Possessiveness

Chennai, March 2007.

Had been to home for the weekend. Narayanan came knocking at the door. He was the same old lanky fellow who is known to be a skilled scooter mechanic. "Vanakkam thambi - nalla irukkingala?" (Hello brother.Are you fine?) - he muttered with a broad smile which I duly reciprocated.

Dad was upstairs and I informed him of Narayanan's arrival. He possessed a scooter which he had bought in the early 90's. It is a pearl white Vespa which turns 17 this month. Ours is a township and a scooter to commute is more than enough. For all this years dad has extensively used it, and as far as i know if he is in station, he had some business to do riding his two wheeler .

It was almost like an identity, "Ohh... the man on the white Vespa". He cared for it the most and Naryanan has been attending the vehicle for almost a decade.

I presumed, there was some minor fault and Narayanan is here to attend it. The two exchanged pleasantries and went to the shed. I was hesitant to follow them. It was a gloomy Sunday and I felt very lazy to look into what's happening.

Few minutes later dad came in and bang, closed the door. Usually he briefs me on such occasions, but this time his silence shot my curiosity up..Something unusual... I questioned, "Whats going on? Has Narayanan left?"

The answer came with a delay of few seconds. "The shock- absorbers are gone, cost of replacement is high , I have told him to sell it" .

I was surprised, may be he was joking, no, he was serious indeed. An unexpected decision rather. Within few days the deal was done and the vehicle was sold to some fellow in the same locality.

Months later I had been home, i got down at the bus stop, a white scooter approached, I began to think it was my dad until I realized in a couple of seconds that it was that fellow to whom we had sold... He had come to drop some one in the bus stand. I saw my dad waiting there near the huge banyan tree. He was also glaring at the vehicle. I could sense the blood flow in him, he seemed emotional.

Chennai, May 2007

My friend - a college mate of mine , who was committed to his girlfriend was looking at some snaps. He was very disturbed for weeks and I could sense that being his roommate. There were a couple of guys with the same name in our class and we would use to refer this fellow with the girl with whom he had been in love.

Circumstances and fate led to a dispute among them, rather an ego clash, where in this fellow pleaded guilty for a mistake which he never committed. Still there seemed no chance for a revival of relationship.

I asked him what happened then and why he was upset? He said he saw her in the bus stand and she was in a bike with some other fellow, she pretended not to see this fellow and off they went till this fellow's eyes zoomed to the extents of the horizons to see them vanishing.

I could still sense the blood flow in him. He was emotional.

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I wondered - two scenarios, one with a materialistic possession one with a humane possession. Possessiveness does exist.

I know it is child's dream to posses the teddy bear doll for ever. Dolls for sure can't understand the child's emotions !!!!

Humans ?