Day 6 of Paradise: My hand is a blur as I whisk the eggs for this mornings breakfast. The frothy egg mixture leaps about the bowl to my command. It is a spectacular, awe inspiring sight, this jugalbandhi between me and my breakfast to be. My progress in the kitchen has been legendary and for someone who has never stepped into one for the last fifty years, it is a remarkable feat. Over the last six days the routine has been set, we operate as a finely tuned machine. The kids sprawl about, demand food and refuse to pick up after them. And I beg, entreat, grovel, wash, cook and feed. Its a symbiotic relationship.They, the parasites, I, the host. And I quote Wikipedia. Parasitism is a non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred primarily to organisms visible to the naked eye, or macroparasites. The Elder is sitting at his desk studying. He has the music on, his laptop open to FB, and his eyes are scrunched in concentration to the whatsapp messages on his phone. The study book is partly covered by a pile of chips that slowly stain the page yellow. I open my mouth to protest, then soundlessly move on. Discretion is the better part of valour I tell myself. With The Younger I have retreated from my once uncompromising stand over scheduled and rationed use of the games on the home computer. We sport an easy truce for the time being. You stay off my turf, and I ,yours. It is a true example of water finding its own level, You will find us, I, on my laptop scanning my posts for the Likes, Neel, decimating law abiding citizens in San Andreas with his double barrelled shotgun and Andy scratching his butt between messages with his many girlfriends. The kaam waali bai has been looking at me with new found respect. Earlier I was a faceless someone who automatically lifted his feet as she swept below them, today I command her respect. She is witness to my selfless devotion to The Ungratefuls and I hope she reports favourably to The Wife on her tanned return. And now I must prepare to attend the Society AGM and the accompanying cacophony, allegations of misappropriation, and calls for resignation. But all that seems like a walk in the kiddies park in comparison to the six days on The Job with the Macroparasites.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 08:28:10 +0000
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