Perfect Marriage

She looked out the window as she stirred the curry. The sound of the basketball hitting the ground was like music to her ears. Her son had inherited her love for the game and it was a bliss to watch father and son bond like this. Her efforts had paid off finally!

They were watching the NBA finals few months back and cheering on their favourite team. Her glance fell on the husband’s crestfallen face. She knew he was bothered about the growing distance between him and their son. She resolved she would do something about it. The ongoing game gave her an idea. When her husband was at work, she got the hoop installed in the verandah. A little nudge and a push was all it took and father and son started playing basketball regularly. They had started talking more and she could feel the happy vibes between them.

A loud thumping sound brought her back to the present. She watched the game and wish she could also play. She was a pretty good player in college, participating in national level tournaments. Marriage and a kid had changed everything for her though. With a wistful sigh, she continued with her cooking. The boys would be famished by now, she rightly thought.

He went to collect the ball which had fallen near the kitchen window. The aroma of the curry filled his nose. He looked at his wife and stared admiringly. She was lost in thoughts, unaware of someone staring at her.

Next Sunday after breakfast, husband announced: Today, I am going to cook lunch and you both will play basketball.

A huge smile spread on her face. This is what a perfect marriage was after all!

 

How are you?

How are you? (A Standard Question)

I am fine. I am okay. (A Standard Lie)

Lie, because we are not fine / okay sometimes. Poisonous thoughts are eating away our peace of mind.

The person we thought was special is not aware of our existence.

We thought we were special to them. We are, but so are 1500 others.

The connection we had was only a figment of our imagination.

Distance with people who were close earlier is troubling us.

Someone has gone from our life & the thought that we won’t ever speak again is killing us.

It is difficult juggling house work & office work.

Everyone expects us to be perfect & it is impossible to live up to their expectations.

I am mad because I don’t really want to work on weekends.

So on & so forth.

What would happen if you get the right answers? You would be judgemental. You would make lots of pity noises. You would go on giving pep talks / motivational talks. Or you would be plain indifferent.

But you know what? Nobody needs this. The correct response is understanding / empathy, a hug maybe & an ice cream tub definitely!

icecream