“And where is my gift?” I ask A. We are both still in bed… the morning sun
trying desperately to throw darts at our eyes through the gaps in the window
blinds. Having snoozed the alarm clock a good four times, we know we are
getting late for work. But the thought of squeezing in another 10 minutes of
precious sleep, is too tempting.
Minutes before, I gave him a Valentine’s Day card and a
massage voucher (a couple’s massage, actually). Knowing well that he wouldn’t
worry about VDay gifts, I thought a couple’s massage would cover us both. To be
honest, we don’t really celebrate VDay. We are too old for it, we say….although,
we said that six years back too. But I really wanted a massage…and I knew A
would enjoy one too. So I just timed it around VDay. Simple.
Surprised at my new-found love for VDay celebrations (that’s
what he thought), the poor guy was a little embarrassed. He had nothing to give
me, in return. In fact, the look on his face was like “now-come-on-this-is-cheating-we-never-do-VDay”.
And it gave me immense pleasure to see his discomfort! Yes, I am nice, like
that.
So he thanked me and finally got out of bed and went
straight into the shower, while I decided to laze for another 10 minutes. Out from
the shower, he looked like a man on a mission. Clearly, he had utilised the
shower time to think (strategise/plan…to be more precise).
Clearing his throat…he makes an announcement.
“I’ll go out at lunch time and buy you a BIG gift”.
And what made this extremely scary was the tone. The tone
was like “Wait and watch. I’ll have my revenge.”
To my ears, this sounded like a threat. I usually don’t
appreciate surprises, especially if they haven’t been thought out and involve a
lot of money. My theory is, if you want to give me a gift…ask me what I would
like before spending a huge amount. Don’t get me wrong. I like little surprises
like flowers, breakfast in bed, a dinner date, a home-cooked meal, a book, a
card with a lovely note placed at my desk, a fragrant bath with scented candles
lit in the bathroom. But buy me an iPad or a mobile phone or diamonds without
consulting me…and I won’t like it a bit.
So, his words naturally scared me. Especially the word “BIG”,
which I knew he had carefully chosen, just to irk me.
What followed next was a series of “No, please don’t” and “Oh
yes, you wait and watch”! I think I even said “Sorry, I shouldn’t have bought
you anything for VDay”. Imagine….apologising for buying someone a gift, which
he clearly liked!
Out from my shower, I run to the breakfast table because I
could smell something. And this time, it did not smell like trouble. It was the
smell of “anda-bhurji-pau” (an Indian version of spicy scrambled eggs cooked
with onion and tomatoes and herbs, served on a thick slice of toasted bread…a popular
street food in Maharashtra). It was my favourite, and he knew it.
And while I cleaned my plate, he smiled the smile of victory.
His revenge was taken.
