My Vacation Puzzle

It just so happened that for the past one month , I have been getting some subtle hints to go for a vacation. Although subtle, they are given to me everyday in form of prodding, questioning etc , etc .

"So what did you do at the office today ?", she asked me in the evening. But I knew that the translation of the question was '' did I do some research for the vacation?''. ''So did you talk to your friend X or Y?", she asked. Here the hidden question is -"X had gone for a vacation last month , had I called him up for some information". Sometime I get this feeling that I am being interrogated by my sweet and cute wife. For that period she takes the Avatar of a Police inspector from our Hindi films. In the plot I have become the goon who has been caught by that Inspector. Just like the goon who suffers from partial amnesia and does not want to cough up any answers, I am not able to answer any of her questions to her satisfaction.

Now as the years of marriage have gone by I have realized ,she can multi task and I can't. Forget multitasking, I am plain hoping to finish all my office tasks. Multiple threads can be going on in her mind. But the processor in my head is guaranteed single threaded.

The days were going by and I was still at my wits end for the vacation spot. Like a crossword puzzle, clues were being given to me left, right and center , but the right destination still alluded me . Ask any man, what vacation is for them. At least for me it is eating, sleeping and doing nothing. Because after the amount of Software-giri I do at office, that is what I need besides ''Hamdard ka tonic Cinkara''.

The night of decision had arrived. So with my imagination or rather lack of it, I came up with going to Vegas or San Diego. She heard this, closed her eyes, swayed her head side to side and pursed her lips. (P.S we have gone to these places many times ). The expressions said it all. Her expression were not far away from my IIT Prof who taught Electromagnetic. He would ask the trickiest of questions and expected me to answer them. I would think all those times, "Abe Salla, if you know the answer ,why don't you answer it and spare me". Neither did I say those thoughts aloud to the Prof and nor can I say anything remotely close to her. All I manage to think is , if she knows where she wants to go , please enlighten me also.

Just like the silence before the storm, she sat quietly for ten minutes. And then jumped up, came up to me and said puffing her cheeks "I will not talk to you , you could not come with any good place.''She then opened word document on my laptop and wrote in capital letter where she wanted to go. I thought , I will cajole her later. At least now I know where to go and I am relieved that I am off the hook.

Barbarism of the Burberry Bag

If not barbarism what else was it ? She was lured to the chocolate colored check pattern bag like iron to a magnet , bees to the honey , me to an Apple store .But all these attractions result in some constructive results. The bees make honey , I feel a direct connection with Steve Jobs when I go to the Apple store .The touch and feel of the gadgets is a constant education process for me .And no one comes out hurt , neither me nor my credit card .


Among a thousand and thousand of purses kept in Nordstrom , there is only one she liked in all the store . Kept on the topmost shelf in Nordstrom , with the yellow light making it more prominent, She asked me ''Can you bring that purse down , let me see it ''. I like a law abiding husband agreed to this trivial request

.For me the difference from one purse to the other is a big Zero . The difference for her is a completely opposite figure ''Infinite''. So after a search which lasted maybe just about 85 min ,she picked it and declared to me ''this is the one''. I heaved a sigh of relief , finally the torture was over and we could go and grab a bite . My relief only lasted till the time we took to find out where the price tag was located .The price tag was snugged inside comfortably in the layers of the purse. My heart just skipped a beat seeing the numerical digits on the price tag. It was enough to buy a more than a decent laptop.Why don't they put the figures in bold and place it next to the bag . So when one sees the purse , the eyes also can eyeball those three digit figures. No they will never do that .

She said twisting her face to the other side '' OK leave it , it is too expensive'' . '' Think quick , do I say OK, or no honey take it , I can buy this for you '' I thought to myself. 'What if this is a trick statement to test me. I better tread this path carefully ''. ' Why don't you buy it , not buying will be waste of all your efforts ''. I said with a slight shake in my voice.''OK , this can be your gift on my birthday '' she said happily and walked towards the check out counter. '' Bamboozled I was , her birthday was not in another 6 months . With a smile on my lips , and trembling hands I opened my humble ten dollar wallet, to buy the Burberry Purse . I just hope she is happy and also that it lasts for at least ten years .