Eclairs

Appearances can be deceptive. This saying applies most to my generation

Think of it this way, have you not been harangued by your parents for the choice of your t-shirts, the patchwork on your jeans which was a major hit or even the piercing you did which incidentally your girlfriend finds cool. I am sure that like me you are subjected to dialogues like, “You are not appropriately dressed for the occasion or your look may be cool, but next time a simple clean shave will look better”. I am no different. Even I am harassed by such things.

My parents don’t only say that my appearance is inappropriate but go a step further and brand me outright repulsive. I don’t blame them completely. A guy with a beer belly, dark complexion, unkempt hair and a 7 day old stubble, with an eyebrow piercing, a low waist jeans which he is too bored to even pull up at times, survives on his roommates deo-oderant is not inappropriately dressed but outright repulsive at first sight!!! But this perception of the prior generation was soon to change.

I got into the afternoon bus to get to Pune. The bus was half empty. I got in and the very first empty seat caught my eye. There were other window seats too but I overlooked them and landed on that seat. The window seat right next to me was occupied by a 60 something gentleman, whose afternoon nap I have just broken. Giving me an injured look he scowled, “There are other seats empty too.” Not wanting to get into an argument with the senior citizen I pretended to ignore him and turned on my ipod. He looked at me for a long moment and tried to get back to sleep. In the meantime the bus started.

After about 30 mins, in which I was slipping in and out of sleep, I caught the senior citizen staring at me. I hate people staring at me, makes me feel like a museum exhibit. I cleared my throat and very politely began a conversation:

Me: Where are you going Uncle.

Uncle: Pune. I just noticed that your jeans is torn.

Me: Err..yes. Does it look cool

Uncle: Cool?? You seem to be a software engg. I saw your company bag

Me: Yes…(with a smile on my face)

Uncle: You wear such clothes to office too?? My sister’s son is also in software. He is much more decently dressed, he is in the US now.

(I got it. The reason I was here in India, was because of my clothes. I don’t want to go to the US now, I am more than comfortable here in my torn clothes)

It was clear that Uncle was going way too tangential and that he did not like me one bit!!! His oblique references to my clothes and ofcourse his loving repartee about why you are still rotting here meant only one thing that “HE DID NOT LIKE ME”.

I had to do something to salvage the pride of my tribe. Tribe referring to people like me, who work for a software company, are comfortable the way they are in their torn jeans, pierced eye brow, smelly over alls. Instinctively I went for my jeans pocket.

More often than not my jeans pocket throw up surprises. Random searches bring up bus tickets, coins, parking tickets etc. But at that fateful moment when my hand came out, it had 2 eclairs!!!!

Why did éclairs came out? Why only two? This was sure to be a sign!!!! I just have to interpret it properly. In a flash I knew what to do.

Uncle had long forgotten my existence and was now enjoying the scenery outside. With the last ounce of self respect left in me I nudged him. He looked at me.

Me: Here Uncle, how about having an éclairs.

He gave me a look of disbelief. I thought that now the senior citizen would get hysterical but to the contrary he smiled. He accepted the éclair and instantly began opening it with child like enthusiasm. I didn’t interrupt him. He rolled the éclair in his mouth and with a calm face said, “Thanks, that was unexpected. I think that very soon even you will get a chance to go to the US. Even you deserve it”!!!!

I just smiled back.