Twenty- five Seven

The Castle by the Sea #FridayFotoFiction

January 19, 2018

‘Remember that night son?” asked Captain Johnson as we looked up at the castle perched perilously on the rocky cliff above.

“We fled for our lives with just the shirts on our backs.”

How could I forget that momentous night when he handed me his keys making me sole owner of a property where my father once worked as a gardener?

“You did well my son,” said the old man proudly as we stepped inside the Castillo Junto Mar, the award winning resort featured in Conde Nast Traveller three times in a row.

I’m participating in #FridayFotoFiction hosted by Tina and Mayuri.
Getting ready for bed #FridayReflections

January 19, 2018

As Bahadur pulled the blanket up to his chin, he realised that something was missing. He traced back the events of the day to see what it was.

The tea was fine in the morning. The fruit were cut just right . The papaya was sweet enough and there was no news of rapes, murders or scams in the morning papers.

The electrician who had come to fix the bathroom light wasn’t sloppy or arrogant . Besides he didn’t overcharge. So that was a trouble free transaction.

Gangu had managed to get the vegetable cooked just the way the Captain liked it – crisp and not overdone, mildly spiced and with less oil. And the solitary paratha that made up the rest of the meal was papery thin and soft.

The grandchildren who came by after school were surprisingly subdued, quite unlike their usual rowdy selves . They pretty much kept to themselves and didn’t dart in and out of the room like irritating flies of late summer.

And the rest of the day wound down to a perfect evening. The Colonel managed his forty steps which was all he could manage these days . Bahadur watched his former boss a mere shadow of his former self slowly diminish before his eyes; trying to straighten up as he doffed his cap at the ladies who sat in the garden.

Dinner was uneventful too as he quietly sipped his soup and crunched his buttered toast. Carefully wiping the remains of custard off his lips, the Colonel folded his napkin signifying the end of the day.

Bahadur helped him to his room and went back to his chores while the Colonel watched some television before bed.

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.

So why did he have that nagging feeling that something was missing ?

Puzzled, he slipped further into his bed when he heard the faint slip slop of slippers outside his door . There was a light knock and the door opened just a crack ” Bahadur come quick . Something has happened .”

Quick as a flash Bahadur was on his feet and ran to the Colonel’s room.

There he was all bundled up, slumped in his chair. His heavy socks were crumpled round his feet , his head wrapped in a frayed muffler and his body swaddled in a worn out shawl. He held out his hands and pulled off the leather motorcycle gloves .

“Bahadur, ” he whimpered . “My hands are cold . What can you do to keep them warm?”

As he rubbed the hands gently and got the circulation back in place, Bahadur realised what was missing : the cantankerous old Colonel had not grumbled even once the whole day!

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I’m linking up with Corinne and Shalini who are hosting #FridayReflections.

Do join in !
Where is the bride ? #MondayMusings

January 16, 2018

Life completes a full circle . I’ve now reached a stage where I attend more weddings than dinner parties. This time round it’s not my contemporaries who are getting married but their children . It’s fun seeing these once-upon-a-time toddlers walk down the aisle as it were and go round and round the holy fire.

Despite my normal reticence, I look forward to these events. It’s great to meet old friends, try exotic foods, quaff a few glasses of wine and observe new trends in society. Of late I’ve observed a strange phenomenon : NOT seeing the bride at her OWN WEDDING RECEPTION!

(At least for not as long as I was there).

It is almost a national characteristic to stretch time and arrive fashionably late to any event. Hence , if you’re invited to a function that starts at 8 pm you’d do well to show up at least half an hour later. Unfortunately, my family follows the clock to the last second and we are always ON TIME EVERY TIME.

This doesn’t really bother us and we’ve now become accustomed to being greeted by the staff who are putting the last bow in place. We’ve also become adept at merging with the walls as the hosts walk in, trying not to embarrass them with their late arrival.

Nothing, however, prepared me for this wedding season when I didn’t see the bride at all.

It’s happened at three receptions now. At the first , the bride came in an hour later than I did and mingled so seamlessly with the crowd that no one even knew she had arrived.

At yet another, the bridal couple came two hours after the parents of the groom who were hosting the party. Incidentally the parents themselves came half an hour later. Sadly, we had to leave early so we just congratulated the hosts and left the party, bridal couple unseen.

And at the third reception, the bride simply refused to show up as she had just had a raging fight with the groom and was in mood to smile and shake hands with strangers like me.

So I was happy to attend the latest wedding reception where things were done the old fashioned way : the couple stood on a podium and their parents stood alongside. It was nice to go up to the bridal couple, shake hands with the bride and groom and wish them a long, happy and prosperous wedded life!

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Did you miss me ?

Everybody needs a break. And even though it’s the beginning of the year , I’m exhausted.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m deliberately going easy on my blogging this year.

Today, I want to see how many of you actually missed me . I’m participating in International Blog Delurking Week 2018, an initiative started by Mel of stirrup-queens. This year Parul has taken it forward and designed the badge .

I was intrigued by the concept of finding out how many people actually visit and comment and those who just lurk around and leave without leaving their mark. In the last two years that I’ve participated, no one bothered to even leave a comment.

This year, I hope some of you stop by and leave a comment.

Linking this up with #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne of everydaygyan.