Feels like just another day! Merciless traffic, pothole filled roads, people driving in opposite direction without remorse, traffic lights turning green and back to red even before the car could move an inch. The pot-bellied traffic police desperately trying to bring in sanity on the road. Everyone hoping against hope that this is the last signal that one needs to cross and rest will be a smooth drive, only to realise that the next signal is equally merciless!
While the situation on the road was chaotic, the situation inside the house was not forgiving either. That evening was one that I wish I would forget. Life would have been different if that evening wouldn’t have ended that way. The last thirteen days since that evening has been excruciatingly tough!
I had promised my son that I will get him a toy machine gun couple of weeks ago! He had added it to the cart on the mobile app and all that he had been asking me to do is just click “pay” and enter the OTP! That morning, I came close to getting it done with, but he spilt water on my laptop while playing and I had lost my mind and yelled at him. I asked him to say sorry and he was adamant that I should first apologize for yelling at him! That was the last time he opened the door for me when I returned from office. He never even called me to accompany him to the park as well. Like father like son!
My daughter on the other hand had turned unusually silent! She is the most noisiest person in the house! Talkative to the core and emotional as hell. She would be the first person to crack a joke when she saw my wife and I get into a heated argument. She knew why we fight and when we fight and always came forward to diffuse the situation. All of twelve years old and she had the maturity of a grown up adult. But since that evening, even she seems to have given up and has taken the side of her Mom! So much so that, now she just keeps my cup of coffee on the table without even bothering to see if I’d pick it up!
My parents who were looking forward for the weekend trip to a nearby temple town were super upset with my sudden cancellation of the trip. How would I explain them that I have hard time saying “No” to the dignitaries visiting from US and the obsessive compulsion that I go through to make sure the visitors have a great time while they are here in India. Not that it is the first time I had canceled a trip. My mother used to be more vocal and wouldn’t hesitate giving a piece of her mind whenever this happens. My father, having retired from a very hectic job himself, usually is more restrained. My wife usually bears the burnt of their frustration and she would freak out at me.
This time around, I see an unusual turn of events! My Mom suggesting my wife to book an outstation cab for couple of days and my Dad agreeing to go without me being around! All of this happening right besides me when I am pretending to be busy attending an office call, while all I am doing is staring at the monitor and listening to their plans. None bothered to check with me. Even as a formality! Wish I had known the trick of making this happen earlier! One evening that turned things around for good.
Finally my wife! Been married to her for fifteen years and known her for couple of more years before marriage! We had mastered the art of patching up after every small and big fights. I would either play an old song on speaker or she would cook my favourite sweet dish for dinner to silently say “lets get over it”.
Our disagreements also have evolved with our age. From being boxers in the ring to silent grandmasters sitting across a chess board! As our relationship matured, the silent periods reduced. After all, we both knew very well that by not talking to each other, we are being more childish than our kids! And so, since that evening, it was even more surprising to see my better half not talking to me for such an extended duration! Being from the same profession, she would understand the work demands more than anyone else in the house. The other day, she did cook my favourite sweet dish but strangely she didn’t seem happy cooking it. I neither saw her smile while cooking nor did she serve me the dish during dinner. She just slid the bowl towards me and continued watching her favourite soap on TV.
Some mistakes are costly! Especially the ones that you don’t make yourself! My only mistake that evening was being at the wrong place at the wrong time!
Wish the traffic was little more smoother! Wish the traffic cop was little more attentive! Wish the signal stayed green for a few more seconds! Wish the pedestrian was a little more patient in crossing the road! Wish the biker riding in the opposite direction was a little more considerate. Wish the truck driver behind me seen the same traffic light turning red before he pressed his pedal on the accelerator! Wish the air bags had opened up a little more quickly! Wish my ambulance driver knew a better route to the hospital! Wish I had given the doctors a little more time to treat on me! I wish I had not given up on myself that evening!
Life goes on!!!
