Game day and gender wars

This incident occurred about 6 months ago and only came to my mind yesterday during a chance conversation. The husband and I had been invited to a game day type thing at a friends house. The Indian cricket team was in the quarter finals and things looked rather promising. The cricket match was held overseas, started at 5 am local time and stretched into the afternoon. It was us and four other couples in the house with the best cable package. We had all trickled in starting at 4:45 am on a work day to watch match.

After a few hours the Indian team's chances looked very good and it was decided that the drinking should commence since it was 5 pm somewhere in the world.And in fact it was close to 5pm in the stadium where the match was being played. So the margaritas were rolled out.

Tequila!! My nemesis!! I like drinking as much as the next boozer but I have more than met my match in Tequila. Tequila and I are not friends. We eye each other warily, pretend for the sake of company that all is well. I will take a tentative sip and smile. The Tequila for its part will slide down my gullet, warm my insides and pretend like it will make me feel better. But I know better than to be fooled. Well, I know better now. Since the couple of nights I did not know better, are remarkable in that I do not remember large parts of them. What I do remember are the mornings after. So to cut a long story short Tequila and I are not friends.

So after a couple of sips so nobody was the wiser about our tenuous past, I decided to call it a day. My husband not suffering from a similar experience with tequila (his nemesis for a while was brandy) polished off his margarita with much gusto. Day time drinking on what should be a work day while the Indian cricket team was doing everything right.. it was the stuff that dreams are made off.

The wives and husbands still in various makeshift beds, since the early hour that the match had started at had warranted blankets, comforters and pillows. All this and more were piled in front of the TV. The mood was one of contentment and cautious excitement. The sun streamed into the room as the day progressed. The early rising coupled with the margaritas and the afternoon sun was making everyone just a little drowsy. The Indian victory seemed imminent.

Watching my husband put his glass down, I thought I would volunteer to be the designated driver on the way back. So I poked him with my finger to get his attention and said "Feel free to drink up , I can drive us back today".

The husband looked delighted for a moment and then probably realizing that it was still only 11 am reluctantly said "It's fine I think the one was enough for me. "

And suddenly, just like that, all hell broke loose.

"See she lets him drink when he wants to. Even drives him home after."

"He knows when to say no. I don' t see you turning down a second one."

"I don't see her nagging him about it."

"He probably doesn't drink at every given opportunity."

I and the husband, sidelined by this time just gaped at one other. I, for one, secretly felt just a twinge of pride that our degenerate ways coupled with enabling each others vices was finally paying off, even if it was for only a little while.

And well, the rest of them cheered up soon too after the pizza arrived to soothe our Tequila tummies and the Indian team delivered a much anticipated victory.

Lights Off

This is an exercise in telling a story with just dialogue.

Do help me get into the bath. Can you please make sure the little waterproof pillow is nearby, and my magazine rack?

Yes Ann.

Hold my hand now. I hope you dried your hand love. Cold hands give me the creeps.

I dried my hands Ann. In fact I am wearing these fleece gloves. Don't worry.

Aah, the water feels lovely though the bath water is a just a little cold. Thanks you. Oh don't go away. Dim the lights and just put the remote next to me? Also can you get place my towels near the foot. Thank you so much. Turn on the fragrance diffuser also for me. That is perfect

Are you comfortable now?

Yes thank you very much. So nice to see you around home.

You are welcome Ann.

Sooo. Where were you last night? It is not safe to go all over town in that little car. Someone should know your whereabouts you know. You could tell me. So, I can call someone god forbid something happens.

I only went to pick up your prescriptions Ann. You were all out of the pills. The ones I just gave you.

Oh ! Thank you. I was beginning to worry about you. Will you sit read a book or something in the bedroom outside so I can chat with you?

Sure Ann. I am sitting on the bed. I can hear your every word.

It has been a while since you had any time. And you have been so quite since you got back. After all that travelling for 6 months when you came back I had so many plans. But there you were pottering in the shed, driving off at odd times.I was so relieved to see you up this morning making coffee. And just delighted when you stayed in today.

Yes Ann, I wrapped up all I had to do. Just a few remaining items and that's it.

Well, I am glad. I only want your happiness you know. But spending all your time, your money and your energy chasing what is past!!! Paying detectives, late night meeting, trips to ends of the world. You are just putting yourself through hell for nothing. If they wanted you in their life they would not have made it so hard.

Yes Ann.

What does that say about she just upped and moved like that without an address or any contact information. And to do it when you had gone to meet physicians for that ... child.

