“Where is the gift?” We (my parents, my sister and me) are going to a function.We are already late by about 45 minutes, and after we are all seated in the car, and ready to go, somebody remembers..
“Where is the gift?”
Everybody instinctively turns towards my sister, who was responsible for it.
“Its on the dining table!”……oh oh…
As my father glares at her, me and my mom cant help laughing. Its not one of those mean laughs..instead its what we call a “Been there, Done that” laughter…Because at some point or the other,in some or the other way… we have been there!! 
As my father goes up to get the gift, we all laugh yet again on how each one was “too busy” to remember the gift…
Well, you may feel, with three women in the house, what else does one expect?Out of which one, who has started forgetting things, other, who is young and excited most of the time, and the third….(well , lets not go there…)
But Wrong. The reason we get late is because my father takes too long to get ready.The time taken by him is equal to the combined time taken by the three of us!!
Not entirely his fault though…
“Blue jeans and brown shoes????” my sister announces, just as my dad is all ready….
And now the focus shifts, from each one’s self to my father, who has been completely neglected until now. Of course he has his own share of..
“Do you think I should tie up my hair?”
“Have you seen my watch?”
“Will you please iron this for me???”
But women (as I’ve come to know) cannot concentrate on anything else when they are getting ready…… and so he ends up getting neglected…
Where were we???
Ya… brown shoes have been changed to black….
“This is not a formal party, why that formal shirt???” The recent MBA graduate (ME!) pipes in with her latest acquired knowledge of formal and informal wear…
The formal shirt changes into a semi formal half shirt….
Mrs. D, who just then enters the scene, “Jeans???” Why am I wearing a saree then???
Now this question does not really have an answer because it is usually only she who decides which occasion ‘deserves’ a saree.. Please note that it has been asked more because she has decided (with much regret though) that she needs to wear a saree today….anyway….
“Doesnt look good. Dont wear a jean …”
“That shirt again does not go with this pant now”
“A pink shirt?? When did you even buy this..and WHY????”
“You were going to wear a blazer????”
“A plain shirt looks best inside a blazer”…… “but not THAT colored!”
“Brown pant and black shoes???”
You see, the three of us, my mother, my little sis, and me, have long ago given up on each other. So we usually don’t meddle in small decisions as to what clothes to wear. Though once in a while you may hear my mother telling one of us..
“This new dress??..Keep it for some occasion..”
“But this is an occasion!!”
To avoid all this, we have mutually come to a consensus that it is OK, to disown each other once in a while… But my dad! He’s the combined responsibility of all three of us.
And so, the next time we are late in any program… you can give my father a sympathetic look… But dont forget to notice his clothes…because by the end of it, he has worn what he was wearing in the first place………
And now Ready..Steady…and GO!!!!!
Looking forward to an awesomely eventful month ahead!
Abha Deshkar
12/3/2011
