I am losing my temper - in fits of the most unusual kind. Usually, my temper is very much in place - sits daintily till the object of its disgust is out of view and then explodes in a few mutterings under my breath. But these days, it has decided to throw its Victorian or Elizabethean behavior in the bin and show the world how fully developed it is.
We finalized the lease for a new apartment today and Sister and I split the bill. The bill - in this case - comprised the deposit, the brokerage, and a month's rent. Big fat bill I know! And so after I said how much I had spent on this and that and after she pointed out that it was in fact she who had spent on that and the other, I agreed to go along with her to the circle and withdraw money for my share of the bill.
Sion circle is a brisk walk away from Pratiksha Nagar - the place where we rent out the apartment we are still in. We walked in the mid-afternoon Sun and it was no great pleasure. I had worn my glares and yet, was winking my way through the lanes we turned in. I was also mighty irritated that the heat was this unbearable at that point in November. Sister - of course, being the pillar of fortitude and resilience that she is - took this all in her side as she marshalled me up and down the path to the circle.
Well, we reached there and I went off to withdraw money from the HDFC ATM. But the ATM was being 'loaded'.
"Loaded?"
"Oh yes that's what he (the security guard) says."
"Oh he means they are putting in money. How long will it take?"
"He says it will take half an hour."
"So then stand here," was what she suggested.
The Sun was at its best by now, climbing up my back and around my neck and making its presence felt.
"No," I said, "I'll remove from Kotak Mahindra."
"You can?"
"Of course, I'll just have to pay 20 extra."
"Oh that's okay for you. You are anyway a carwallah." This was an allusion to the fact that I was twirling around with the idea of buying a car. All - Mother included - pretended to not listen when I told them what I had in mind. And that was as good as telling me that they thought the idea stupid. Anyway, stupid or not, I think I will go ahead with it. And I did tell them so. Well, knowing how stubborn I am, no one has tried to talk me out of it as yet, but the jabs do come intermittently. This carwallah label was one of them.
"Haha," I laughed as I brushed that aside and crossed the road to Kotak's ATM, "Yes indeed I am." The ATM was empty and so I went in. This ATM used both the touchscreen and the keypad as input devices. And since I was used to the plain old keypads in ICICI and HDFC ATMs, I did not quite know how to use it at all.
"Oh see you have to type your PIN and touch there."
"Where?"
"Arrey there! There man! Idiot! Can't you see? It says Touch here."
"Oh! "
"Hehe," snickered Sister, "Ever used touchscreens awhat?"
"Oh I use only HDFC ATMs," I said standoffishly as I blundered my way through the transaction. And just as I was about to be successful with it, the security guard of the ATM materialized near my Sister.
"Remove your glares." He ordered.
"What?"
"Remove your glares."
"Yes yes," I said irritatedly.
Oh he's right, advised Sister, you must
"And why?" The notes were now waiting impatiently to be collected.
"Because it's a rule."
"What rule!" I said hotly, "There's no such rule."
"Just because you don't know about the rule doesn't mean it isn't a rule."
"Yeah right."
"What?" snapped Sister, "It's a rule and he's right."
"Okay okay!" I snapped back and removing my glares, glared at the guard and gave him a meet-me-outside-I'll-mince-you look.
You must know by now I was livid at the security guard for whatever he did tell me. As it is, the ATM was not exactly friendly and to make matters worse, here comes a rule to obey!
Needless to say, I lost it. "Ass he is," I said, as I plunged the money somewhere on my person.
"What? "
'Real ass he is!"
"Don't give bad words okay! He's just doing his job!"
"Oh he is an ass! A real asshole."
"Do be rational!"
I knew she was right. Sister can never be wrong about such things. But once I am angry, irrespective of whether I am right or wrong, what I do just has to be the only thing right in the universe at that point in time. It was no different at that point in time in the ATM either.
I somehow believed I was correct in my anger and just did not want to accept I was wrong.
"Oh come on! I know no such rule," I said. I was now walking towards the door.
"Really you can be so thickheaded."
"Oh what thickheaded! These guys should know what an asshole they have employed." And turning to one of the surveillance cameras, I pointed to the guard and mouthed the words: "This man is an asshole!"
