Meet the parents....another disaster for singlehood
It has been ages since I last wrote...only coz I have been out of town where internet access was not very convenient
Another 3 months have gone by and how far have I progressed in attempting to change my marital status from Single to In a Relationship / Engaged / Married....Hardly!!
Again, not for not trying...infact I gave this a serious 5 weeks and probably tried too hard - the result....NOTHING!
So here's the story....case by case
Warning : Please keep a bucket handy as you read below since the details can be emotionally disturbing.
Case 1
Born and brought up in good ol India...lost his only sibling in an accident a few years ago. Currently put up in an African nation. Has had a short employment stint in Dubai before he moved to the African continent.
We got introduced through the guy’s aunt. A very close family friend of the guy met me in Dubai before she left for vacationing in India and gave the guy’s parents an extremely good feedback on me…which was necessary in order for them to proceed further. (You may use a bucket to puke into….please replace for further reading)
I and the guy were then asked to start communicating with each other – via omnipresent msn messenger. Our first chat session resulted in me trying hard to find a topic of common interest and the guy watching an old re-run cricket match on TV. And when I attempt asking him generic questions such as – what are your likes and dislikes – the response is…“let us take this slow, we have enough time to get to know each other. This is the first chat between us anyways…” (Puke again and replace bucket)
Question: So what exactly should we be doing during our first chat besides being online?!
I tell my parents this is not working…they push me on telling me to try some more….Being the lovely daughter that I am, I continue with my attempts.
I ask the guy for his contact number – so as to put a voice to the face and know if he is worthwhile….Oh and the pic I was given was ‘not recent’
So, this is what happens…
I ask the guy for his contact number, he gives it to me. That’s it….nothing after that. I ask him if he wants my number. He obviously replies ‘yes’. I ask him how come he didn’t ask for it…he replies “Yaar I knew you would give it to me anyways” I ask him what if I wouldn’t have, he replies – “then I would have asked you or you would have called” (Puke again and replace bucket)
This scenario continues with us communicating another 2 times over the phone and almost never over poor ol msn messenger
Now Scene two….I arrive in Mumbai and its time to ‘Meet the Parents’
We are contacted by the aunt and she says the parents would like to meet us at a certain restaurant at 8pm. We are worried….its a dinner invite?! What if it doesn’t work out…we’ll have to sit through dinner with each other. The ‘We’ is supposedly, myself, my mom, my bro and the guy’s parents and aunt. Yes, the guy’s not coming coz he’s not in India yet.
So, like the nice people I think we are we go to the designated place. And BAM! We are hit by an entourage of wedding-goers. All dressed up sitting on a dinner table before us are – the guy’s mom, dad, aunt 1, aunt 2, aunt 3, and uncle. (Puke again and replace bucket)
The dinner goes alrite, with the mom asking me if the guy has told me about XYZ and ABC during our conversations…I try hard to resist asking – what conversations?
However, overall verdict - lovely family.
During the dinner the parents also show us a ‘latest’ pic of the guy. When I see it I recoil as I remember getting this pic in my inbox and deleting it coz I found it unappealing. Nooo….that is the same guy?!!
If you thought that was the end of it you are wrong! God has some more jokes to play on me…the story continues…
The guy’s ‘family’ discusses ‘me’ and decides to give the go ahead. They do this by insisting we visit their house at that very moment since the guy’s granny is also around and would love to meet me….(Puke again and replace bucket ALSO Sip on water and avoid food for further reading)
On the way, we have the guy’s aunt and mom with us, so that hardly gives us time to communicate with each other (within my family only) about the guy.
Once we enter their building compound, I am directed to where the club house is, followed by the question – do you swim? As I reply in the affirmative, the point I realize is that they have a swimming pool.
As we go towards the elevators, the aunt asks me “You do wear jeans na?” (Puke! Puke! Puke!) I forgot to mention I was in ethnic ‘salwar kameez’ but for god’s sake…I have been brought up in the UAE…spent all my life in a very modern and cosmopolitan country…I refrain from telling the dear lady bout my skirts incase its a tad too much for her heart to take!
We then enter the house…Nice and modest…but with everything typically covered in crochet. The grand mother sees me and smiles…like one would to a daughter-in-law post marriage…I fear the worst! I am the shown around the house…first the kitchen, where I am explained that they have a cook so nothing to worry about there and then the guy’s room. This is the worst moment ever…..His family is surrounding me and smiling warmly as I am trying to find my way out of the room…….Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!! (Puke! Puke! Puke!)
We then head back to the seating area…again surrounded by everybody!!! Me and my poor mom and bro are then forced to have sweets (a sign in our tradition that the ‘rishta’ alliance has been ‘fixed’) We struggle to get out…
As we leave the guy’s aunt – who introduced us – insists I call the guy the same nite and tell him how much I liked his family. She mentions that he knows we are meeting today and would be awaiting the call. I think…..Why doesn’t he call?!
Hence, I DON’T call him….Whew!
Next morning…the same aunt calls and says time for an official engagement……my family is SHOCKED! We havnt even met the guy for God’s sake!!! But this dear woman has thought of it all – She suggests I wear the engagement ring in front of the guy’s PHOTOGRAPH!
