Tuesday, October 12, 2004

never say die

Said, she left home (Mumbai) after fighting with her dad. Became my colleague and then hostel-mate. Studied in Goa staying in a hostel, then to the Gulf to join her parents, back to India after the war and settled in Mumbai.
Often a bundle of adventure and mystery, I didn’t know whether to believe her or not. Had a gold watch very typical of ‘Gulf returnees’. Spoke about a rich dad said they were three sisters, eldest a nun, second married to a guy who was 19 years elder and her.

Attired neatly ironed, out-dated salwars and dresses with elan. She wore boots to office on one Friday, with cheap glasses tugged on the hair and claimed that she couldn’t carry other dresses from home. She would often leave her hair without combing after a shampoo.

Nevertheless, she was smart and attractive. Her charms and wit binded us and we became good friends and the best consultants in the office. She shared glimpses of a troubled childhood, a dominating father, of naughty hostel days, first love, first kiss and how she lost count after that. Others gaped at her tales as if she was a seen-it-all, done-it-all but she was a very sensible female. One day she announced she is in love with a colleague who left to join the airforce, exchanged gold rings with him and promised to be in touch.

I just cannot help admiring her eager life. She was a go-getter and never sulked over anything. She was in here for just 6 months. Last heard she was in Qatar with her sister working for the Qatar airways and planning to migrate to Canada. She said she has bought a car, dyed her hair and party a lot. Told me she is in touch with her guy too.

If life hands out lemons, she will ask for her tequila and salt.
I don’t remember the lyrics properly but this is a song we laughed and sang together. Every line is suffixed with "on the bed" in a chorus.
Goes like this…
O Carol, I am not a fool in the bed Darling I love you in the bed Say you love me too in the bed You hurt me in the bed And you make me cry in the bed But if you would leave me in the bed I would surely die in the bed... :-)

12 comments:

Stone said...

another worth waiting post.
:-)

dust_t said...

carpe diem

Sathish N said...

Nice song ;P

manuscrypts said...

goa....hostel....brings back a lot of memories..

Calvin said...

isn't it great knowing such wild and wonderful people?!

Arunima said...

Saurabh, yes, it was a wonderful experience.
Rambler, eeer! what does it mean?

Unknown said...

Necessity is the mother of invention. Troubled childhood. Thought her fight, & achieve in life. I feel she may not be a rice fathers daughter, but her dreams were richer.Her ambitions goals were high.

Ravi Handa said...

Seriously.... SO WHAT

Calvin said...

carpe diem = seize the day

Yours Truly said...

Arunima,
I am reading your blog for a long time. But forgotten that I can post a comment since I had a blog of mine at blogger.com ages ago. :-)
Your roommate was quite interesting. I hope you have never taken her seriously. :-) While I was reading this post I was scared that in the end you might have suffered due to her. But thank god, it was not so. :-)

Ankur said...

thats a nice twist to the Song,,,, :-)

Arunima said...

thanks guys you liked the post and the song too

then, we did not dig the differences of being on the bed and in the bed ;-)