Weekends

The weekend is finally here. Its that part of the week we eagerly await right from the beginning of the week! It seems almost as if we spend 5/7th of our lives in anticipation of the remaining 2/7th.

I plan my weekend as I plough through the week, enduring rough commutes, breakfasts on the run, unfinished domestic chores, sick children and ambitious deadlines. My weekend must-do list that starts off as a lazy Saturday evening movie with friends and a relaxed Sunday afternoon at the spa has slowly expanded and before I realize, the post-it I started scrawling on is now an A4 sheet staring at me menacingly from above my desk.

Saturday morning starts early. Unlike adults whose idea of a good weekend begins with staying up in bed late, kids don’t see the point in wasting their precious weekend on insignificant pursuits such as sleep, (which they are happy to do on school days). So I’m jolted out of my wits and sleep by a couple of livewire tiggers pouncing on me and reminding me of what a glorious day it will be when day eventually breaks.

With the tone for the day set, my pursuit of happiness for the weekend starts by pursuing an elusive plumber across the remote bylanes and gullies of the unfashionable part of the neighborhood before the leaky faucet is fixed. Beaming from the success of this mission, I move on to change fused lightbulbs and burnt mixer cables. Bills are paid, at least one of them overdue and one of them wrongly charged, which leads me to the now ritualistic weekend call to the nameless faceless call centre executive whose calm through the one way shouting match angers me even more.

Before I know, it is evening. There is dinner party to attend, which means there is hair to be fixed, skin to be polished, and long overdue new shoes to be bought. Parties are no longer simple fun get- togethers for friends. They are well managed and at times outsourced events, and need to showcase the host’s creativity and guest list. Today’s theme is Hawaiian, yes, right in the middle of our concrete jungle. I have no problem with that except now I need to procure new clothes that not only match the theme but also my well proportioned Indian frame. Add to that a creative gift for the creative hosts. Too many things to do, too little time, I’m already palpitating.

We finally make it to dinner, at 10 pm, after having dinner at home. My mom calls just as I get ready to leave for the party, wanting to know how the party went! There was no point in explaining to her that the party wouldn’t begin till a little later! She would never understand why I go to parties where the hosts don’t serve dinner before1 am, where the success of the party depends on how late the last guest leaves and the ones who eat at 1am will be branded losers who want to head back home early. We are no losers, so we eat at home and even manage a power nap to put up a brave front and party hard till 4 am.

Sunday morning… the tiggers are up before daybreak again, giving not so gentle reminders of the promised family outing. I see the relaxed Sunday of my dream fading as quickly as my sleep. A lot is achieved on this Sunday. An outing to fun-city, a not so fun experience for anyone over 15, an elaborate cake making project, an even more elaborate cleaning project and a 11th hour shopping trip to buy school supplies.

The weekend is over and I note  that there are still two items waiting to be crossed off my to-do list. Maybe next week, when my list is just a harmless post-it note and not a menacing A4 sheet, I will be able to catch that movie and go to that spa!