To the Love of My Life

Dear V,

The first question you asked me when we met was whether I was writing the PWD exams. I was totally unaware that such an exam was around the corner, nor was I interested. You also asked whether I planned to do M.tech, and obviously, I had no such plans. God only knows how I managed to pass B.tech with decent marks. I had dismissed you as one of those nerds who had come to waste my time. However, you turned out to be different.

Before I knew, we were engaged to be married and you were making me laugh with your insane jokes and hour-long phone calls. Your called me morning, evening and night. You said you were determined to know the person I was before we tied the knot. I took time to open up. You were an open book. You were mostly vegetarian and I loved non-vegetarian. I was a bibliophile and you read only Osho, IS codes or Civil Engineering handbooks. We were different like chalk and cheese.

By the time we got married, I knew I could trust you. Yet I was scared. You knew for a girl, it was such a huge step. She had to leave behind the comfort of her home and create a new home for herself in a stranger's home. So, you stood by me, became the ice-breaker to make your family warm up to me. Soon, your home became my home. You weaseled into my heart and cemented a permanent place there. 

We moved to Dubai to further our careers. With your experience, you made my job easier. As we worked on the same project, you were always there to guide me. The days were hectic, sometimes we met each other only on the road. I would be returning from my day job and you walking to your work site for your night shift. Yet, we became best buddies. We mostly bonded over food and you walked around our area to find libraries where I could indulge in my first love: reading. 

The only things that we had in common were our laziness and gluttony. Yet we managed to make even those vices into virtues.

We hunted down the best restaurants to experiment with food. Then we would walk home determined to lose the calories gained, talking about everything under the sun.

When it came to laziness, we struggled to understand who excelled in that area. We fought over whose turn it was to switch off lights, to put the clothes on the clothesline or take out the trash.

Now our dilemma has ended. We have our junior who has acquired both our lazy genes and beats us hands down at being the laziest in the house. 

Over the years, we have been through difficulties. We both lost loved ones. You lost your mother, and I lost my father. I have realized that whatever happens, I can always trust that you will be there to support me. You were the one who pushed me to start writing. And it has become my passion, my happiness. You surprise me with gifts and tolerate my tantrums when I am in one of my moods. 

I know you don't like public displays of affection, but hey this blog is my oasis. This is my private haven where I jot down my thoughts and you deserve a pride of place right here on my blog.

Therefore, in this month of love, all I want from you is a promise that you will never change. 

Be the same witty, kind, and handsome person I fell in love with.

Love,

Preethi

P.S : (Thanks in advance for that gift you have planned to buy for me ;) )

Linking this post with #MondayMommyMoments being hosted by Amrita and Deepa.

The prompt this week was to write a letter to the love of your life.

A Letter to my (soon-to-be-ex) Smartphone

Dear (soon-to-be-ex) Smartphone,

I know you are wondering why I am erasing all the data from your memory. Unlike other times, when I used to create a backup, I have deleted everything. You must have guessed it by now. Our relationship is coming to an end.

You have been a faithful mate for years now. You were my best companion, my confidante. But as they say, every good thing should end one day. Don’t judge me. I have decided to replace you with a new, rather expensive but efficient newcomer.

Oh, I am surprised when you tell me that you were expecting this. You don’t begrudge my decision! So nice of you. As you say rightly, you were showing signs of old age. Hanging at odd times, taking ages to get charged, and losing it all in a flash. Your video and picture quality were tolerable but not extraordinary. You say it is time you went to that amazing place where old Smartphones go eventually. I am sure you will rule like a king there.

Before you go, let me introduce you to your nemesis. Okay, you prefer to call it your replacement. You are so magnanimous. I know you are concerned about me. But don’t worry, once you get to know who is taking your place, all your worries will vanish. I am getting the new #LGV20.

Image Source: LG

It has an Android v7.0 Nougat operating system with 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz Kryo Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor, Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal memory expandable up to 2TB and dual SIM (nano+nano) dual-standby (4G+4G).

