Jethu was supposed to reach our house around 11 am today and I was getting ready in a hurry. The maid, enjoying her Darjeeling trip, has ensured that my morning disappears in a jiffy, washing clothes and sweeping floors.
When I came downstairs, I found Jethu sitting on Baba's sofa with his legs stretched on to the centre table just like Baba used to sit. Then I looked at his face and saw that he has dozed off. This was exactly the same way Baba used to doze off, sitting at the same place, while he waited for Ma and I to get ready before we went out to some place.
A few seconds later, Jethu opened his eyes and said he liked the way I looked. I asked him, "Do I look like a hippie?" And he said, "No, you look perfectly normal". tongue emoticon .. Before Ma got ready and came downstairs, Jethu had again dozed off a couple of times and I heard Ma guessing from upstairs, "Chhorda ki ghumiye porlo?" See, we are used to the men catching a few winks while we get ready (although I take just 5 minutes after my shower gets over :P)!
When we reached Gariahat Market, our first stop was the Manoranjan Hosiery, my father's favorite hosiery store. He bought all his vests, lungis and undergarments from here and the prices of some of the mercerized cotton lungis and vests (due to their awesome quality and comfort factors) would shock us. Years back, Baba had brought Jethu to this shop where Jethu had begun his ritual of buying stacks of vests and lungis on each of his visits. Today, as Jethu struggled to remember the names of the brands that Baba made Jethu buy, Ma and I supplied the names that had been so familiar to us, courtesy Baba's obsession with buying these. (Even today, there are a few unopened packets in Baba's wardrobe that contains brand new socks and vests.)
Ah! The joy of accompanying Jethu while he shops! There is absolutely no joy in this world that can compete with it! For the next 45 minutes or so, in that hosiery shop, I re-lived my childhood. I was thrown back to 1986 when I had first experienced how Jethu shops and how wonderful it is to be with him! I was soaking in every moment, realizing what Baba used to enjoy and what Thamma used to get annoyed with smile emoticon ! Ma referred to Baba, saying, "He used to by all these brands. He was very particular about the things he wore.". Jethu replied, "HE was the one who had brought me here!". The shop-owner, recognizing Jethu from all his previous visits, kept showing things untiringly while various sizes of various things got chosen.
From Manoranjan to the Steel Utensils shop, to Haldiram food city (where we had an awesome lunch), to New Barnali (our new discovery, courtesy Ma's craft) (where Jethu bought various kinds of beads for the excellent jewelry-maker Joya-didi), to the Batik shop (where various sizes of a large number of Batik Kurtis were bought), to the Palazzo Shop, we had a wonderful time. Worried as Jethu and I were for Ma's health and knees, Ma, touch wood, was in good mood and surprised us. This has always been the magic of Jethu, on Ma, on all of us.
It was a wonderful afternoon, seeing Ma smiling and talking, seeing Jethu in his usual shopaholic self, watching Jethu enjoy the lunch, being with Jethu, re-living the childhood excitements, having the rare feeling of being guarded by two guardians (their eyes always looking for me whenever I was away for a while), feeling happy, satisfied, warm, and content. Jethu said, he does the easiest job, that of paying the money, as we do the difficult job of choosing things. I, on the other hand, pointed out that we get to enjoy all the benefits of retail therapy without having to pay a pennywink emoticon
Jethu has already thanked us (I don't know why??!) twice for today, while he dropped us home and just some time back over the phone. And I take this opportunity to thank HIM for what he has already so rightly described as a truly "spectacular" day.
I was unhappy during Jethu's 2014 trip as I had been unable to accompany him on most of his shopping expeditions. I never knew that I would get compensated with today! smile emoticon Immensely thankful for today, as we always should be.
Jethu you are special, and you must take care of yourself. So, NO Sweets from tonight! Both Joya-didi and I insist!
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