I am beginning to laugh now at the way I did all that. But back then, I was so charged up, it was as if I was about to lead the mutiny over the bounty. I made such a horrid face at the camera and actually stuck my tongue out.
"What's wrong with you?" Sister asked, shocked and exasperated.
"Telling them about the employees they have on board."
"You are so useless" And she walked out of the ATM. I followed and half way through, as we were about to cross the road, I began to wonder whether something was missing.
"Oh yes, I know what's missing. Some sense."
"No, I think it's my spectacle case."
"I don't have your case."
"Oh check it might be in your bag."
"No it isn't."
"You have the money, no?"
"It's in your pocket. You get so angry, don't even know what you're doing."
"Well, it was his fault," I began like a stubborn schoolboy, "He shouldn't have asked me to remove my glares."
"Yeah right!"
"Oh I have forgotten them in the ATM."
"Haha," sneered Sister, "Go get them now. This is what happens when you act too smart."
"Oh you get them!" I barked, "I don't like the fellow. He's an asshole."
Well, I must admit I had lost my sense of reason and was totally hinged to the idea of being right come what may. I think my Sister saw that so she just sighed and brought back the case from the ATM - after of course, smiling and being very polite to the guard who had yet to realized I had abused him to his face.
"What gets into you, really?" We were walking back to Pratiksha Nagar.
"What what gets into me?"
"You know what I'm saying. You behave so stupidly at times."
"But that is no reason for him to tell me to remove my glares. I have been inside ICICI and HDFC ATMs too. No one told me to do that."
"That's because they didn't see you entering with them on, Sister sighed, This fellow was just doing his job."
And she was right. I think what got into me was this dictatorial urge to just imagine I was right irrespective of what the truth was. And it was a damning surge that was so electrifying in its intention that it fried my reasoning all throughout the time it stayed in me. Really, I know I have a temper, but this was something that spinned out of control and what's more! I wanted to justify it. To top that, once I realized I cannot from any angle see any sense in it, I began to get irritated with myself and with every question being asked.
Well, this my temper must have been on a vacation for too long. And just like a schoolboy all set to attack his books after a hiatus, it did just the very same thing.
I think I need to send the schoolboy on a vacation again. Or probably, it's time to throw him out of school.
We finalized the lease for a new apartment today and Sister and I split the bill. The bill - in this case - comprised the deposit, the brokerage, and a month's rent. Big fat bill I know! And so after I said how much I had spent on this and that and after she pointed out that it was in fact she who had spent on that and the other, I agreed to go along with her to the circle and withdraw money for my share of the bill.
Sion circle is a brisk walk away from Pratiksha Nagar - the place where we rent out the apartment we are still in. We walked in the mid-afternoon Sun and it was no great pleasure. I had worn my glares and yet, was winking my way through the lanes we turned in. I was also mighty irritated that the heat was this unbearable at that point in November. Sister - of course, being the pillar of fortitude and resilience that she is - took this all in her side as she marshalled me up and down the path to the circle.
Well, we reached there and I went off to withdraw money from the HDFC ATM. But the ATM was being 'loaded'.
"Loaded?"
"Oh yes that's what he (the security guard) says."
"Oh he means they are putting in money. How long will it take?"
"He says it will take half an hour."
"So then stand here," was what she suggested.
The Sun was at its best by now, climbing up my back and around my neck and making its presence felt.
"No," I said, "I'll remove from Kotak Mahindra."
"You can?"
"Of course, I'll just have to pay 20 extra."
"Oh that's okay for you. You are anyway a carwallah." This was an allusion to the fact that I was twirling around with the idea of buying a car. All - Mother included - pretended to not listen when I told them what I had in mind. And that was as good as telling me that they thought the idea stupid. Anyway, stupid or not, I think I will go ahead with it. And I did tell them so. Well, knowing how stubborn I am, no one has tried to talk me out of it as yet, but the jabs do come intermittently. This carwallah label was one of them.
"Haha," I laughed as I brushed that aside and crossed the road to Kotak's ATM, "Yes indeed I am." The ATM was empty and so I went in. This ATM used both the touchscreen and the keypad as input devices. And since I was used to the plain old keypads in ICICI and HDFC ATMs, I did not quite know how to use it at all.
