Archive for the '1800-HUSBAND-FOR-MELL' Category

May 22 2008

And then there was ‘Mamen’

Published by Melody under 1800-HUSBAND-FOR-MELL

Prologue: On Men & Mates (and the women who provide them)
Chapter 1: So, let’s start with Husky!

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Chapter 2: And then there was ‘Mamen’

Though Husky (from chapter 1) was the first boy I saw, Mamen was way down in the line - nevertheless, I feel like writing the ‘Mamen story’ at this point.

‘Mamen’ (not really his name, but we’ll come to that shortly) came highly recommended. And I mean highly recommended. He had just returned to the country (after some many years) and was on route to his hometown shortly.

In fact the friend of my mum’s - let’s call her ‘Hillary’ (yes, I’m reading too much US politics these days) - who organized our meet, boasted that she had pulled off some sort of coup in getting him to meet me first, before any of the other women’s daughters - who, had he gone to the hometown first, would have definetely “pakrao-ed him” (Pause to go: Yipee!)

I was told to go to Hillary’s house to meet Mamen. All of the other boys I have met (before & after) have come to my house to meet me. Few exceptions - the ones who I have met from out of town (Husky & another one, who we’ll meet later on) and - Mamen.

The meeting was weird right from the point go.

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Apr 30 2008

So, let’s start with Husky!

Published by Melody under 1800-HUSBAND-FOR-MELL

Further to this post, let’s start at the beginning.

There is a saying, “Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it”. It’s obvious that the old me had *no* idea what I was getting myself into, because one day, I actually asked my mum to look out for proposals for me.

Yes, I admit it, I opened Pandora’s box.

I suppose, like Pandora, I was curious. Perhaps I wondered what sort of men were out there. Or perhaps I thought it would be fun. Or that I’d actually meet someone I’d like. I don’t really remember my motivation back then - we’re talking about 3 to 4-ish years ago now.

Anyway, whatever was the motivation, I asked - and indeed, like our good Lord says, it was answered.

Well, somewhat.

I was out of Bombay, on holiday with my parents at the time. I had of course asked a while before then - and had *no* idea of what was awaiting me.

An aunt (who I admit was well meaning) conspired with my parents & we land at her place for lunch - and voila! There’s Husky.

I catch on pretty quick (I’m a bright one, I am) and immediately realised why Husky was there. Not a little annoyed with my parents (I mean seriously, they could have just told me), I was actually all *yay* in my mind. Silly me, this was all quite new & exciting, an adventure of sorts!

So, there I was - suddenly all alone - with Husky in the living room (enthu aunt had whisked away my parents on some pretense to another room).

Seeing as it was my first time, I was not sure what I should be saying or not - and I was DESPERATELY trying not to SMILE - I was having such a brilliant time inside my head.

Now, at this stage, let me give Husky due credit & tell you that he was very cute.

In fact, like mum pointed out later, he looked quite like Paul Rudd, though she didn’t quite say Paul Rudd, she said “Phoebe’s Mike” (you know, Phoebe’s bf/husband on ‘Friends’?) - and till today we call Husky, Mike. But I digress.

Husky / Mike was cute. Very cute. I’m actually thinking - nice, this proposal thing is not so bad!!

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Apr 12 2008

On Men & Mates (and the women who provide them)

Published by Melody under 1800-HUSBAND-FOR-MELL

It is a truth universally acknowledged in India, that young lasses in their late twenties are just crying out to elderly aunties (known and unknown) for help to get married. “Find me a man, any man - it doesn’t matter; if he’s male, he’ll do”. This knowledge firmly in place, many an aunty has set out on that seemingly daunting task - playing God - by setting out to find suitable Adams for every Eve they know.

I’m pretty certain many of them maintain books with details of young girls and boys, which are then swapped gloriously, hopefully, gleefully with rubbed hands and delightfully fake humble sighs - “It’s only our duty to help”

Many a such trials has this fair (ok, wheatish) lass had to endure. Out of pure love for you her blog groupies (nay, it is a love slightly tainted by her desire to club certain aunties and so-called suitable suggestions) this lass will recount her [mis]adventures with the men who were offered as mates.

Today I am breaking earlier vows of silence and introducing you to the world she has inhabited over the last few years. My friend Arnold thinks my “I’m sure ____ doesn’t read my blog” thinking should be recorded for future vindicative use against me - though honestly, I really don’t think any of these guys read my blog, so I’ll be as honest as I can about all the incidents without giving away any names.