My child Ann.

Your adopted child!! And all that time you used to spend with that child and the doctors. Oh don't be mad with me. You were always wonderful with him. If he had stayed, if she had let him stay you would have done your best I am sure and the child would have been the best.. for what he was I am sure. But as it stands you can live again. They miss you at work you know.

MY child was autistic and he was diagnosed late because of all the time we spent at work. We did not pay enough attention. I should have known better. Work gets along just fine without me.

Fine, fine!! Fine is not what you wanted before, you know. When your parents and I opened that restaurant we did not want fine either. We wanted the best. And what do we have now - 7 restaurants and growing. Each serving only the very best. And when they died ,you stepped up and learnt everything almost overnight. We were great together. Even with that stroke I would have never left if I did not have you to take over. Well, it is never too late. Now that the search is over we can all go back.

Ann I am selling them. I am selling all the restaurants.

Selling them. What are you talking about? What is wrong with you? With the two of them gone we need to move on. We will be each others strength. You can move in next door again. I have so many ideas for the business. And you can help me and we can build something your parents would have been proud off.

My parents would have been proud if I had taken care of my son.

That boy again. Well it isn't as if you did not try with him when they were here. And you also tried to find them after they left. What will you do for a job if you sell the restaurants? And you know you cannot sell without my consent.

I am opening a bakery Ann. In Cochin.

In Cochin?? Cochin?? Wait why did you come back from your trip? What is going on? What are going to do? You think you know everything. You know nothing. You must not believe everything she says.

I know Ann. I know you promised my wife that my son would get all your share if they went away. I know you told them that the business would fall apart without me working everyday at your precious restaurants. That you showed them papers that claimed we would go under in a 6 short months. When it was not true Ann. I gave you my 15 years of my life Ann and you took my family from me. You told her that I would not be able to support them if I continued to spend time with my son. That the costs would be too much. You took advantage of a woman half out of her wits with worry. And she believed you. But how did you think that it would last? In a previous life she was our best manager. She wrote me a month ago Ann. You knew they went to Cochin?

Yes I knew. I sent them all those checks didn't I? Well, I am sorry to have cared. Leave your future and go to Cochin but you are not selling any of my restaurants. If you are too blind to see what you are doing wrong, I cannot help you. And where do you think you are going to have the money for the bakery. I need to get out of this bathtub. Don't bother helping me. I can do this on my own. This is a self sufficient house you know.You are not needed. I can take care of myself and the restaurants on my own. Where is that stupid remote for the lights. There it is. Let me get out and I can shut the door behind ...

I will sell the restaurants Ann and my son will get your money. We will open a bakery in Cochin. I set up remote to short made easy when handled in a tub full of water. I only got to it this morning. But, I did not expect you oblige me so promptly Ann.

Made changes after some sharp critiquing by "friend".

Calling Out

Participating in Friday Fiction 221. The idea came to me almost immediately but I found this quite hard to write..

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Raghu sat there a stone throw away from the top of the hill with this ankle nestled in his hands. The pain shot through this ankle and through his feet and toes as he tried to flex his foot. In addition to the pain in his ankle he felt another wave of misery sweep through his insides. This had been a terrible idea.

Three years ago today he had lost his wife to a road accident. It had been the worst three years of his life. Three years ago he was a whole man. A man with a job, ideas, hobbies, friends and a wife that he had loved, who had loved him. His two children were grown and settled abroad. He had made trips with his wife to visit them every alternate year and they had visited the other years.

The death had caught him unprepared. As a child who had lost parents rather early he had always felt that he had already paid his dues. And his wife, his wife. What is left to be said about shared domesticity. It had not been high highs and low lows as his wife liked to say. They had always been a calm couple. Married young, they seemed to fit together well, well enough. And after his initial reluctance to love anyone who could die on him he had opened up.

They had weaved their daily routines, hobbies, friends in out around each other for the past 35 years - a great giant banyan tree of a relationship. And her death had caught him with his guard down. Taken his breath away. Sitting on top of the sparse hill he took a deep breath. It felt like the first one after a very long time.

This had been his first hike after... In the three years in between life had been so hard. Simple things. Getting up, getting dressed, going to work, not screaming out in pain, eating lunch, coming home, eating dinner, going to bed. Maintaining this simple routine seemed to take all that he had to offer. He had dared not introduce any variations with the fear that everything would come tumbling down.

