Scene one(Temashek hall, NUS - my room): Aquila's gtalking and I'm sipping the Raspberry Vodka I split with her. The vodka's getting to me, I guess. I turn to her and go, "doesn't all this feel nice and grown-up. Sitting in a different country, chatting with your best friend and drinking pink-colour alcohol? Like your childhood dream?" She turns back and smiles.
Half and hour later:
Aquila: Do you still feel on top of the world?
Me: No!
Scene 2 (Fruit shop, Anna Nagar): I'm meeting two of my school friends - Banu and Archana - after four years. We haven't met or spoken since school, but we used to be pretty close then. I called them on an impulse and we decided to meet.
Archana: So, what you planning to do next?
Me: PhD, hopefully.
Banu: But won't that take a long time?
Me: 5 years, if I'm luck (yes, I think of Mike Slakenerny and smile!)
Archana: So, when you planning to get married??
Me: M-M-mmarried?
Banu: Yeah..
Me: After that I guess.. Why? When you guys planning to get married?
Archana: In another year or two I guess.. They're looking out.
Me: Looking out??? But that's so... grown up!
Scene 3 (I'm having a messaging conversation with a 'friend*'). Friend sends me a message "... so, we suspected my girlfriend was pregnant and I had to got her a test.."
Me: ??????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* I'm obviously not gonna tell you who I'm talking about, so don't even bother asking!
Scene 4 (Bakkiya's house): We're sipping juice and listening to her describe labour pains and how great it is (yeah, you heard me right the first time)! Sug is listening. Soumya and I look at each other. Um, but this is what adults - older women talk about! Not.. not us!!!
Scene 5 (On the phone): A friend is telling me about his taxes and arrears. I go "Ha, ha, you have arrears". I hear a frown which conveys 'grow up already'. I try to cover up with "It sounds so.. you know.. grown up. It's what parents do!!". It does!
Scene 6 (Suganya's wedding): Some dude goes "I welcome Mr.Allen and Mrs. Suganya Princess". Mrs???????
Scene 7 (In the car): Archana goes "do you know we are over age for all sports training camps in the city? Everyone tells us 'we'll let you know if we start a senior batch!'" We are??
Scene 8 (last night, outside my gate): We're returning from Soumya's sister's wedding. Divvya (for those of you who don't know, Divvya is my oldest friend. We've been 'best-friends' since 2nd standard) was dropping me home. It was around 11.30 in the night. I was the last one to be dropped, as usual (It's because I live the closest to her place. Plus I'm good with directions). I had to keep going 'turn left, go right, go straight' since Deena's house.
Finally we entered my colony. I said "you're supposed to know this place.. you grew up here!!"
She goes "yeah, I know"
But to irritate her I continued "take a right here".
"I know"
"Left"
"I know"
"Go straight."
I get a glare.
(At my road) "Turn right"
"Hello? I know!!!!"
"First house on the left."
"Oh, apadingala (Is that so)?? I didn't know.."
We both laughed as I got out of the car and she waited till I got into the house before leaving - like her dad and granddad used to do the many times they dropped me over the past 15 years. I thought of 15 years ago when I actually didn't know her house and went searching for it with my maid on Diwali day. She came back home with me that day and it's been 15 years since then. But it seems like just yesterday. Not that I mind the drop-you-off-post-11-and-make-sure-you're-in-before-i-take-off thing. It kinda feels nice.
(Who am I kidding?)
It feels real good and all.. well, grown up.
Maybe, just maybe, being grown up isn't so bad after all! :-)
We don't talk anymore
4 weeks ago
20 comments:
sorry! the position of a chick with growing up blues (or whatever) has already been taken by aquila! we dont need another one. do we?
Speak for yourself. I just found a *gasp* grey hair today. And I'm a year younger than you are!
@ Achal: I'll let Aquila reply to you herself! :-P
@ Ess: *points and laughs*
Ess: you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
Chitra: I learnt yesterday that your name means picture. After reading that post, I can see where the thousand word adage came from :)
Ah, growing up, can't say I don't miss childhood - parents could make anything okay. That shield is gone now.
At NUS, did you have mirrors on the ceiling?
@Roshan: I dunno if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult :-/ And it better not be the latter!
Didn't get the mirror joke though! :-P
Chitra: Mirrors on the ceiling will allow you to look at yourself while lying down. From the fan's viewpoint. Or from the sky's telephoto viewpoint if there was no ceiling. But there is a ceiling. Or is there? You acknowledge a ceiling cause you can see it, and the cobwebs decorating it. But what if you see yourself instead? is the mirror the ceiling? Is the ceiling the mirror? Or both? Or neither? Who are you? You get Roshan's drift?
Roshan: Enter The Dragon should have had ceiling mirrors in that last fight in the mirrored room. And one shot a top reflection.
Chitra again: What does a mirror symbolize?
am glad u're enjoying adulthood. am wondering if there's any way i can go back to the age of twelve :)
me wonders what happens when a 22 year old flicks marbles at strangers. And what happens when you flick marbles,lying down, at the mirrors on the ceiling ?
@ Satyaki: Neither the mirror nor the ceiling can exist if not observed. Only by seeing do I make it an observable. The same holds for me also. I think Roshan wants me to put a mirror so I become an observable. God save the world where I may not be!!
@ Pseudo: I would, but the thought of retaking board exams deters me! :-P
@ Sido: If the 22 year old boy is you, it wouldn't reach. Because you can;t see the mirror you see.
Enter the Dragon was quite a fabulous movie, Satyaki. That last scene was pretty damn awesome.
Sido: In my day, if you flicked marbles at strangers, they'd pinch them. Some of my favourites too, in blue and all.
I remember once feeling an irrational rage at someone before realising it was because that person had a marble that was very similar to one I had when I was young. They stoled it from me, I'm sure.
@ Roshan: So that's how you lost your marbles! An insight after many many years or wondering about it.
(P.S: Not very original, but you were asking for it anyway)
Chitra: Philosophical crap.
Roshan: *nods in complete agreement*
Chitra: ha ha, great amusement has been had. Reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes comics where hobbes makes that smart ass remark and it strikes calvin only later that night.
@chitra
"Neither the mirror nor the ceiling can exist if not observed."
you can make your mid-sems vanish if you close your eyes hard enough?
@ Satyaki: Actually, yes. Only we call it q.mechanics. ;-)
@ Roshan: Me being Hobbes or Calvin?
@ Sido: The marks will! :-(
Chitra: Philosophical crap.
@Satyaki: :-D
point. maybe am fine the age i am :)
If it makes you feel any better, I feel I've got early-onset non-rheumatoid osteoarthritis. The kind 60-year-olds get.
@ Pseudo: I'm sure you are! :-)
@ Chicken: And you're just 11 days older than me.. * Sigh *
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