When you ask, “Where do you go so often?” I know for sure that you weren’t expecting an essay for an answer. But if that’s what I feel like doing, let rains save you from me. I am one of your typical guy next door characters. Shy, with a gentle smile, which you often misunderstand. The guy who looks down on the road when a girl looks at him? You are a bit surprised! The next question would be, Really? Are there really guys like you anymore? You hardly notice guys like me.
Now to really answer your “Where do you go so often?” I spend a lot of time in my coffin. You know the kind of 12 ft x 6 ft space some people call a room. I only call it a coffin, because I decay in there just the way a corpse would do. There isn’t much life in there. There is a table lamp, the table, a bookshelf, a cot, a wardrobe, mini fridge and my coat hanger. All arranged one next to the other.
I don’t watch much TV so hasn’t felt the need for one. I don’t really listen to music so there isn’t a music player. What a boring guy? Was that what you were thinking? Just before you make any conclusions let me tell you about my favourite possession. My 13.5” note book, She is a treasure. She commands a base of about 150 plus movies, about 5000 plus songs. Pirated and downloaded of course. I do watch a lot of genres in movies, but songs when I really feel the need to, which again is rare. I am sure you like art movies, just like me.
Now if you ask me what my favourite possession is I would have a tough time choosing between the table lamp and the coat hanger. I only call it a coat hanger, but it keeps all my dirty stuff from lying all over the room. But I like the light from my table lamp, always had one for the past 11 years. It gives me very unique vibes. A strange feeling of being there, I spend hours under its glow with my thinking cap on. It has always been there for me.
My bookshelves are always full, even though I don’t read much. I only have read two novels or rather two books again in the past 11 years. And before that I never migrated from the Boys and the Drews. If you dig in, you will definitely find some comics in one of the shelves. I do have some books which are very difficult for me to understand. But a few on occult sciences, market reviews, my autograph books, and a few strongly recommended must read, often passed on books which my friends really want me to read are always there. They also vanish as soon as they come as there are people who really want to read.
Hope you didn’t miss my roommate on the way in, whom I hardly get to see. If I am not occupied by any of the above I could be doing real interesting things in life, like watering my 3 pots of money plant in my little balcony. I bought the first one about 5 years back. I was all new to this desert and missed green life. I somehow made my selves believe that if they were well taken care of; my finances also would grow along. It’s been true so far my finances have tripled in 5 years, So much for a superstition.
Standing there I gaze at the stars, that’s when sometimes I am fooled looking at the lights from an airplane. How I wished it was all still and the glow got brighter. Sometimes there is moon and sometimes the clouds. There is nothing like the night sky. Hey don’t get ideas; I don’t smoke even in the balcony. I sometimes walk down to my ice cream joint at the middle of the night and ask for a cone. Sit at the park and lick it to the last drop. I live every little moment, like a baby would do.
I did miss out on my mini fridge. It only reaches a little over my knees. I only store ice creams, juices, pickles, honey and some ice. I use the ice very rarely. But when I am on my usually 2, not more than 5 sessions, I like them with lots of ice. I like to store my drinks, but hardly ever have I drunk alone. And never ever do I drink, when I am sad or fallen.
Water in any form is an in thing for me, the ice, the rains, the shower, the sea, the pool, the pond, the lake, the cornice, Not exactly in any particular order. I go to a swimming pool at a local club here; because that’s the only exercise I enjoy doing. I blew a lot of money on an annual membership. But that sometimes is when I really float over all the worries in life. After seeing your love for rain, I remembered my first rain in the desert. I had parked my car, walked out and got drenched. I couldn’t resist a small tribal dance.
Having said all this I need to make a confession, lest I start flirting with you in only words. I am married. She is very possessive and demanding like most women are. She takes a lot of my time and requires a lot of my energy. Unlike you on the 25th Floor, I belong to Ground Zero; with her life is a different ball game. So much for being the super Sales Guy, I enjoy my work very much, not that I like being a workaholic. There aren’t many more productive things to do than with her. Right now I am even working on a dream for us.