To begin with friends had called, his children had called almost everyday but one by one all had dropped off. His children still called him once every week at the weekend but for the rest of time he was alone. Alone just barely managing to keep up his routine. He figured sooner or later the routine would get easier and then he could start reintroducing all of the other people, experiences into his life again.

This hike in fact was a variation. The last two years on this day he had waited patiently for his children to call and then once it was over had fallen apart over a bottle of wine. It was in fact the only day of the year that he allowed himself any alcohol. With his perceived predilection for alcohol, he had been terrified to drink at all after she had died.

As he sat alone with a sense of despair growing Raghu realised almost for the first time that it was never going to get easier. He tried to stand up and get moving but realised that the pain was just too much for him even to limp with most of his weight on his other leg. He sat down again and check his phone, there was only a tiny bit of charge left. Raghu did not have anyone to call who would willingly drop everything and come and get him. There were still a few friends who would do it with some private grumbling but the thought filled Raghu with despair. They would do it because they pitied him.

This was exactly what he was hoping to avoid with his unwavering routine. This feeling of helplessness, of despair, of rage at the unfairness of it all. If he let everything in he was not sure he could cope.

He lay back against a bare rock and looked up at the sky. The mountains cleared his head slowly. As the breeze rose he felt himself start to breathe deeply. He closed his eyes and the exhaustion from all the emotions made his muscles go limp. He made up his mind and picked up the phone and dialed.

It rang and went to voicemail
" Hi this is Malini Raghu. I am not available at the moment but please leave your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day"

For the first time in all the time he had listened to her voice he smiled a little at his dirty little secret. Continuing to pay her mobile bill had been an indulgence to begin with but off late he felt guilt and shame at his inability to move on. Maybe he should have made a little more of a scene, cried more, drank more, been a bigger disaster. Maybe then three years would not have found him on a hike alone with no one to call.

He sat up and decided to wait for the two youngsters that had been in front of him through the hike. They had reached the top and had gone on further to visit the waterfall. The thought of inconveniencing strangers did not fill him with dread at the moment. He would make a scene. And when he got home he would call his children, cry some more, take a vacation, let it hurt some more.

Kalaivani

My first ever attempt at fiction. I am attempting Fiction Friday Challenge 220.
Be gentle its my first time. :)

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It was a typical day in June in Delhi. At 10 am the heat was already unbearable. I was 11 years old, it was my summer vacation and the last thing I wanted to do was stand in a queue outside the Saraswati temple. We were here for my dance classes. Although I was a disappointment to my parents in almost every other way I still redeemed myself by being somewhat of a prodigy when it came to Bharatnatyam. We were here to enroll me in special dance classes offered by Dr Parthasarathy. Dr Parthasarathy was a retired DRDO scientist who had a passion for dance. After 35 years of brilliant work at the DRDO he was now a retired man who worked as the priest at the Saraswati temple.

In addition to being a brilliant scientist and a learned priest he was also a highly sought after dance teacher with many gifted disciples. And he was accepting students for this year. So my family along with dozen others were queued up outside the Saraswati temple so he could choose one or two of us and accept us as his disciples.

In a fit of rebellion I had worn my pink shorts and an Aerosmith t shirt. Although it served the purpose of infuriating my parents I felt miserable now as I watched all the pretty older girls in their salwar kameez. As much as I wanted to annoy my parents I also really enjoyed dancing. Although I had heard my parents talking about how traditional and strict Dr Parthasarathy was I had also heard about how he had made gifted children into brilliant dancers. He was known to give a special soul to dance performances that he choreographed.

So now miserable in my pink shorts I felt I had no chance against this pantheon of teenage girls all of whom seemed like a better pick than younger, smaller me in my pink shorts.

The queue wound from the rear entrance of the temple to the beginning of the parking lot. There was commotion at the parking lot that was getting louder and louder. It seemed some of the street children had captured a black cat and had tried to set the cat on fire using a magnifying glass. Although some of the parents from the queue had interfered to rescue the cat they were since then throwing things at the cat to shoo it away. A black cat was considered a bad omen and they did not want the cat anywhere near their pretty, perfect daughters. The cat stupidly was standing its ground.

My eyes filled with tears as I watched the cat shrink into a ball. And though none of the parents were hurting the cat it was clear that the cat was terrified. My parents who had been standing with their backs to me to show how mad they were now moved closer to me. One of them put their arm over my shoulder as I continued to watch the cat. It must have been the anticipation of rejection, along with a feeling of camaraderie with that cornered cat but tears started rolling down my cheeks.

