“Memsahib, memsahib…memsahib, chai”….to
the sound of this, our lady of leisure (LOL), Seema, wakes up.
Flexing her toes
and throwing back her arms the way her aerobic teacher has taught her, Seema slowly
sits up. The sun plays hide and seek as
its rays filter through the window drapes.
The little Swiss clock on the bedside table points to 8.10 and Seema
slithers out of the cozy comfort of her queen size bed. Sipping her tea, she flips through the
morning paper, her eyes eagerly scanning news of exhibitions and sales of
sarees and jewellery. With a satisfied
smile, she picks up the cordless phone and speaks to her friend Veena. They plan a rendezvous at the club at 10.30.
The driver opens
the door with a smart salute and Seema gets into the car. With last-minute instructions thrown to the
ayah to send ‘saab’s lunch to the office, Seema sits back to enjoy the
ride to the club. Veena is sipping a
long, cool drink and orders another for Seema.
They exchange notes about last evening’s party at Malhotras. The food,
the service, the furniture, the guests everything is discussed with meticulous
precision.
It’s time for the
aerobic class at the clubs ‘ornate room’.
Veena and Seema go to the cloakroom and slip into their leotards and tie
up their hair with a band.
One…two…three…bend…stretch. one…two…three…jump…it goes on… wiping their
sweat, they walk towards the clock, wondering how many calories they’ve knocked
off and how many calories they can take in at the Puri’s dinner party that
night.
The visit to the
exhibition is successful as they meet the very ladies they want to be seen
by. The sale proves fruitful with a good
haul of designer clothes and handcrafted trinkets. It’s time for lunch.
Salads and a soup
with lean meat and fish…. it’s just enough to make one feel deliciously
drowsy. Seema drives back home for a
short nap of three hours. The AC is on,
curtains drawn and the household is quiet.
Ah! For a swim, quick call to hubby “meet me at the pool darling”…
Cucumber
sandwiches and a cool drink before buzzing off to the hairdresser for a set and
a pedicure. ‘Helloji, how are you?” “Ah! Meeta- how nice to see you after such a
long time!” Oh! What a beautiful
broach, Asha!”…”Mmmmm…. These croquettes
are great!” “Did you see ‘Hope In The Sun’? I got the videotape the other
day. I can lend it to you for a day…”
Y…a…w….n. It’s past midnight and time to go to
bed. It’s been a long hard day and Seema
flops on the bed. Thank god for sleep! It really is refreshing.
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