The Dinner

The first pay check is always something people cherish, especially if the said people are Indian Parents, like mine. They are the most brilliant people I know, well I have to say that, who else could be more brilliant than a couple who have to bear with a lunatic like me day in day out.

Since I am growing older, physically at least, its time to pay them back for all the years of suffering and emotional trauma I have caused. Nothing much , just a simple dinner , that would be a proper start I guess, so a couple of weeks back my parents and I both had free time, they did not have some music/movie function to attend and I did not have any football or formula 1 race to see, a plan was made and we were set to go.

My parents were quite proud that I was gonna pay the bill but like the typical caring Indian parents they did not want to push their luck, constantly asking me what we would have and not
me in a deep tone "Eat whatever you want, wherever you want, am paying so relax"

That bit done, the next thing to try and ruin it was my health, you must know by now that no matter what, I must fall ill as soon as the season changes, from summer to monsoon, monsoon to winter and then winter back to summer, and as sure as a prostitute getting STD, I fell ill a week back, now a cold normally lasts no more than a couple of days but this time around it was worse as I caught a viral fever that was affecting a lot of people in the city, had a temperature of 103 degrees for a couple of days when I even thought I was some sorta carpenter at nights,it was that bad at one stage, hell it was so bad that I even refused KFC when my parents asked if they would get me some.

When I finally do recover we decide to go to the normal hunting ground for chinese indian food, Bar B Q, an old haunt that we always go to for some of the best indo chinese in calcutta. plus their servings are ginormous and its tasty , bloody tasty , so tasty that it actually could be your last meal and you would not mind one bit.

The plan was all set till the skies opened up and it starts raining like crazy in the evening, now since I am the comedian in the family and with my parents never getting half of the humor I portray, they decide to pull my leg,
"Lagta hai, you don't to take us out to dinner, har waqt making lame excuses, your health was poor last week and now you pay so that it rains like hell, just say it, you don't want to take us out"

This went on for a couple of hours before the rain relented and we finally did go, now since it was a saturday we all expected a wait of at least 20 minutes , when we reached the restaurant we got a table instantly, dad also did not take time to park the car which was right outside the restaurant, as mom said "When things go right, they go right". The food was again brilliant , I stuffed myself like I normally do in this restaurant, even before the final morsel was taken in, I gloat and tell my parents, there is more next month as I get my second cheque then.

Paying the bill, being the guy who ordered, the waiter giving me the bill rather than giving it to me dad, made me feel grown up, almost adult like, as if suddenly I had grown from being an abusive retarded "special" 12 year old to a grown up, sane and disciplined member of society, only for the night I might add, I don't want to grow up at all. Bring on the money but I ain't growing one bit.