After what seemed like forever my father finally sighed. "Come, lets go get the poor thing". A wave of relief swept over me as we walked past the parents who by now had begun to ignore the cat. My father picked the animal up and finding a collar around its neck said " Its a house cat. Shame on them."

The cat seemed to sense it was safe and uncurled itself and let itself be patted. My father was always good with animals. I found myself blurting. " I am sorry about the clothes, Dad. Maybe I will get in next time. Really sorry dad."

My father looked up and grinned at me. "Don't worry chotu. You are a great dancer. And I think our chances just improved." Through my tears I now saw what my father was looking at. A tiny ring attached to the collar of the cat with the inscription.

"Kalaivani - C/0 Dr Parthasarathy".

Time for a change already?

Seasons are like life in that when you have one you crave for another.

Being a girl whose heart will always belong to Delhi I adore winters. Winters in Delhi are the most beautiful thing. The warm sunshine trying to cut through foggy mornings. Winter is when the plants get a respite from the sweltering heat and all the gardens come alive with flowers. Sweaters come out and my ma will start dressing in layers equal to 5 or above. There are small impromptu bonfires. Apples find there way to the shops, also pahadi alu and special red carrots that end up in large pots of gajar halwa.

But winter in New Jersey is another thing altogether. The trees are barren, the sky is overcast, the snow on the ground that is so dreamlike when it first falls turns a dirty brown color and stays on the ground until the spring melt. My two old cars sputter and threaten to die, the roads are treacherous. The produce section in stores dwindles to a colorless mass as the season progresses. I took to jogging in the morning this winter, anything to feel heat in my limbs but snow on the ground and cold needles against my face was more than I could withstand on a daily basis. I finally understand why summer a season much maligned in a tropical county is so revered in North America.

I tell you all this because I have been craving cold weather lately. Maybe it is that as a fat child I have always found comfort in layers, maybe it is the string of festivals I associate with cold winter air. Whatever it is I am looking out already for fall, the first nip in the air, sweaters, hot stews, pies .... all that.

Word a day.

With age and a relatively mature endocrine system ( cos my pimples would have me believe otherwise) I find I am pretty positive person. In comparison to my teen years when I was a cynical, know-it-all (thank you Ma for tolerating me without any bloodshed) I am Mary Poppins herself. In fact I find I slowly drift away from people who are constantly negative.

And this word a day I have been getting this week has inspired me to start learning Spanish since it looks like the biggest buzz kill of them all is the English language itself

hircine - Of or relating to a goat, having a strong odor, lustful; lewd.
porcine- Of or related to swine, piggish: greedy; sloppy; boorish.
anserine - Of or relating to a goose. stupid; silly.
bovine - Of or relating to cattle, especially a cow, dull; sluggish; stupid.


What is this asinine need to take the perceived negative in all animals and then use it to describe people? Oh ... Oops.

Ironic?

The SlutWalks was started in Canada to protest against a comment by a police officer about how women should dress to avoid attack. There is to be a Slut Walk in Delhi at the end of July.

For me the issue is important. There should be very clear demarcation about where the responsibility lies in case of any crime against women. This is not just about what she wears but also about how a woman behaves. For me it is about being allowed to be. To do what I want, when I want , how I want and to not have to factor in how men or anybody else feel about it.

The media attention on this issue in India so far is a little distressing. Instead of highlighting that crimes against women is on the rise and that society needs to take responsibility about how women are treated in our country, the attention has shifted yet again to what women will wear. Ironic? Sad? Frustrating? All of the above?

Articles in media here, here.

He knows too much!!

Me : "I discovered this new show that I really like on Netflix. It is about this guy who is a therapist and it is rather funny. Very insightful"

Hubby : (Looks at the TV where the show is paused) "This one?"

Me : "Wanna watch?" (switching the show to play again)

Hubby : "Ha! I know why you like this show!!"

Me : "Yeah!! I just told you he is a therapist, it is funny and insightful..."

Hubby ( interrupting rudely) : "What, You find this guy hot. That's why you like this show. This is same guy in ....." ( names the other show where I reportedly checked out this guy)

Me : "Whoa!!! Really?? Is it the same guy?" ( Look at the screen closely and then check IMDB) "I think you are right. But that is not why I like the show!!!"

Hubby ( gives me a look ) : "I know all the guys you find cute. "( walks away proudly)


As my husband and I grow together we know each other better, we understand when the other person is sad, happy, what the other person finds funny, likes for breakfast and so on and so forth. But now I think he might know too much!!!!

