I have never once understood, why two seemingly opposite souls who cannot in their sane minds, stand each other, almost always end up cupid-struck, by design. What is it that truly draws a fully filmy, couldn’t care less, no filters needed, wet towel on the bed kind of personality to a well organized, no nonsense, all cursing barred, intellectual sorts, is beyond my limited understanding of humans. Especially those that choose to be bound by holy matrimony. The only thing my marriage has taught me is that one makes money while the other spends it, like there is no tomorrow. Holiness is found nowhere except temples and such. 

Leave alone getting mangled by marriage, these two idiots become completely incorrigible as time goes by. And as though correcting each others’ faults wasn’t enough, they engage in the virile act of reproduction, ending up as the proud creators of a new cosmos, only to realize years later, they are merely mini versions of themselves. It is only after a couple of decades together, that it begins to hit hard, life is all Karma! What goes around comes around. 

So if you, like me have ignored your geela tohliya for the first decade of married life and never once flinched about its repercussions on your spouse, one of the two kids you brought to life will make sure it is their duty to haunt you for the rest of your time alive. And no, not just with the wet towel, but with every single thing in their possession. Like when they enter home after a tired day at school, you see shoes and socks strewn by the door of the shoe rack, school bag lying abandoned on the floor four steps ahead of the footwear, headphones and wallet nonchalantly thrown on the sparkling clean dining table, making merry conversations with fresh flowers that, most certainly do not expect to oblige such well commuted perfunctory items for company, while the bed seems to be working over time, with guess what? 

A junior geela tohliya!

While all items that act as bread crumbs and lead me to the culprit marking the trail, I am reminded of Seeta apharan. Only, there are prized possessions from the daily grind, instead of her jewellery. And, for the first time in a decade, I truly feel for the man who should by the way, be awarded the Nobel prize in patience and acceptance. But the universe has its own ways of rewarding. And so while one daughter inherits all chaotic genes from the mother and sports quota from the father, the other sibling chopes organization genes from the Deshpande clan. But she also owns my brag-worthy DNA; my talkative prowess and at the risk of being called narcissistic and under complete disagreement by the pati ka parivar, truckloads of my beauty. It is never age that fades away that which lies in the eyes of the beholder. It is the washout with each popping kid. Now its out. You know the secret. 

So, back to the organized bundle of joy. She finds my most vulnerable moments to perform her priceless monologues. Like when the better half is traveling and I am on the sofa, spread out like a buffet, enjoying the world cup quarter finals all by myself, where missing even a single ball is a crime, as though I am the third umpire who the others will call in case of DRS. Or like, when I am dressed to go out and ready to fish for compliments, but guess what she is just as dressed and is looking at me with puppy eyes. Any mention of the better half or her sister having better features of any sort are enough to wage a war. But being the mother of all expectation, I shower her with compliments and wait desperately in anticipation of reciprocation. But the minute I have done my bit, she has a monologue waiting instead of satisfying my girlie desires. Or like the time when I have a few calls to make, a couple of reminders to put and decide between the 1001 choices for cooking the easiest dinner. And that’s when she truly nails it. Comic timing of the universe, shall we say? While my ears are wide open, my eyes and hands have betrayed her trust. That is when she hurls out at me,

“I could be out there giving TED Talks changing lives. And yet, the one person I am talking to and giving all my attention chooses to ignore me!”

At that, I burst out laughing. My pending reminders suffer a breach mid way; all thoughts of dinner vanish, and anything else on my list suffers from the gags my sweetheart has just presented to me. I wonder, how skewed the wiring of the brain can get. The girls get their patience and sense of humor from the better half. The organization bit follows a deep sense of divide and rule. And there are many more traits that have found home in either one or both the girls. But then, it is the these very traits placed in the most twisted ways, governed by fate, that make up for the university of life. And if the world is designed to pain you, it is your own flesh and blood that is meant to sting, real deep. It is upto you, whether you learn from it or choose to suffer. Imagine, some day, these humans will fall in love with those that bring them their lessons. After all, what goes around, definitely comes around!

P.S. Over the years, my impressionable brain may have picked some skills from the better half. He may have mastered the art of letting go. But most of all, I have learned to accept people and situations the way they are. And letting myself be who I am; growing at my pace and letting others blossom at theirs. The control buttons seem to be running on auto pilot. How about you?