Most people go through life tagged with a chore or activity
which starts off as a one-time event but is impossible to shrug off throughout one’s
existence.
Still basking in the glow of newly married bliss I offered to
make tea for my bride on the third day after we exchanged vows. It had nothing
to do with romance. Having gone to school in Delhi
where we had to be in class at an unearthly hour even in peak winter, I
generally got up early compared to my wife’s leisurely lifestyle conditioned by
living in Bangalore
The other chore I was stuck with was locking up all the
doors in my parent’s home in Mysore just before going to bed. Why I was the
‘chosen’ one I have no clue. Some of the rooms had tiled roofing which was
considered a security risk. Thus every night it was my job to put padlocks on
six doors, including the store room, dining hall and kitchen. The front and
rear doors were bit of a challenge. Apart from the latches, I had to put in
place a steel bar across the door and secure it with a padlock. At that time we
had a dog which generally slept in my room. Every day for years, at around 2.00
am Bunty would wake me up to be let out. In my groggy state I would go through
the whole gamut of procedure to release it from the front door and lock up
again. Just as I was about to doze off,the dog would scratch on the front door
and I would have to let it in once more. The resultant dark circles under my
eyes would be commented upon by my class mates in college.
Even today, by default as the head of the family, the last
thing I have to do before going to bed is check the five balcony doors and the
front door of our apartment. As a force of habit I even ended up checking the
front door of my son’s place when I visited him in London
But what really gets my goat is when my wife and I are about
to go out. Even as I lock the front door and put the keys in my pocket the lady
asks me if I have checked whether the gas has been switched off in the kitchen.
Stoically, I reach in to my pocket…
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