The routine weekend trip…..

It is Wednesday already!

In my current job, unlike my previous one to which I used to drive to, I take the company shuttle. What it translates to, is that I get to relax and watch the people, shops, signs and boards. I do not have to concentrate on my drive, my car, the road, the traffic, signals, police, autos, two-wheelers and pedestrians.

When I am sign and shop watching, I mentally note down the stores that have a sale on, those which have something interesting on display, some place that I want to dine in, some salon which has opened up, some new boutiques that have sprung up and yeah, you get the idea. I also wonder if the family store that I saw would have stocked up XLs or of I would be able to fit in their Ls, because they are an international brand….I actually think so much more. I have this new found time to think, to dream and to imagine so many things. When I am home, I tell Sri what the coming weekend we would have to do, our chores left undone, bills to be paid and other ‘duties’ and also add to the list these new stores, places that I want to go to. Of course, we will do them all, he says.

I have been in this job for about 3 months now, and the last one month has been the lesser hectic month of them all - which is four weekends. Most Wednesdays I’d mentally chart out a plan and by Friday morning, we have it ready – our ‘to do’ list for the weekend. And all these weekends none of them have happened….yes, n.o.n.e.

Not without a reason though, I have to admit. One weekend, I was unwell and we also had guests at home. We had our daughter’s vaccination to do. We had to visit a new member in our family, a cute little baby girl in our cousins’ family. Weekend well spent, it was. The next weekend, my husband was unwell, so bad a diarrhea, poor guy. Couple that with my maid’s sudden absence from office – my in-laws and I had so much work to do, that I wished we never had some weekend like that at all, ever. Another weekend, we had so overworked ourselves during the week, that we spent most of the weekend just sleeping through. But I wouldn’t complain, because I was much happy and satisfied with my kitchen stint. Good food and good sleep was all that seemed to matter then. Last weekend, my parents came down from Chennai, while my in-laws left for Coimbatore. My dad is just recovering from his by-pass surgery and has come down to our place for a much needed change and of course, the prime attraction being the time he could spend with Aditi. Saturday was sad, as the old man was tired from the journey, but Sunday we had some good time, showed my mother around the locality and all.

When we were doing beginner’s Spanish, we would crib on some weekends that the classes were taking all our time with none left for some indulgence and all. We’d imagined that with the classes out of the way, we would be able to spend some more quality time with each other and Aditi. Now, we find that we are nowhere close to achieving what we thought we could. We are lazy bums. But there have been some amazing weekends. Our plan, albeit minimalistic, would have been all done.

Here I am, on another Wednesday already. I have begun charting out lists in my mind – like I could never stop. I am like that. But lately, I am adding some prayers, and at the same time sighing, as if I already know what’s in store this weekend as well.