When I talk about something I assume that the listeners are either aware or know something about it. That’s all Papa does. But he is mentally too extravagant that he takes the luxury of assuming that we are all updated on current affairs and events at the stock market. I know he went too far on that. And I have learnt to nod very convincingly to it, as I check the newspaper only on Fridays to check which movie has released. Well he already has a good idea about me, and pretends that my nod is genuine. I guess he still remembers that I asked him this Easter, whether the ‘Trivandrum Chennai Mail’ is actually a goods train (my tickets were already booked in that)…and also ‘is the train going in this direction or that’ while standing right near the engine.
Also, over the years, I have learnt not to ask the question, ‘where?’ . Both Papa and Mummy has this habit of keeping every item at the right places, and I’ve never seen them searching for anything in all these years ( just sometimes they search for me). And at the start of the day I’d be searching for tooth brush, which is met with a cold stare and ironically, it sets me ablaze. One is denied the fundamental right to search. After marriage things change but my habit of misplacing things continued.
On one unfortunate day, hubby started frantically searching for original documents of the car. We had just returned from hometown the week before and it had been missing ever since. The search continued to the kitchen, the wardrobe, shoe rack…After some time I heard him calling to his home to check whether it is there. His mom searched all over the place, but in vain. Now he turned to me and asked the earth shattering question…’call your mom and ask her to check whether it is there’. I stood bewildered.
( ASIDE: There is a shelf in my home where there are serially numbered files labeled ‘car’, ‘scooter’, ‘Insurance’ etc which contains original and atleast two attested photocopies, and also a laminated index with file number and title to locate the file.)
So coming back to the question…
WHAT???????
I would rather choose to die than ask that question to my Mom.
We needed to talk. I patiently told him, that either we have to visit my parents and search for the documents secretly, or just search elsewhere. There is no way we can ask them that. Hubby was surprised. Very. Looking at me mouth opened. Well, Papa’s reaction would be no different if I told him about this.
It was absolutely something to think about. Hubby was stunned knowing that we couldn’t search for anything at my house, and everyone is expected to keep things at the right places! I lived with it, but it is so weird for others! Or probably as I have told earlier, should be a generation gap issue. :D
And the documents were inside the car itself.