Note to self - stop using so many exclamation marks!! Maybe large bold capital letters or red to indicate emphasis. OR WILL THAT be even more ANNOYING!!!

Right Now

It a beautiful sunny afternoon. It was only two weeks ago that I could not believe my good fortune on being able to sit outside in the sun on a weekday. And two weeks later I am sitting indoors in front of a book or a laptop on a bright sunny afternoon. The AHA moment that I got when I quit job has started fading and I am getting plagued with same fear and doubts that I have had for all my life.

I find myself pouncing at all examples of people who had taken some time off and then found their way back. I revisit my decision and think about if I could have somehow stayed at that job a little while longer. I reassure myself and set internal deadlines.

And today after a few days of relative fogginess it hit me that this was what got me where I am in the first place. What do I want to do in life is a very big question. But what do I want to do NOW is not. Yet I seldom ask myself that and fewer times follow through.

Here, present, right now what do I want? Our lives are full of tales of the caution for the people who don't plan for the future. Life lessons not learnt not first hand but handed down like a sacred text.

If I did not know any of these lessons, if I knew nobody else who quit their job, if I knew nobody who liked chocolate, what would I want to do?

And to start with what would I want to do right now with no thought to the future. For I am sure the secret to the bigger question lies in an answer to that.

Thank you Shubha for a related thought.

I wrote this a week back and almost didnt post it. This morning I got up again with doubts and anxiety and when I read this I feel some relative clarity come back into my thoughts...

More empty spaces

Since I am still working on delivering on my promises to self to write more in this blog, I decided to go ahead and open another space that I could neglect. I opened a blog space to update stuff about food, garden and other random things I do in my life.
So please visit
http://bhooklagihai.blogspot.com/

Blue and Black Thumb

Three years ago I packed all my bags and moved all the across the vast land mass of the United States of America from Portland, Oregon to New Jersey. Portland the city of roses has a milder winter full of rains and a summer blessed with long sunny days, being farther away from the equator. New Jersey on the other hand has relatively cold winters with snowfall that has increased every passing winter, followed by a rainy spring, a short fleeting summer, a surprisingly cold fall and then quickly back to the increased snow that I was talking about. So needless to add that the very summer I got here I decided to utilize the whole 4 and half months of warm weather we get to start gardening

Gardening is a pastime of the retired, people who enjoy a slower pace. You spend long hours out in the sun pottering with plants, while your pretty neighbour lady in a summery frock picnics in the lawn and waves to you. The plants which you picked after much consideration thrive under all your attention. And in return for all these sunny days, your house is full of fresh produce and fragrant beautiful cut flowers.

Or so they would have you believe. After three long seasons (before anyone jumps to any conclusions they were long only in my head the sunshine was beautiful but very brief), the one thing I have learnt is that whoever came up with gardening or maybe it was the maker of those weirdly expensive gardening gloves I see all over the place (24.99 for gloves that I am going to stick in mud, I don't think so) was very, very good at PR.

Things you should know when you start:

- When the seed company guarantees that a seed will work, if you provide not too much or too little water, not too much or too little sunshine, no squirrels (I hate squirrels but that is an another entry), no birds, the appropriate nutrients in the appropriate quantity, the appropriate drainage, the correct container size... And no they will not put all that on the back of the packet because that would leave less place for the bold 100 % guarantee that they like to display there.

- Squirrels/birds do not like the hedge plants that were mass produced by Lowe's and planted by your apartment complex a couple of feet away from the Thai basil plant that you have grown from seed. They like your 4 class teacher know what to get at to make you cry. To my 4 class teacher - thank god you had to go on long vacation half way through that year. I would never have made it without that break. I never asked why you went away because I was just so glad to be rid of you and thought I would jinx it if asked too many questions.

- If you water your plants thoroughly before a vacation it will rain all the time you are not there and you will come back to water clogged plants. If your do not water your plants there will be a heat wave that will break records and your heart.

- You will never remember what you planted what seed no matter how good your memory is. All containers with seeds must be labeled. Since I have always been told I have a mind like a sieve I am not sure why I made that mistake.

- It is very important to pick produce at the right time. That is when they taste the best and provide maximum nutrition. What is the right time to pick produce? - The week you were working late in office with takeout Greek food or the week you went for the vacation that you planned 6 months ago. Those two weeks and the week you were down with flu.

- Keeping your seedlings in the "slightly" warm oven to accelerate growth is an accident waiting to happen.