Some of the characters you will meet from this world are:

* Husky the Sailor Boy
* INot (I’m not talking) the Psychiatrist Boy
* Playboy the Pilot Boy
* Serious the Chef Boy
* iDoc the Surgeon Boy
* Smiley the Builder Boy
* GOPTIP (Great on the phone, *Terrible* in person) the Banker Boy
* MaMeN (Marry me now) the second Pilot Boy
* Quiet the Dentist Boy

and of course, my pièce de résistance - the story which beats all my friend’s proposal nightmare stories hands down (yes, of course we swap stories) -

* PFH (the Proposal from Hell) who was, the Proposal from hell (seriously) Boy (perhaps)

AND EXTRA (don’t you love the number of things you get with this blog!) you will also get to “meet” the aunties, the friends, you will come along with me & suffer with me a little hopefully, even while you laugh out loud.

Keep reading!

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If you’re new at TVIMH, you might want to acquaint yourself with these true stories:
Weirdass Proposal Story
So, we’re talking and then
White Lies and White Wine (a bit of the former, none of the latter)
Men: Falling for me. Falling on me. And taking me down with them.

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12 responses so far

Dec 02 2007

Men: Falling for me. Falling on me. And taking me down with them.

Seriously though, what is it about married friends trying to set up their single friends??? Is it really about helping them find their soul mates? OR is it some twisted ‘I’m chained so don’t you dare still enjoy your life’ attitude?

But let me start at the beginning.

My friend lost her father (may his soul rest in peace) and today was the Month’s Mind Mass (the Mass offered a month after date of death).

Naturally, I was at the Mass with my friend and after Mass, hung around with her while all those attending condoled with her & her family.

It was then time to go to her house (most close friends & family gather at the deceased person’s house after the Mass) & as I’m about to enter the car along with my friend, she goes, “Oh Mell, have you met Random Guy (henceforth referred to as RG)?”

I instantly recognize the tone of her voice & give her an “PLEASE DON’T” look, which of course, she completely ignores.

Instead she calls out to RG, loudly and most obviously. Damn.

RG comes over, quickly and seemingly quite pleased with himself, as if he’s just invented a cure for AIDS.

(It’s just about to get worse now, hold yer breath)

“RG will bring you to my house”, says friend.

“..er..”

“Absolutely”, says RG, “my bike is over here”

This is fabulous. I’m at a Month’s Mind Mass. And I’m being set up with a RG. And I’m being sent off on his bike.

“..er..”

RG seems to notice I’m not consenting (yes, he’s brilliant!). “You’re alright to sit on a bike, right?”, he asks

“Oh absolutely!”, chirps in friend, “Melody loves bike rides” (which is the truth, but not with RGs I want to add. Decency forces me to just make pleading eyes at my friend. Which of course, are completely ignored again).

“So please go on ahead,” friend insists, “We’ll take Aunty very-mac-sounding-name in your place in the car”

Now by this point, every other car had left. Since I hadn’t gone by my own car, I was faced with three options:
(a) Walk - which seriously wasn’t an option, given my heels.
(b) Go by Rick - which isn’t my preferred mode of transportation. Plus it’d mean offending both friend & RG
(c) Go with RG on bike.


(pic for representational purpose only)

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Oct 18 2007

White Lies and White Wine (a bit of the former, none of the latter)

I try not to go out mid-week too much because I’ve reached the age where I feel late nights mess up my next work day.

But it was the Crab & Wine festival at Mahesh, Juhu.

So there we were when suddenly he brings it up:

“Do you remember our pact?”

My eyebrows are up. I shake my head, no.

I recall it all when he mentions the Friends episode where Rachel & Phoebe both make pacts to marry Joey if they weren’t married at a certain age. I smile, remembering how many of us had made our own pacts after that episode aired.

And here I was sitting, with my pact maker. I’d last seen him four years ago, but I remember it all clearly now - if neither of us were married by 30, we’d marry each other.

“No, no, it was 35

I say loudly and very confidently.

Hoping, God wouldn’t punish me for this white lie.

Wondering, if could get away with it again if I met him in another four years?

Shuddering at the thought that I may actually even need to.

Thinking,two proposal-like ‘Friends’ references by two guys in the same week”, how weird is that?!

Meanwhile, the restaurant gives us complimentary white wine, which we refuse, as I don’t drink and as he was driving. Never mind, the crabs are to die for.

We order some more, enjoying it all tremendously; crabs and gossip about old friends.

9 responses so far

Oct 15 2007

So, we’re talking and then

suddenly;

“I’ve been in love four times”

Then later, though somehow it’s not disjointed;

“You’re number 4″

Still later, he recounts to me the Friends episode where Monica meets a man who tells her that he’s impotent after his wife left him. Apparently she sleeps with him to ‘help him out’ and Joey is later very amused that she fell for it all. She later meets another girl who claims to have also “cured” Mr. Man.

