We all have certain enemies who are temporary or short lived in our life for a nominal amount of time. But a few and peculiar ones will never leave your back. The more you want to get rid of them, the more prominent they become and follow you to eternity and sometimes it is us, who successfully create the enemies out of nowhere. The good old pals suddenly become die hard enemies.
The first in my list is apple, not the I phone Apple but a real, actual fruit apple. When I was young, I had tonsillitis, which caused infection of almost everything and anything I ate. Ice cream was a dream, far away from reality. There was limitation on fruits as well; grapes, guava, raw mango, all were like missiles. Apple was something I could eat all the time. Soon it became an overdose for me and to top it all Newton added salt to injury. Why could not he just eat the apple that fell off the tree. So many things fall. Apple had to strike him with the idea of establishing a new law? My school life became miserable learning these laws and he is not even aware of it. He became my enemy number one then.
Second biggest enemy is remotely related to the same squad I should say, “Theorems”- when it has already been proven a long time back by experts, who are we to challenge it and prove it again? Isn’t it an insult to them? We are merely students, who have not even seen enough life and we try to prove that whatever has been proved earlier is right. All these laws and theorems ruined my childhood. “Humara bachpan chhin liya humse inhone.”
Bachpan reminds me of the days where anything could be fun. During those days trains were not so badly overcrowded in Mumbai. Waiting for the train was an experience. Standing on the railway bridge and waiting for the announcement to know on which platform the train would arrive and then getting down with so many people on the narrow staircase, awaiting the compartment door at a particular place and the train would halt for 30 seconds to enter through the door to get inside, it was all very thrilling. If the train got delayed, we had those weighing machines with colourful wheels in the display with the flashing lights. We would take that one rupee coin and stand on it. The wheels would spin, all bulbs flashed and finally when it settled down, a cardboard ticket would come out with weight and some future prediction on one side and some celebrity’s photo on the other side. I always loved that magical machine. But as said earlier your love becomes your enemy. Nowadays it has turned into a bitter enemy for me, enemy number 3 and most ferocious and dreadful one. It just refuses to co-operate however and whatever I do. It is just not ready to buzz and leave that stupid number on it which it has fancied like anything. I have tried various timings in a day, different ways of standing on it like standing on its rarest edge, extreme ends on either side, getting down and climbing that mini giant three or four times but nope! It is not on my side.
I wake up and get on an empty stomach, all night my stomach has been empty so I have high hopes that the number would change at least by a few digits in grams; but no, it is still stuck where it was yesterday night. Then regular visit to the washroom and cooking back with high hopes to see at least 100 gms. reduction, but no. After a 40 mins fast (as per my speedometer) walk, I come home happily expecting now at least it will show a lesser number but it is not ready to budge. That ruthless machine is so stubborn that it does not even realise that I need some encouragement to keep up with my resolution. This has become my enemy number three, a staunch enemy for a lifetime now.
I guess it’s the same with many more people too. The other day I was waiting for my turn at a clinic which had placed the weighing machine near the reception counter but I dared not climb up that monster. I never take this risk at such places where everyone around you is equally interested in your weight. So I was sitting quietly and patiently when a family arrived; Two men accompanied their aged mother, one of them went to reception and the other one made her sit and got on the machine. He came down contended announcing his weight publicly (it was perfect for his height, hmmm lucky fellow). His brother casually got on it but seemed disturbed looking at the number. He thought something was wrong, he kept his mobile down and checked again, perhaps that did not help, then he removed his sandals, that too did not work. Now it was his wallet, which got placed out of his pocket, still no progress, then the bracelet in his hand, the cap on his head, everything which he could publicly get rid of, came out but that machine did not buzz. Finally, he gave up, quietly came and sat next to his mother discussing about her health problem.
The machine is born to embarrass people publicly. I strongly feel that all the machines in the world are faulty; how come none of them can take proper reading?