Three things happened today that I am dying to jot down before I forget and save it for posterity. Not sure if posterity will be interested, but what the heck, it better be.

One

It is morning. I have to go get my blood test done today, on an empty stomach too. Before leaving I lay out the breakfast items on the kitchen counter, show mother where the steamer is, and leave with the L&M. The laboratory is some distance away, and we’d be having breakfast on the way back.

When I seat myself down at the restaurant after the draining of blood by the lab-vampires, I fish out my phone and notice a missed call. It is from mother. I have been away hardly an hour. What could be the emergency? Had there been a visitor? But it is too early in the morning for that. Anyway, I immediately call her and the following conversation happens.

Me: Hello
Mother: Ahh… I can’t switch off one light bulb in the kitchen.
Me: (rolls eyes dramatically, she is calling me about a light switch?!! WTH!!!) Try switching off each, one by one (How hard can it be!)
Mother: I have switched them all off, but the one above the stove, is still on.
Me: (I know for a fact she missed a switch because they were all in their place when I left and could hardly have wandered off since then, but it was no big deal) Hmm..
Mother: (proudly) I did not switch off the refrigerator this time.
Me: Okay… we’ll be home soon. Let it be.

The L&M looks up from his plate of poories, wanting to know what the call was about. I tell him.

L&M: What happened?
Me: Mother says one light bulb in the kitchen cannot be switched off.
L&M: How come?
Me: (shrugs shoulders) She probably missed one.
L&M: (in alarm) I hope she doesn’t switch off the refrigerator!!
Me: (By now fed up of the whole issue) You both are unbelievable. We will be home soon. If the kitchen light remains on for a half an hour more, it doesn’t matter. If the refrigerator remains switched off for half an hour more, it also does not matter. Neither of these are going to cause Armageddon!

Seriously! Get your priorities right, people! I go back to my breakfast. Breaking off a piece of iddly, I dunk it in sambar, pop it into my mouth and chomp hard.
Iddly: (in plaintive tones audible only to me) But, but… what did I do?!!!
Me: Now don’t you get started!

Okay, the last was my imagination running wild.

By the way, I am offering the readers a reprieve and stopping now, saving the other two for tomorrow. You see, too much of a good thing is actually bad. Also I need to go now and make dinner. 😉

© Shail Mohan 2022