It is the first time that my daughter could not visit us for five years since her last visit. Summi went to America seeking higher education in August 1999. Her first visit was in 2001, then again in 2003, then in 2005 and now, after five years. This time, naturally her anxiety to visit her favorite eateries in town was more intense than ever. Her mother too was equally enthusiastic to take her to her favorite joints. Also Summi now has a 30 month old her very own daughter on tow. Mother and child have been with us since Saturday last, will be leaving by 23rd of this month to Bangalore and from there back to US on the 29th, when we join her for our second visit to the U.S.
Since last three days we have been visiting that famed Sri Devi Condiments, where the fellow prepares tasty chaat masaalaa, and Summi says the taste has not changed a bit from her college days in mid-nineties. Yesterday, during chaat senior mother and daughter decided to shop at an 'all cotton' annual discount sale. Mother took out her money purse from the vanity bag and checked if there was enough cash. We in Shiumoga are not yet fully accustomed to plastic money. Daughter also checked her purse. Satisfied with the total cash they together had, they asked me to drop them at the shop and return home. So did I.
When they returned home, the senior mother asked me to take out the car again. It was alreaqdy dark. She had lost her money purse and the amount of purchase went beyond the cash Summi had, and so had left the package with the shopper requesting him to keep it waiting for them to return with bill money. As she could not decide where exactly the purse was mislaid, she had hopes that it could have fallen on the car floor while putting it back into her bag. They searched the car but could not find. (Up to here I wrote when we were still in Shimoga, on the very night when the incident took place, could not complete and now I am trying to do it here sitting at Summi's home in Austin, TX!)
Well, I had a cinch that the purse had fallen where the car was parked. In fact I could guess exactly what could have happened. The place where we parked the car was a little bit dark. There was no side walk nor was a pavement, neither a street light. Also, there was no shop on that side, instead there was an old house with a small compound and gate. My wife while confirming whether she had enough cash for shopping, had the door open and her one leg was outside on the road. So, I thought, in all probabilities the purse had fallen below the car and when we moved the the wheel of the car had run over it. There were some litter scattered all over the side of the road. Some dusty black empty plastic bags were there.
I took Summi straight to the spot hoping none else had parked a car there. Fortunately the place was vacant. I stopped exactly where I had parked and lo! I could see the purse in the headlights among black plastic bags, the purse also being black, and as I guessed my car tyre had run over it making a dust mark, making it look like another plastic bag. I asked Summi to go and pick it. She laughed at me saying there was no purse, but only littered trash! However she got out and bent over the thing I pointed. She was surprised beyond belief! A man idly leaning against the gate was observing all this; must have regretted for having not noticed the purse which contained over Rs.2,000/- in cash apart from some other miner valuables.
When we returned home, my wife exclaimed "It is my GOOD money, cannot go to anybody but me!". I was wondering if all those lakhs of crores eaten away by A.Rajas and Suresh Kalmadis are bad money?
Since last three days we have been visiting that famed Sri Devi Condiments, where the fellow prepares tasty chaat masaalaa, and Summi says the taste has not changed a bit from her college days in mid-nineties. Yesterday, during chaat senior mother and daughter decided to shop at an 'all cotton' annual discount sale. Mother took out her money purse from the vanity bag and checked if there was enough cash. We in Shiumoga are not yet fully accustomed to plastic money. Daughter also checked her purse. Satisfied with the total cash they together had, they asked me to drop them at the shop and return home. So did I.
When they returned home, the senior mother asked me to take out the car again. It was alreaqdy dark. She had lost her money purse and the amount of purchase went beyond the cash Summi had, and so had left the package with the shopper requesting him to keep it waiting for them to return with bill money. As she could not decide where exactly the purse was mislaid, she had hopes that it could have fallen on the car floor while putting it back into her bag. They searched the car but could not find. (Up to here I wrote when we were still in Shimoga, on the very night when the incident took place, could not complete and now I am trying to do it here sitting at Summi's home in Austin, TX!)
Well, I had a cinch that the purse had fallen where the car was parked. In fact I could guess exactly what could have happened. The place where we parked the car was a little bit dark. There was no side walk nor was a pavement, neither a street light. Also, there was no shop on that side, instead there was an old house with a small compound and gate. My wife while confirming whether she had enough cash for shopping, had the door open and her one leg was outside on the road. So, I thought, in all probabilities the purse had fallen below the car and when we moved the the wheel of the car had run over it. There were some litter scattered all over the side of the road. Some dusty black empty plastic bags were there.
I took Summi straight to the spot hoping none else had parked a car there. Fortunately the place was vacant. I stopped exactly where I had parked and lo! I could see the purse in the headlights among black plastic bags, the purse also being black, and as I guessed my car tyre had run over it making a dust mark, making it look like another plastic bag. I asked Summi to go and pick it. She laughed at me saying there was no purse, but only littered trash! However she got out and bent over the thing I pointed. She was surprised beyond belief! A man idly leaning against the gate was observing all this; must have regretted for having not noticed the purse which contained over Rs.2,000/- in cash apart from some other miner valuables.
When we returned home, my wife exclaimed "It is my GOOD money, cannot go to anybody but me!". I was wondering if all those lakhs of crores eaten away by A.Rajas and Suresh Kalmadis are bad money?
No comments:
Post a Comment