"Oh see you have to type your PIN and touch there."
"Where?"
"Arrey there! There man! Idiot! Can't you see? It says Touch here."
"Oh! "
"Hehe," snickered Sister, "Ever used touchscreens awhat?"
"Oh I use only HDFC ATMs," I said standoffishly as I blundered my way through the transaction. And just as I was about to be successful with it, the security guard of the ATM materialized near my Sister.
"Remove your glares." He ordered.
"What?"
"Remove your glares."
"Yes yes," I said irritatedly.
Oh he's right, advised Sister, you must
"And why?" The notes were now waiting impatiently to be collected.
"Because it's a rule."
"What rule!" I said hotly, "There's no such rule."
"Just because you don't know about the rule doesn't mean it isn't a rule."
"Yeah right."
"What?" snapped Sister, "It's a rule and he's right."
"Okay okay!" I snapped back and removing my glares, glared at the guard and gave him a meet-me-outside-I'll-mince-you look.
You must know by now I was livid at the security guard for whatever he did tell me. As it is, the ATM was not exactly friendly and to make matters worse, here comes a rule to obey!
Needless to say, I lost it. "Ass he is," I said, as I plunged the money somewhere on my person.
"What? "
'Real ass he is!"
"Don't give bad words okay! He's just doing his job!"
"Oh he is an ass! A real asshole."
"Do be rational!"
I knew she was right. Sister can never be wrong about such things. But once I am angry, irrespective of whether I am right or wrong, what I do just has to be the only thing right in the universe at that point in time. It was no different at that point in time in the ATM either.
I somehow believed I was correct in my anger and just did not want to accept I was wrong.
"Oh come on! I know no such rule," I said. I was now walking towards the door.
"Really you can be so thickheaded."
"Oh what thickheaded! These guys should know what an asshole they have employed." And turning to one of the surveillance cameras, I pointed to the guard and mouthed the words: "This man is an asshole!"
I am beginning to laugh now at the way I did all that. But back then, I was so charged up, it was as if I was about to lead the mutiny over the bounty. I made such a horrid face at the camera and actually stuck my tongue out.
"What's wrong with you?" Sister asked, shocked and exasperated.
"Telling them about the employees they have on board."
"You are so useless" And she walked out of the ATM. I followed and half way through, as we were about to cross the road, I began to wonder whether something was missing.
"Oh yes, I know what's missing. Some sense."
"No, I think it's my spectacle case."
"I don't have your case."
"Oh check it might be in your bag."
"No it isn't."
"You have the money, no?"
"It's in your pocket. You get so angry, don't even know what you're doing."
"Well, it was his fault," I began like a stubborn schoolboy, "He shouldn't have asked me to remove my glares."
"Yeah right!"
"Oh I have forgotten them in the ATM."
"Haha," sneered Sister, "Go get them now. This is what happens when you act too smart."
"Oh you get them!" I barked, "I don't like the fellow. He's an asshole."
Well, I must admit I had lost my sense of reason and was totally hinged to the idea of being right come what may. I think my Sister saw that so she just sighed and brought back the case from the ATM - after of course, smiling and being very polite to the guard who had yet to realized I had abused him to his face.
"What gets into you, really?" We were walking back to Pratiksha Nagar.
"What what gets into me?"
"You know what I'm saying. You behave so stupidly at times."
"But that is no reason for him to tell me to remove my glares. I have been inside ICICI and HDFC ATMs too. No one told me to do that."
"That's because they didn't see you entering with them on, Sister sighed, This fellow was just doing his job."
And she was right. I think what got into me was this dictatorial urge to just imagine I was right irrespective of what the truth was. And it was a damning surge that was so electrifying in its intention that it fried my reasoning all throughout the time it stayed in me. Really, I know I have a temper, but this was something that spinned out of control and what's more! I wanted to justify it. To top that, once I realized I cannot from any angle see any sense in it, I began to get irritated with myself and with every question being asked.
Well, this my temper must have been on a vacation for too long. And just like a schoolboy all set to attack his books after a hiatus, it did just the very same thing.
I think I need to send the schoolboy on a vacation again. Or probably, it's time to throw him out of school.
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