Valentine’s Day and it wasn’t a nice first experience. Read about my first experience of Valentine’s day.
Once you are married, the equations change a bit. If you ask me, men remain the same….the same crying babies they were before marriage….but the girls change. They change to women. Read how our first Valentine’s day after marriage was celebrated.
Since it was the first year after marriage, and since the Royalty hadn’t worn off yet…I even wrote a poem for Rekha. I know…you probably wonder…how can Jammy get mushy. Well, he did get mushy….thats what girls do to him. Do check out the poem Jammy wrote for Rekha in 2006.
In 2006, I also got to understand one huge secret about women – if they don’t like what you are giving them, they will ask its price. The moment Rekha received my bouquet of flowers that year, she asked: “So, how much did it cost you?”
Read more about how the Valentine’s Day conversation went.
After 2006, we never did celebrate the Valentine’s Day like regular couples. Though, there were instances when I gifted her an Old Monk bottle of rum…knowing that she doesn’t drink and I would have to finish it myself. There was also that instant when I gifted her Dining Table on Valentine’s day (we needed to buy our own dining table, and my plan was to kill two birds with one stone). And then there was that another instance when I gifted my used-for-only-one-and-a-half years Motorola Razor V3i mobile to Rekha on Valentine’s Day.
I don’t know what is coming up this year. Watch this space for more!
Marriage is a great institution. I mean, really. I have huge respect for it. While I got to agree that the driving institute where I learnt my driving does give a tight fight…the institution of marriage comes a definite first.
I will do anything to keep my, my wife’s and people’s faith in this institution called marriage. Even lie to my wife.
You perhaps just let out a gasp: “Lie to wife?” If you did…you are probably a woman. Or an unmarried man. If you just let out a smirk, and uttered: “Don’t we all?,” you are the scheming, plotting husband who doesn’t need a lesson in safe-guarding the institution of marriage.
But you know…really, I am not to be blamed. What is a self-respecting, handsome, 35-year-old man expected to do when he is surprised at 10.30 pm with a question such as: “If I die, will you re-marry?”
Let me break it up for you.
Last Sunday….after trying our best for an hour, we finally managed to make our daughter sleep at 9.30 pm. She yielded to the Mayawati-aunty-will-come-and-take-you-away threat. Just in case you didn’t know…all that Gabbar jazz doesn’t work anymore.
From 9.30 pm to 9.45 pm, we lay in bed, in a dark room, facing the ceiling…and to top it all our daughter slept like Jesus (arms extended) in between. It was a battle of the sexes. Finally, I had to speak up. I asked: “”Slept?
“Nope!” Rekha said. My wife doesn’t generally speak loudly….but when its night, and the room is dark…her voice can sometimes ring in the ears for up to 90 seconds.
After 90 seconds, I uttered: “Hmmm…”
“What hmmm…?” That was Rekha again.
Can somebody tell me…why is it that only the man should initiate? Why not the woman?
Since now the onus of replying to Rekha’s question “What hmmm…?” was on me, I replied: “Simply hmmm…”
Rekha quickly responded: “Better be simply hmmm…”
Another 5 minutes of silence followed. If you thought waiting outside a public toilet to take a dump, when somebody was inside is torture….let me tell you, waiting for the right moment when you are lying down in bed with your wife is a bigger torture. In the former you know the guy inside is going to come out sometime or the other….but in my case…there was this good chance that Rekha would sleep off.
After five minutes, I said: “Very silent huh?”
“Obviously. Its 10.15 pm and everybody is trying to sleep.”
“You are also trying to sleep?” I expressed my shock.
“Obviously. Tomorrow is Monday, and we need to start early.”
“Hmm…I was thinking, maybe we can play some golf?” I don’t know if I have told you earlier, but we Rajans are very persistent. We don’t give up till we get what we want.
“Rajan, I am too tired. BTW, what do you plan to do with your iPhone once you buy HTC Desire HD?”
“Well, I was planning to give it to my mother. She has been wanting to change her mobile.”
Considering the situation, it was the wrong answer. I should have said: “You can use it if you want.” But I had already spoken to my mother and told her that I would be passing on the iPhone to her.
“iPhone for a 55 year old lady? What if I take it and we give the mobile I am using to you mother?”
I wasn’t new to this. Many a times, just before tee-off time Rekha had asked for what she wanted and got it. This was no different.
“Sure, Rekha.”
I knew I couldn’t live without Golf, but my mother could manage without an iPhone.
“So, Golf now?” I asked confidently.
“One more thing…if I die, will you marry somebody else?”
In the dark, I could see Rekha turning towards me…trying to catch my expressions. I tried to hold back a smile…but couldn’t….so turned the other way.
“No Rekha. How can I even think of sharing my life with another woman?”
I don’t know if Rekha knows that these are all lies, and a lot will depend on the circumstances. I don’t know if she actually saw me smile, and ignored it for good. I don’t know why she even asks such questions. But the fact is, she forces me to lie, while lying down.
I wouldn’t go into the details of the excellent Golfing session. But at about 12 midnight, while staring at the ceiling in a dark room, I said: “Actually Rekha…I have been thinking. I don’t really know what I will do if you are no longer there. A lot will depend on the circumstances.”
There was no response. It has been a week now, and there have been no repercussions…so I would guess, she had slept by the time I decided to tell her the truth.