Friends and Family out here in the desert is a blessing. 2 Aunts, An Uncle, 5 Cousins and 9 of my MBA Classmates, 2 of my BBM mates, 7 of my Schoolmates are all here. I just made up the last few numbers. Of course it’s only much more and not less. This doesn’t count for any of my extended family, my second cousins and batch mates. I would be at the receiving end if I forgot my little ones, my nephews and nieces. I still have a complaint box hung around my neck. I manage with hugs and kisses and of course with the goddess on my tongue how can I go wrong?
My friends are very interesting. Sometimes they make me feel, I am the best they could have had. A little one owns a yatch, we go fishing couple of times a year before sunrise. It was a life time experience when I was floating over 70 ft of sea under me. There is this basket ball guy, for whom I kind of act like his ball boy. Give him any game; he would be extremely good at, except cricket. But then there is another one who is crazy only about cricket. Yet another one owns 5 hotels in the same city I live in. Hello hotels not restaurants.
People treat me like a guenie pig sometimes; I know what you may be thinking. You may want to remove the word starting with g and only use the one with p. Most of my friends are just married and they hate to be the g pig, but love to be the pig that u want me to be. As long as its food, I am always there. I really invest my time and money on my friends, the rich and the poor, the famous and the not so famous. But then again I know only of two of my friends who are not doing exactly well. One is a lawyer, used to be a trader, but being the agrarian economy India is neither is he doing any good. Though I know he can be good at his profession, he is not for now. Then there is he who met with an accident who has a limp and a lisping as his new friends. He hasn’t bounced back after that.
Just like you I don’t like sad endings. I also do have friends who are famous and influential. One of my old classmates got married to Surya’s sister. Yes the same one who is married to Jyotika and of Tamil Ghajani Fame. Then there are couple of Ministers sons, Mayors nephew, once a chief minister’s daughter, these are just a few of the people I know. So what, that’s always the next question? I am still the same “super wanna be”. But there is always pride in letting people know that you know people who know you know who. Reality check, I still try to know, help and not help if I can all the people I knew and has been with. The count could run into a few hundreds. Sometimes I get to coordinate their visits to our so called beautiful desert, just like yesterday.
I am convinced that I have multiple personality disorder. How else can I enjoy so much of varied activity? Though I am not a typical club hopping character, I do have my own share of night outs and club visits, Of course with the right people. A person like me is not expected to speak much about my female friends, especially at a stage when you spend quite some time looking out for a better half. But I really enjoy the times when I let myself loose. It was one such lovely night, when the pretty once were scarce. Me with my five friends and all the famous connections were thrown out of five very famous night clubs that night. I understood the importance of knowing one bouncer, just one bouncer.
Crazy? Is that what you think I am? 1 + 1 is 11. What would be that person be doing to drive that car, that I can’t do? Money doubles It selves? No work beyond 5 to 10 years? Everyone is right from their own perspectives? Staying positive, always? Not doing Intentional Bad? These are a few of my favourite research areas. Otherwise I am building my castles in the air. You know the kind of business plans, the strategies, unique thoughts; expressions. They become so easy when I draw it in the air. There are no opinions, no comments, no fear, no suggestions, and no worries. It’s a unique world with in one, were I ramble with words, thoughts, numbers, emotions and what not. I weigh and I also nurture. I feel heavenly, I feel peace, and I feel unique.
May be I will write a book one day. Never felt that I am any extraordinary writer, but I have always had stories for people, about sweet nothings in their life, and mine. How similar yet different it is to one another. I like to put people to sleep. It’s one of the most interesting things that I have ever done in my life. Everyone says I have an excellent voice. But no one sees me, or what I feel. I feel the innocence in their sleep and so I seek the innocence within me.
After all this I still manage to be lazy, that kind of revitalizes me. I sleep for long hours in my coffin. I ignore the calls from my friends and family. I am not building any castles on air nor on ground zero. I sometimes lay back on my bed with my notebook, and read through your liberated soul. I see a piece of mine within.