That was the end of it……………………………Thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d rather be single for the rest of my life than spend it with a photograph which I don’t like too much either…
Another 3 months have gone by and how far have I progressed in attempting to change my marital status from Single to In a Relationship / Engaged / Married....Hardly!!
Again, not for not trying...infact I gave this a serious 5 weeks and probably tried too hard - the result....NOTHING!
So here's the story....case by case
Warning : Please keep a bucket handy as you read below since the details can be emotionally disturbing.
Case 1
Born and brought up in good ol India...lost his only sibling in an accident a few years ago. Currently put up in an African nation. Has had a short employment stint in Dubai before he moved to the African continent.
We got introduced through the guy’s aunt. A very close family friend of the guy met me in Dubai before she left for vacationing in India and gave the guy’s parents an extremely good feedback on me…which was necessary in order for them to proceed further. (You may use a bucket to puke into….please replace for further reading)
I and the guy were then asked to start communicating with each other – via omnipresent msn messenger. Our first chat session resulted in me trying hard to find a topic of common interest and the guy watching an old re-run cricket match on TV. And when I attempt asking him generic questions such as – what are your likes and dislikes – the response is…“let us take this slow, we have enough time to get to know each other. This is the first chat between us anyways…” (Puke again and replace bucket)
Question: So what exactly should we be doing during our first chat besides being online?!
I tell my parents this is not working…they push me on telling me to try some more….Being the lovely daughter that I am, I continue with my attempts.
I ask the guy for his contact number – so as to put a voice to the face and know if he is worthwhile….Oh and the pic I was given was ‘not recent’
So, this is what happens…
I ask the guy for his contact number, he gives it to me. That’s it….nothing after that. I ask him if he wants my number. He obviously replies ‘yes’. I ask him how come he didn’t ask for it…he replies “Yaar I knew you would give it to me anyways” I ask him what if I wouldn’t have, he replies – “then I would have asked you or you would have called” (Puke again and replace bucket)
This scenario continues with us communicating another 2 times over the phone and almost never over poor ol msn messenger
Now Scene two….I arrive in Mumbai and its time to ‘Meet the Parents’
We are contacted by the aunt and she says the parents would like to meet us at a certain restaurant at 8pm. We are worried….its a dinner invite?! What if it doesn’t work out…we’ll have to sit through dinner with each other. The ‘We’ is supposedly, myself, my mom, my bro and the guy’s parents and aunt. Yes, the guy’s not coming coz he’s not in India yet.
So, like the nice people I think we are we go to the designated place. And BAM! We are hit by an entourage of wedding-goers. All dressed up sitting on a dinner table before us are – the guy’s mom, dad, aunt 1, aunt 2, aunt 3, and uncle. (Puke again and replace bucket)
The dinner goes alrite, with the mom asking me if the guy has told me about XYZ and ABC during our conversations…I try hard to resist asking – what conversations?
However, overall verdict - lovely family.
During the dinner the parents also show us a ‘latest’ pic of the guy. When I see it I recoil as I remember getting this pic in my inbox and deleting it coz I found it unappealing. Nooo….that is the same guy?!!
If you thought that was the end of it you are wrong! God has some more jokes to play on me…the story continues…
The guy’s ‘family’ discusses ‘me’ and decides to give the go ahead. They do this by insisting we visit their house at that very moment since the guy’s granny is also around and would love to meet me….(Puke again and replace bucket ALSO Sip on water and avoid food for further reading)
On the way, we have the guy’s aunt and mom with us, so that hardly gives us time to communicate with each other (within my family only) about the guy.
Once we enter their building compound, I am directed to where the club house is, followed by the question – do you swim? As I reply in the affirmative, the point I realize is that they have a swimming pool.
As we go towards the elevators, the aunt asks me “You do wear jeans na?” (Puke! Puke! Puke!) I forgot to mention I was in ethnic ‘salwar kameez’ but for god’s sake…I have been brought up in the UAE…spent all my life in a very modern and cosmopolitan country…I refrain from telling the dear lady bout my skirts incase its a tad too much for her heart to take!
We then enter the house…Nice and modest…but with everything typically covered in crochet. The grand mother sees me and smiles…like one would to a daughter-in-law post marriage…I fear the worst! I am the shown around the house…first the kitchen, where I am explained that they have a cook so nothing to worry about there and then the guy’s room. This is the worst moment ever…..His family is surrounding me and smiling warmly as I am trying to find my way out of the room…….Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!! (Puke! Puke! Puke!)
We then head back to the seating area…again surrounded by everybody!!! Me and my poor mom and bro are then forced to have sweets (a sign in our tradition that the ‘rishta’ alliance has been ‘fixed’) We struggle to get out…
As we leave the guy’s aunt – who introduced us – insists I call the guy the same nite and tell him how much I liked his family. She mentions that he knows we are meeting today and would be awaiting the call. I think…..Why doesn’t he call?!
Hence, I DON’T call him….Whew!
Next morning…the same aunt calls and says time for an official engagement……my family is SHOCKED! We havnt even met the guy for God’s sake!!! But this dear woman has thought of it all – She suggests I wear the engagement ring in front of the guy’s PHOTOGRAPH!
That was the end of it……………………………Thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d rather be single for the rest of my life than spend it with a photograph which I don’t like too much either…
posted by Ajanta @ 10:35 AM
4 comments
