Today at the workshop I am attending, someone asked me about my children. When I told her about them, She
exclaimed, “You look very young”, and her reaction took me to my
childhood.
Mummy always looked like our eldest
sibling. Since my father had a touring job, she was our
parent cum friend . Once she had to
take my brother to a doctor. She planned an outing and clubbed it
with the visit to the doctor. He was an expensive and renowned doctor. Not that it was easy to afford but, “any thing for my
children” she must have thought.
Brother, mom and I entered the doctor's
chamber. The doctor examined and asked some questions. At one
point brother addressed mother saying 'Mummy”. And the elderly
doctor stood up with a jerk and blurted,
“Is he your son?”
Then with a confused look he stared at me.
Mummy took it lightly, may be she was
used to of such compliments or comments.When he came to know that my
eldest sister was waiting outside, he ran out and found a 13 yr old
with two long plaits. I don't remember what happened afterwards.
I always thought mom must have looked
really young back then. But now I realise she didn't look young, she
was young. Only 32, which is considered ideal age for marriage
now.
Coming back to my new friend at the
workshop. She did some calculation and asked me:
“Then you must be around...” and
uttered my exact age.
I thought of a quote I read somewhere:
“Whenever a man's friends begin to
compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think
he is growing old.”
