When women meet
There
is never a dull moment in a ‘Ladies Club’ meeting! Just have a peep at one of
them! The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Saturday afternoon at the women’s
League Hall. The secretary mails a card to all the members, asking them to
attend (I might mention that she asks her husband to mail them and as all
husbands do, he forgets about it till Friday) and promptly lands up at the
venue armed with her file and folio - Around half past four, Mrs Puri arrives,
”Got your card just now I had to make
sandwiches for children’s ten and the butter had to thaw. Anyway, where
are the others”? Talking of devils, Mrs.Kamal appears, “I had the cake in the
oven and couldn’t possibly leave till it was done“. Lata comes panting as her
car had a flat tyre on the way and her spare wheel had no air, so she had to
walk it. Suman says she was canning pineapples and forgot the time.
Meanwhile,
the treasurer trickles in, smelling of pickles as she had just been making some.
”What pickles”? cries Deepa who is expecting her first baby. “Lime” answers, the
pickle maker. “How did you make it”?
“Ladies”,
says Secretary in an authoritative tone, “this is no place to discuss pickles, the
meeting is about to being“and she bangs the table.
“Secretary”,
says a more authoritative tone, ”I am the President and have come. So why do
you bang the table. “Sorry“, says the Sec,
“l was only swatting a fly”.
“Fly
or no fly, you have no business to bang the table. It’s the President’s
prerogative”.“Shall we begin the meeting“? says Vice–President and the meeting
begins. “Ladies, the meeting begins. Sec., read the minutes of the last
meeting”.
“Forget
it” says, Prema,” we know what happened, why go over it again, let’s go on with
today’s business, I‘ve got to go for the 6.30 show”. Which movie Prema“? Asks Sheel
who sees one every day.
“The
one at .....”
“Ladies,
sorry to interrupt your interesting conversation”, but let’s get on with the
meeting. As no one wants the minutes to be read, we’ll proceed with the agenda Sec
- please read the agenda”.
“But
l don’t know what the agenda is - you did not tell me“.
“Very
well, what shall we discuss then”?
“About
lime pickles, I’d like to know how Leena made them“ says Deepa who seems to
have a hang up about pickles. “No, I’m not fond of lime pickles so we won’t
discuss that, says President.
“Let’s
take a vote on it“, says –Vice-President - who considers herself a legacy of
the League of Nations.
“Good
idea. As I’m allergic to pickles I’ll push off. ‘My cooking gas is over and the
chap said he’d bring it at 5 - so see you at the next meeting bye”, and Kamal
trots off on her platform.
“Ladies
“, says Meena, ”I’ve just become an agent for the National Saving Scheme, how
about all of you saving money“?
“Meena”,
chides President “this is a business meeting, but you can’t conduct your
private business here”.
“O.K,
I quit. I‘m not going to waste time discussing pickles“.
“It
is getting late for the movie I’m going, let me know what you have decided at
the meeting. Any one wants a lift”?
“l”
“l”
“l”
That
leaves the President and Secretary.
“When’s
the next meeting Secretary“?
“Next
month first Saturday”
“Good,
we will go home now“.
Secretary
picks up file and folio, but drops a handbag with a bang on the table.
“Sorry”,
says Sec, “I did not mean to bang on it, it was my bag”.
“That’s
OK“, says President knowing there is no one around. ’It’s only a matter of
principle you see’, the Sec, ‘sees’ and they leave.
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