I don't like strawberries! But I picked up the strawberry cheese cake and dropped it in my now-overflowing shopping cart. It was Han's birthday!
My grocery list had already gone up from 10-12 items to whooping 157 odd items, and I was on spur-shopping mode. Strawberry cheese cake was just another addition to Haagen-Daz icecream tubs, Chicken tikka mix, Indian spice blend, rice paper, California white shrimps, Butter cookies, Creamy fondant birthday cake, dozen of Maggie noodle packs and random items with "happy birthday" printed on them...
I was in an unusual mood where I took upon myself to have a Children's birthday party for an adult.
In a span of two days of his stay, it was humanely impossible to cook everything, to eat it and then to have time left to talk, argue and make up. But I still had my elaborate plans.
And since a month, I was tending to a daffodil potted plant... hoping for it to bloom on his birthday. You might think he likes daffodils; but I really didn't know. It was one of the many ways I was keeping myself occupied with things such as these taken up for no apparent reason. And the daffodil tending, fertilizing and de-weeding had reached such a level by now, that I had cancelled a couple of outings over weekends, so that I could take 'proper' care of the yellow buds which had just appeared on the grassy stalk.
And then there was a week of planning: making reservations at the most expensive restaurant in town, making a list of probable gifts; striking some items off the list due to their 'less-precious' and 'oh-not-so-special' status... and then the exhaustive market review. Which electronics store, how many ratings, how much warranty for product, so on and so forth. To top it off, the standard comment:" oh, no no not online buying.. I like to see the product before I buy!" I am sure my friends had labelled me outright crazy in that week long session of 'gift hunting'. Needless to say, later I browsed the products on Amazon, and hit 'add to cart'! Conveniently telling myself: 'who will go out in cold to buy the things!? And then carry it back...?'
So, the gift was on its way.
The day of his arrival, I was eagerly waiting at the airport; two hours before the scheduled arrival. Reason: what if I get late because of the snow!? So I left my house to reach the airport crazy early! And bought a bouquet of daffodils. Yes, because roses are overrated, daisies too plain, orchid for elders, chrysanthemum was not at the florist's, tulips look great in vases and not in hand, and bird of paradise would have been attention seeker,..
My grocery list had already gone up from 10-12 items to whooping 157 odd items, and I was on spur-shopping mode. Strawberry cheese cake was just another addition to Haagen-Daz icecream tubs, Chicken tikka mix, Indian spice blend, rice paper, California white shrimps, Butter cookies, Creamy fondant birthday cake, dozen of Maggie noodle packs and random items with "happy birthday" printed on them...
I was in an unusual mood where I took upon myself to have a Children's birthday party for an adult.
In a span of two days of his stay, it was humanely impossible to cook everything, to eat it and then to have time left to talk, argue and make up. But I still had my elaborate plans.
And since a month, I was tending to a daffodil potted plant... hoping for it to bloom on his birthday. You might think he likes daffodils; but I really didn't know. It was one of the many ways I was keeping myself occupied with things such as these taken up for no apparent reason. And the daffodil tending, fertilizing and de-weeding had reached such a level by now, that I had cancelled a couple of outings over weekends, so that I could take 'proper' care of the yellow buds which had just appeared on the grassy stalk.
And then there was a week of planning: making reservations at the most expensive restaurant in town, making a list of probable gifts; striking some items off the list due to their 'less-precious' and 'oh-not-so-special' status... and then the exhaustive market review. Which electronics store, how many ratings, how much warranty for product, so on and so forth. To top it off, the standard comment:" oh, no no not online buying.. I like to see the product before I buy!" I am sure my friends had labelled me outright crazy in that week long session of 'gift hunting'. Needless to say, later I browsed the products on Amazon, and hit 'add to cart'! Conveniently telling myself: 'who will go out in cold to buy the things!? And then carry it back...?'
So, the gift was on its way.
The day of his arrival, I was eagerly waiting at the airport; two hours before the scheduled arrival. Reason: what if I get late because of the snow!? So I left my house to reach the airport crazy early! And bought a bouquet of daffodils. Yes, because roses are overrated, daisies too plain, orchid for elders, chrysanthemum was not at the florist's, tulips look great in vases and not in hand, and bird of paradise would have been attention seeker,..
With the two hour nap on my lap, the daffodils were slowly losing their tête-à-tête charm, but I still clung onto them.
Finally, the flight landed. Han walked out from the gate, too exhausted. With a wide grin and the droopy daffodils, I welcomed him. He smiled, but it was clear that he was puzzled with the daffodils. We got home, I set the table with the goodies I got and food I cooked. He simply said, I want plain rice if you have. I really miss that.
I threw a fit. But I knew he was too exhausted and needed sleep and care.
After his power nap, I exhibited the specimens of my cooking again. Being a sweet heart, he ate a few of everything - although his stomach did not agree.
Then I took him out for a fancy dinner, at the reservation restaurant overlooking the city bathed in moon-light. His eyes shimmered in the warm glow of moon in the winter sky. My day was made.
Coming back home, I set the table with cake, showered him with gifts. He accepted all with a smile.
And then he glanced at the potted daffodil on the window sil. "Your plant?!", he asked suspending our small talk. "hmmm", I replied.
"I did'nt know you have a green thumb! They look marvelous! We should have a garden in our house. I will get the pots and earth before you get there. You just tell me which seeds etc you want! ... Ah! A garden! That will be a perfect gift from you to me!"
I was dumbfounded.
Plain rice for food made him content, the walk in moonlight gladdened him... and now a potted plant rekindled his spirit.
I was so wrong!
Running behind the 'most expensive and special' gifts, loading exotic food on the table to satisfy what I thought was craving and trying to tailor the day's experience with 'constructed' spaces... while he did not yearn for any of that!
His joy was beset on the daffodil I tended to. For it had a part of me, my time et al.
He carried a dry flower between pages of a book as a Birthday gift.
Amazon wouldn't have delivered that at my door step!
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| "Most genuine gift", he said |
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