Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Wonder Years

Growing up happens in a heartbeat.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a town ... a house like a lot of houses ...
A yard like a lot of other yards ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.

Happenings around me in the past few days brought back memories ....memories archived in remote parts of my brain. These made me smile, laugh quietly and brought tears to my eye in the knowledge that I would never again see the person who helped create all those memories.


I see an older generation passing by, bidding goodbye to this world,( I pray ) headed for a peaceful afterlife. Some are gone, few are left...and will cause the inevitable feeling of loss to those they leave behind. We are like the green leaf, watching the old leaves wither away, reminding us of our own mortality and reminding us to enjoy life to the fullest.

Wonder years

Growing up happens in a heartbeat.
One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone.
But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
I remember a place ... a school ... a school like a lot of schools ...
A building like a lot of other buildings ...On a street like a lot of other streets.
And the thing is ... After all these years,I still look back ... with wonder.



Saturday.... Am at home on a saturday morning after a longggg time. Coz our Marketing guru had some work and could not make it to the lecture.I remember getting up at around 9AM and being subjected to some light banter from dad for oversleeping(and I went... oh c'mon...9AM is too early esp. on a weekend ). I decided, I want to spend as little time as possible today, on my feet. I wanted to put my feet up and take it eazeee.
Now!! I am adept at 'appearing' busy doing nothing. But to to be seen as not doing anything and still not be asked by someone to do some work around the house...that is something I am yet to master.
Then I thought...........I can laze away an entire morning and afternoon too, if I somehow manage to push all the chores ( if any) onto my bro.(uhhh...maybe promise him a game of Age of conquerors so that he can beat me black n blue and take out all his frustrations on me). I hoped for a lazy saturday evening too, but was booked for a family outing. So had to make most of the morning(whatever was left of it) and the afternoon.

But what do you know, surprisingly I had no chores all day. So I did not have to offer myself for an AOC massacre. But that did not stop him from pulling me in for a quick game later that night and trashing me not once but twice, leaving me completely annoyed and irritated with him and my ego completely bruised.I expected to last atleast for an hour...and not lose in 20 mins flat!! :-D


I managed to lay my hand on a couple of books 'How opal mehta got kissed......'
and an yet to be released novel by Abbot ( one advantage of having a sis who is Sr.Manager in the marketing div. of a large chain of bookstores).It was my dream day!


Then in the late afternoon, by 3 or 3.30PM, I got a call on my cell phone....

Caller(female with shrill voice vaguely familiar):"hi Nagesh, I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?"
Me: "who is this?"
Caller:I am your friend here.Can you come to xyz?
Me:(thinks 'this HAS to be a prank' what girl in her right mind will call me!):"sry, I'm busy now.Cant come anywhere."
Caller: I am XXX.
Me: whoa! You!? When did u change your phone number!!
Caller(seemingly in a hurry to hang up): Will you come to xyz?
Me: alrite... will get there in another 10
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No I did not go to xyz and become the bakra.
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A couple of incoming calls; one from the same female, one from a school friend(why did HE call!!. If not for him, I might yet have fallen for
this ;-) ) roused my suspicion further.Then an outgoing sms confirmed the identity of the callers..aahh thankfully!! Else, the embarassment would have been ultmate.

I saved myself the blushes.When they realised, I was not taking the bait, they owned up. I met them later and then pushed off for my family outing.
It was my friends from school, on an unannounced get-together. The kids from KK, now all grown up and working or going abroad for higher studies.

Unexpected, it spoiled my plans for a lazy afternoon, but a pleasant surprise nevertheless. Seeing some of them after 6-7 years brought back some amazing memories.