Thorns among roses!

It took some more incidents to make me realize again (after ‘n’ number of times) that there are 2 sides for every coin. I came here to kerala, just to take a break from my office work and from the responsibility of a homemaker. But now, I realize that I was better off there, Ireland in my happy life with my hubby. Apart from the nice thoughts of having food from amma’s hand and enjoying numerous tv channels, I honestly didn’t have any bad picture inside my head.

Ok, I am coming to the point. It’s the infamous family politics, which exist everywhere. Even before I came here, I had decided not to visit my relatives, cos of their extreme quality in presenting thorns covered with rose petals. We both decided that together on the light of our previous experiences.  So when my parents asked me to visit them, I said a blunt NO and when my hubby’s parents asked him, he too did the same.

Everything was ok, till my dad literally tricked me into meeting some of them.  You can read what happened.

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Aunty: Oh….I was thinking about you and wondering why you haven’t come.

Me: *Smiles*

 

Aunty: so, how’s life there? Now that everyone says you have bought a house there, do you think you will settle in Ireland? **mocking laugh**

Me: Aunty, the mortgage is for 35 yrs, we can sell it and come back, anytime I want.

 

Aunty: Oh…so as it’s a small house,(4 bed roomed house, is not small for me) may be you can sell and  buy a big house later.

Me: *being deaf*

 

Aunty: What did you feel when you came here? Did you like kerala? Didn’t u feel it filthy, dusty?

Me: **oh there she starts again** I don’t feel anything different..

 

Aunty: Why didn’t you bring your husband? We all would loooove to see him…**chuckles**

*** some history here…she was the prominent one in pitying my dad, saying “didn’t he find any one other than that guy (my husband) to get his daughter married? What was he thinking at that time? What did he do? Was he crazy??? “***(I heard that)

 

Dad interrupts: he has gone to his home, cos they are buying a property there.

 

Aunty: Yea, its good for you guys to make a house here, instead of having one there, in Ireland (!).

 

Dad: it’s not for a house. It’s a row of shops in ********. It was my son-in-law’s dad’s property. He had to sell it when there was financial trouble. Now he wants to get it back. So he is buying it. Its near ****** junction. The road goes round it. And it costs ******.

 

She suddenly cuts in between.

Aunty: “Oh. I just remembered, wont ur husband gets a transfer to anywhere from Ireland? “

Me: ***when did I tell her, that we don’t want to live in Ireland?***

Aunty, we have almost settled there. Now if he gets a transfer it will be difficult. We don’t need it. And what about my job, if he gets transferred? I have my job, too, there. We are OK there.

 

She cuts again.

Aunty: But what’s life without being socializing with keralites?

Me: **when did she start worrying about my socializing***

Its ok, aunty…life is good there.

 

Now, she comes to my looks and dressing..

Aunty: What do you wear in ur office? Do you wear pants? **Scrutinizing my salwar**

Me: **from where does she get those ideas**

I nods silently.

 

Aunty: Swathi, you look sooo different. You doesn’t look like the old swathi, at all..

(was it good intention or bad, I don’t know)

Me: **smiles**

 

Aunty: Swathi, as years go by, you don’t look ur age. You look younger and younger ***clearly with a frown***

 

(Now, I was fuming with anger against my dad, who made me participate in this weird interview)

 

Me: Aunty, do you have any problem with that? What’s wrong in that? When people elder than me, tries their best to look younger (hope she got the thorn!!!), I should be proud of my looks, that I don’t look 29!!!

 

Aunty: Yea, but still its not good…u have to look ur age.

 

At his point, I really wanted to shout at my dad, for making me witness this, and decided that I will never go out again with him, till I reach back home (!!), in Ireland!

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Note: this aunt is a working NRI (non residential Indian), who has been in Middle East, for more than 20 yrs. Her kids are studying there and even in her 50’s she wears salwars, dye her hair and wears make up and high heels. When I don’t see any thing wrong in her, I don’t know why, she is so pissed off at me, who went to Ireland just 2 yrs back. I guess this is part of “family politics”!!!!!!

She did the same when I came last time. Its in here.