And all this while, I’m thinking;

Cute. But such an Ass.

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May 12 2006

Weirdass Proposal Story

Ok, I promised it & here it is. Just don’t go shooting me with no virtual guns if it ain’t as entertaining as you thought it might be (perhaps you just had to be there like I was!). So here goes:

Remember all those horror movies which say….

…. this is my own private story.

Flashback Saturday 6th May. It’s a peaceful day, I’m all alone at home & just lounging around doing nothing much. The stage is set.

{{{{{{{{{{{TRING TRING}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

“Hello?”
“Is that **?” (woman on the other end asks for my mother)
“No she’s not at home, may I know who’s calling?’
“Ah! (loudly) is that Melody then?”
“Yes (I’m still trying to figure out who this woman is), may I know who’s calling?”
“I’m ** (tells me her name) Then a split second later says: you don’t know me”
Before I can say anything, she continues
“I’m a friend of **” (another name) but you don’t know her either”

I’m thinking Geez woman what the heck do you want with me????

I say ” Can I help you with something?”
She goes “HAHAHAHAHA” (I’m more put off that anything now, hate dealing with weird people). “I think I can help you”.

???

“You see I have a boy for you”

I’m totally speechless by this point. Last thing I expected from weirdo aunty is to start matchmaking on the phone. Don’t know if she interpreted my silence as a Go Ahead, but from this point she was almost unstopable & I almost couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

“You see I’m not a matchmaker - though I have done this before - and that worked out pretty well - I’m actually really good - I’m just doing this to help people - And ** mentioned to me that you were not married and this boy is really good - I wonder who told ** you were not married - perhaps your mother approached her?” (I wanted to say my mother never has & never will go to matchmakers, but as I said, couldn’t get a word in)

Madam continued:
“But I don’t need to talk to your mother - we can talk as friends - today anything goes - The boy’s a ** (tells me his profession) and he stays in ** (names area of place in Bbay) - he has a pretty big house too (perhaps I’m supposed to oooh ahhh at this point?) - oh by the way, what are you supposed to be? - not that it matters nowadays - but what are you supposed to be?”

Madam actually stops now.

I’m actually unsure of what to say (kudos to m’am; not many ppl have managed that feat!)

I repeat: “What am I supposed to be???” - my eyebrows are sky-high.

“Yes, not that it matters. The boy’s a ** (tells me his cast - I understand now what she was asking for) - what are you supposed to be? (I’m dying to say something like - I’m supposed to be Goan but I’m a kickass Mangalorean with some East-Indian Anglo blood, but I can’t because she’s still not letting me speak)

Not waiting for an answer to her question, she fires another one at me “And what level of education have you completed?”

I must have been lulled by her persistent voice, because I answer almost obediently “I’m an M.Com”

“ooooohh, ooookkkk (all said very very sorrowfully), ookkk this is not a problem (though by her tone implying this is a BIG GIGANTIC problem).”

“This is not a problem?” I repeat … I’m almost laughing now :D

“No no, he’s a ** (repeats profession of boy), so naturally he wants a highly educated girl, you know not some SSC type”

Now I want to totally whack weirdass aunty.

“An M.Com,” (I say, in a most dignified manner) “is a Masters degree in Commerce. You can do one only after a Bachelor’s degree. In any case (now I’m just plain showing off, my pride’s taking a beating after all) I’m doing a second Masters and probably a PhD after that” (at this point, let me mention, chances of my PhD are slim to nothing)

“A PhD?” she asks.

“Yes” I say & want to press her under my thumb.

“Oh in that case you’ll want to stay in Bombay beyond May”

HUH????

Aloud: “Sorry?”

“He’s leaving for Australia on the ** of May”

The crazy woman apparently wants me to marry boy I have never met, in less than a month, and then go off to Australia with him!!! Help me Lord.

“I’m not looking at going out of Bombay” I say trying to shut her up once for all. Unfortunately, again I fail.

“What??!”

She goes a tad psycho on me now… Her voice gets a little tough…

“Listen, I don’t know you, but you should think this through, the boy’s a very good boy, he’s…”

I actually cut the woman off now…. (who does she think she’s getting tough with ??!!)
“I am absolutely not interested in leaving Bombay”.

“Ok fine. Then let’s call the whole thing off right now” (what whole thing - and what was on to be called off???)

“Ok!” I say - anything to get her off the phone!

She hangs up phone.

And then after a few seconds I burst out laughing till my sides hurt.

62 responses so far