Saturday, December 06, 2008

Reflection

He checked his hair in the mirror and groaned - this Keo Karpin oil was no good, he would switch to coconut. He'd been losing hair and it had changed the way his face looked, now that he had an extra 2 inches of forehead! His gaze moved lower and, oh no, were those wrinkles? Couldn't be, he decided. It was too early for him to be getting wrinkles. He was just getting paranoid about his skin.


His kurta was crisply ironed and the gold buttons he'd inherited from his grandfather gleamed back at him, winking at his vanity as he ran his hands over them, feeling the familiar texture of the chipped design.

As he walked down to the nearby shop, he knew she would be sitting on her porch, her hair loose as she sat and daydreamed, working on some embroidery for her family. Would she even look up at him, he wondered. He would have to find something to talk to her about as he walked past. Something casual, but that would interest her. But he must remember to act nonchalant. Yes, he'd ask about her sister, hadn't she been ill lately? He couldn't remember. He really should have paid more attention when she talked, rather than thinking of a smart retort that would impress her.

His eagerness made him smile. In a corner of his heart he felt a pang for the other woman he had once impressed, successfully. But she was gone, and life carries on, he rationalised, overlooking the way he had mourned her.

He was ready, a few dashes of Old Spice, and he was all set to storm the neighborhood. He went down the stairs. They seemed higher than they had been when he was a child. Strange, he thought.

At the door, he paused, breathing in the fresh air. Ah, how wonderful to be alive! He was about to march out purposefully when the little boy stopped him. "Won't you take your walking stick with you, Dadu?"

9 comments:

Suku said...

nice...'winking at his vanity'
wow!

Unknown said...

So you , Ana . I love this . It's so wistful and eager and young !

Sue said...

Awww...

Thinking Cramps said...

:) Thanks y'all. Was watching a sharply dressed old man and this entire blog just walked into my mind.

Unknown said...

Puts me in mind of a book someone was to have started ......

Thinking Cramps said...

Eve's Lungs: Huh?? Who what where...(ok, ok...I'm just pretending, I know what you're talking about!)

Anonymous said...

Let's heave a happy sigh
For an old man so spry
Keo Karpin, or not
To woo, his heart's no sloth
Soon that lil' boy himself will try!

Anonymous said...

The last remark is the master stroke..enjoyed it...wanting to get back youth is so much wanted by all.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. I love the way you set the stage and the "winking at his vanity" line was the best. :0)