This wasn't the first time...

“My son had been calling my in-laws to visit regularly, yet they never came. My mother-in-law came last month though.” My boss went into a tangent during a regular work conversation, linking something that I would have mentioned to a private incident in his memory. This wasn’t the first time that it had happened, and it won’t be the last.

 He continued with the monologue. With a clear voice and dry humour intervened naturally in his conversations, his conversations invariably succeeded in holding a listener’s attention, irrespective of the mundane nature of the subject.

“I had called her that time, and for a change, she listened! She is pretty old and cannot leave my father-in-law alone for long. So, she stayed only for a week when my son was home from college during his breaks. She spent more time talking to me than her daughter. My wife did a few things which she didn’t like.” He was looking at the right of me while speaking that last sentence, gazing at nothing in particular, his mind now preoccupied. Any conversation about his family invariably involved some displeasure or criticism about his better half.

His gaze reverted to me and he carried on as if the digression never happened. “I had even gone to drop my mother-in-law at the airport. She was very surprised and seemed touched. I couldn’t understand why. It was the natural thing to do. Main to aisa hi hoon (I am like this only). Even my mother gets surprised sometimes.”

“Anyway, given history, I had assumed that I have seen the last of her for quite some time. But then, as you know, we have now moved to the new house upstairs without letting go of our previous apartment, to the extent that all our furniture & fittings are still there. I am still very comfortable there, as I had shared with you. I don’t know why I share these things with you! Then two days back both my in-laws arrived, their countless bags & baggage lining up the hallway of my (old) house. Seems that they have shifted here for good. I had no idea. Can you believe it?” he asked incredulously, his right brow raised along with the eye. There was a pause. He was waiting for me to respond.

“Good that now you now have some relatives here,” I responded.

“Itne paas ke relatives itne paas bhi nahi chaiye na(It is not good to have such close relatives stay so close to you). That too from your wife’s family. I will be forever the minority in the family group.” I didn’t try to fill the long pause this time.

“So, when are you proposing to arrange the client meeting?” he inquired.

“Eh, err...” I had forgotten our original subject of discussion.

“Would you mind speeding up please, you have already taken up so much of my time? I also have other things to do.”

I inwardly sighed. This wasn’t the first time it had happened. It won’t be the last.