Roses for ladies, thorns for men

The account of excursion this week is a Women’s Day programme we went to cover a few weeks ago. As always we ended up having fun. We took a tuk tuk and got off at the gate to see a throng of people gathered at the gate.

As few eminent VIPs were to attend the event, getting through the security process was a hassle as usual but as always handled with a giggle - the body checks, the checking of bags, etc... At the inner gate all the ladies were presented with one rose each. And as usual Anuki was touch to the depth of her heart. Finally we were escorted to our own seats.

Samadhi has this, serious problem all the time, requiring to answer calls of nature at the wrong time, like when we are at a conference or some other important occasion. The worst part of it is that, I have to be part of it as a victim in the mission of finding a washroom.

Generally I have been able to help her with this matter. But this time as I was helpless and embarrassed to ask from a total stranger as to where the washroom is, I almost begged her to control it for once. In seconds, again she whispered in my ear “Anuki I can’t control any more”.

Finally it came to a point that nobody could handle my whining but could do nothing in their power to relieve me of my ‘burden’. So I inquired a lady who was engaged in organising the event, where the ladies room was.

She kindly opted to escort me there. I was so relived of the discovery of the ladies room and at the prospect of relieving my burden that I failed to realise that the back window of the toilet was open. I only noticed it after ‘the deed’ was done.

And then there was no point in repenting, exploring the possibility that someone might have seen me while I was at it. My only consolation now is that if someone saw me, at least that person could not have seen my face. Nevertheless I went back to my seat and sat with the comfort of an empty bladder.

On the same particular day, we faced more funny incidents. While we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, an officer walked up to us, (once before, in the memory lane we wrote about him and his ugly phone) and have no idea why it’s always him.... Anyhow, Samadhi and I were very fond of the two flowers that we received when entering the auditorium and was holding on to it as kids.

The above mentioned officer came up to us with his friendly and mischievous smile and said, “Oh! why roses only for ladies?” Samadhi and I at once looked at each other with a smile, but I was the first to jump and answer him.” Roses are for ladies and thorns are for men.” In seconds he went missing.

My seat was over-crowded because I had my bag, bottle of water, rose, reading material they provided and all sorts of other stuff. So I stuck Anuki’s and my roses on the back of the chair in front of us. We were fighting over roses, as five-year-olds do, in loud voices since all sounds were subdued due to the songs played until the programme started. I was fiddling with Anuki’s rose and she started complaining aloud ‘why are you meddling with my rose?”... she said trying to look irritated and as she added “don’t touch my thing”. The speakers that were until then booming with patriotic music suddenly went dead silent. And her voice came loud and clear through the newly established silence of the big hall. She covered her mouth and ducked her head with embarrassment, hoping no one might have noticed it.

The last incident for the day was over snack packs stolen by two guys in front of our very eyes. The snack packs that were distributed during the interlude, we thought of saving for our lunch, because we were not hungry due to a grand breakfast. There was another reason that made us do so - to save the lunch money as we had a few more weeks to go until we were to get our salaries. So I kept Samadhi’s and my snack packs with a book in a vacant chair next to my seat.

After the event two guys whom we have met earlier came and joined us for a chat. Suddenly one guy waved my book in the air and asked to whom it belonged to. I brought the new developments to Anuki’s attention because I knew from sheer instinct that the snack packs were the next in line right below the books.

He handed my book to me and took the snack packs saying “Don’t know who owns these two snack packs?” Then and there they opened one pack and ate it up!, Samadhi and I were helpless once again because we were trapped in between ‘manners’ and ‘ownership’. The sad part is that these two guys knew that the book was mine and the snack packs were not or what???? Today these guys and us have become real good friends, whenever we tease them about this, we do keep in mind that at times men can also be ‘innocent thieves’.