I heard your whoop of delight. Yes, you now understand why I turned greedy and selfish. I confess I couldn’t resist the temptation.

Its sleek metal body and Si-PC material ensure durability. It has three high AOP (Acoustic Overload Point) mics, which would allow me to record loud scenes. Imagine being able to record sporting events without the disturbance created by cheering fans! There is also an option called Steady Record 2.0 that allows me to record even when I am on the move. It minimizes unintentional handshaking. Now my videos are going to be crisp and clear.

Did you know it has a wide-angle 5MP front camera? I can capture selfies with a wider background, which means I can include more friends or wider scenery. Isn’t that amazing? The back camera (16MP+8MP dual primary camera) comes with a wide-angle lens, an astonishing 135-degree, which would allow me to capture stunning landscapes or large group shots without much ado. It has the normal 75-degree angle option as well.

B&O PLAY collaboration tunes its audio and delivers it through its specially designed earphones making it perfect for a music lover like me.

I see you have turned dark green with envy. Okay, I will stop extolling the virtues of your nemesis.

But again, thank you for serving me even when you are going away. They inform me there is an upgrade option of up to Rs. 20,000 for a Smartphone exchange.

Image Source :LG

What! Now don’t die on me.

Let me rush you to the LG showroom before it is too late.

Rest in peace, dear.

Much Love,

Your ex-owner.

  

Love, Rotis and a pinch of Wisdom from a mother

Dear Son,

Hope this letter finds you in the best of spirits and health.

You might be surprised to find an email from your mom. But something told me to write to you; that you need to hear from me today.

It was indeed one of the best evenings that your father and I spent when you visited us with your new wife yesterday. Rest assured, we liked her immensely. I could see that both of you are very much in love and that makes me happy. May your love grow every moment!

Now to mention the reason for writing this letter. I don’t know whether you remember, but during dinner, you cracked a joke about the shapeless rotis that Lavanya makes. We all laughed and your father laughed the loudest. There were tears of laughter in the eyes of your father and there were tears in the eyes of your wife too. I can assure you that her tears were not of mirth, they were tears of mortification, of shame brought about by the innocuous joke that you cracked.

I guess that joke was the reason why we heard raised voices coming from your room yesterday night and the reason why Lavanya appeared puffy eyed in the morning. May be, she cried all night.

Son, I want to tell you something. I love shapeless rotis. They bring back many fond memories. They remind me of the shapeless rotis made by my father on certain Saturday mornings, when mother had extra duty in her office. They lacked salt, were hard like rock and were shaped like various continents. But his love for us compensated for all that it lacked.

Shapeless rotis also bring memories of those days when your father turned into my cook. It was in those early days of pregnancy while I was carrying you. I couldn’t bear the smell of spices or rice or anything cooking. Your father would churn out shapeless rotis and experimental curries, which tasted quite good, because he wanted to provide home cooked food for his wife and unborn child. His care and affection made those rotis priceless.

Do you remember how you used to insist to help me while I prepared rotis when you were around four years old? You would play with the dough and create various shapes that you wanted to be cooked and served to all. I can tell you, those were the tastiest rotis that I ever ate.

Words are all we need to create a world of love. Yet, a thoughtless word is enough to destroy that world.

You and Lavanya are equally qualified, you both even earn equal wages. You both have spent equal number of years educating yourself to be the professionals that you are. But you expect Lavanya to become the perfect cook and home maker from the moment you married her! How unreasonable that is?

Rahul, no new wife wants to be ridiculed in front of her in-laws. Trust me, I can tell you that. Been there, done that. She craves to be loved by them and she expects her husband’s support in her effort at endearing herself to them.

Teething troubles in marriages are often capable of draining out the love you have for each other. Be there for her while she adapts herself into your world. A small token of appreciation and open support is all that she would need.

You are my beloved son and I know you have learnt to see the brighter side of things. Value love more than any other thing, because son, perfectly round rotis are often machine made. They lack the most essential ingredient of love.

Yours loving mother.

 Renuka