My Addam's Family

Yet another airport lounge. I am stuck here thanks to my frequent flier obsession; I book the always-getting-delayed jet airways.  I am very much on the way of becoming one of those characters in up in the air, not that I mind it (life with no baggage and all). I was in Hyderabad for four days in all, not even four complete days but I already reached my limit of domestic bliss. I don’t like being in the role of the dutiful daughter being chaperoned around. I have to be in character, all smiles and passing around good advice to all those kids. It is freaking exhausting, because I am not that person and can never be one; try how much ever I may.

I had to do the round of meeting my relatives (this never was a problem when I was in Chennai, the showing off did not reach its epoch for then I was just a measly IIT person, but now I am this alien being who has achieved something so abnormal, that I have to paraded around with my gult-armour  with a nice suit, bindi, bangles, anklets, the whole shebang!). Naïve me forgot the important part of this, the suit part because of which I was shouted at for almost an hour before letting me wear a pair of jeans. I was not supposed to wear these rebellious clothes lest it should create a dent to my image.

So, we go to my uncle’s place for lunch, before which I was supposed to put up an appearance at his place of work (I said no to which my mother replied with ample amount of scorn in her voice “How could you do this? Why don’t you understand?”) So, I gave up and went ahead, with the most artificial smile plastered to my face while my uncle does the introductions. I am not this person, I want to scream but there is no way out.

I go back to my uncle’s place, where my grandma takes one look at my hair and decides that it needs to be more restrained and I should have bangles (how can you not wear bangles!!!). My cousin who just got married is in a sari, apparently she was ordered to wear one; this is how a married lady is supposed to look like, with flowers in her hair, the image of marital bliss.  For the next one hour, I listen to everybody lecture about everything in my life, my sense of dressing, my religious proclivity to my lack of a “plan” (My mother started discussing my tax saving with my whole extended family!!). What is it with Indian families and total lack of privacy? Why do they have this need to know anything and everything that goes in everyone else’s life? I got a phone call from my friends and I had to explain the context every single time to my grandma.

I know I am being a total bitch, looking all these good people trying to help me out as an invasion of privacy but I don’t know I can’t deal with families. I like my life the way it is without any unwanted intrusions but I guess I am asking for too much.  Anyways, I go out with my cousins (actually it was me my married cousin, her husband and her brother) and we went to a mall to “hang out”. I thought we would be sitting in some coffee shop and catching up but they have something else altogether in their mind. Shopping, as in mind numbing journey from shop to shop without actually buying anything for almost three hours! I promptly went to crosswords, to just get away.

I literally begged P to meet me the next day, I had to get out. I met her for an hour and it was like being in an oasis in the middle of a desert. We dint talk much but it was just what I needed, someone in front of whom I don’t have to be any pre-destined role.

I guess I am the only person who complains about such trivial things, but only when you are in that position, you would understand. I am stuck with them for life, so I just have to make it work.