- Despite twisted backs, chipped nails, grazed knees I keep hearing about tennis elbows, golf elbows, runners' knee and not one whisper about any gardening related injuries. They are very real. Be careful and please garden while making loud noises about how hard it is with a considerate husband within earshot.

- Visit nurseries after steeling yourself against plants that will be twice the size of your plant and also will have been grown organically from an heirloom seed passed down for generations in the family of the nursery owner. Your little plant may have taken more of your time and effort and maybe from a seed that you picked in a catalogue but at least it costs more money than it would to buy this plant (wait that doesn't sound right).

Despite all this gardening is a very rewarding hobby and first thing I look at every morning are my stunted, overpriced beauties. It is indeed a hobby fit for royalty- you know with all the help they can hire...

Enjoy

All iz well

I got up earlier than usual this morning with a smile on my lips. It is a Sunday with crisp, cold spring air that helped drive away any remaining sleep from my eyes. So I checked my plants, which are flourishing courtesy all this attention they are getting, made an aromatic cup of coffee and sat down with my laptop.
Read Ratan Tata's interview which upset me a little since here is a man to be respected speaking with little regard for work life balance. The article has some eye catching headline about Mukesh Ambani but what caught my attention was Ratan Tata's views on calling meetings at the end of the day. I got a little mad and sat down and put my anger down on paper. But in doing so lost my anger. I feel a little of my peace come back to me these last weeks. So I do not want to send out judgement and opinion into the world this early in the day.
Instead here is a picture of some spinach and lettuce from my patio full of pots. The lettuce was lovely in a salad yesterday.

A Year Wiser

It has been a crazy year. I have grown a year older, hopefully also a year wiser. I have found it difficult to write this past year. I have had much less time to myself. But the real reason was the place I found myself in life.

Writing for me, even when I write jokes involves a moment of introspection. That is why writing makes me just a little calmer, just a little happier. The process gives me an excuse to collect my thoughts and look at life. Even if it just to pick something from my life to write about.

This past year however my life could not stand up to any introspection. I found myself in a job I did not enjoy at the end of commute that took time away from anything else which would have made the job worthwhile. I have been angry, frustrated and defeated. I have thought about what I should do rather than what I want and in doing so what I want has become hazier and hazier. I have been trying to fit in and have failed miserably.

A week ago, I finally quit my well paying job. I am unemployed yet I feel strangely free. I am just beginning to feel like myself again. I still panic every other day and feel a flood of fear and confusion. All my thoughts are clouded once again with the immediate. But once the first wave of fear has subsided, all the reasons why I am here come back. I have no idea what I am going to do next but in finding myself here I feel more alive than I have felt in a long time. My life can once again stand up to some examination and that alone is a step forward.

Today

It is one of those days. I have been having more and more of these.

I have the day off. The day stretches ahead with no plans, no to-dos, nothing to be accomplished, no place to be, nobody to meet, nothing to enjoy. Just time, with all of its possibilities. No running away from my thoughts. No filling the day with repeats of yesterday. A blank slate - at least for the day.

I have to unlearn so much to finally start learning again.

Teen Saal Baad

After three years of marriage, the husband and I may not finish each others sentences but have gotten to know each other very very well. Once in while this level of comfort is rather amusing.

For example I am notoriously clumsy. I am not sure how but in a matter of seconds I can wreak havoc. To a stranger the resulting damage would seem quite disproportionate to what caused the accident and the whole thing would look like a freak accident. But I know better than to write off any accident that I am a part of as a freak one.

This morning I was in the kitchen making an omelette and husband was on the phone with his father making small talk. At one point I turned around to find that the kitchen towel that was lying on the counter had caught fire and was burning at a rather alarming rate. After spending a few more seconds panicking and being useless I finally picked it up and dropped it on the very combustible floor mat.

The fire continued to burn and now had begun to blacken floor mat. I now tried to put the fire out with some oily cloth hand mittens ( because I am like that). While I was busy making a smoky mess in the kitchen, I noticed the husband had walked over to kitchen to stare at what I was doing with a amused grin on his face. And without interrupting the conversation about weather and car trouble gestured that I should drop the burning towel on the floor instead of the mat.

Together we managed to put the fire out. After which the husband ( still on the phone) wet the embers of the burning cloth to prevent all further mishaps and cleaned up the kitchen floor.

And apart from a wisecrack much later ( if you knew him you would know that though he is a good man, he cannot hold wisecracks in) there was no other exchange about what had happened.