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ravenJust got off the phone to Nupur. She sounded... well, off-colour. I, the ever-considerate elder sister, asked her what was wrong.
"Tired," she said. Shoot no wonder. It was eight o'clock on a Sunday morning. "Why're you up so early?" I asked.
"Geeta Mandal," she said.
"Right," sayeth I. It's the local temple, and the family figure greatly in its administration, so they do have to turn up for all the functions.
"I never get to sleep in," she complained.
"Not yesterday?" I asked. "What did you do?"
"Bharat Natayam."
My, oh, my. Indian classical dance, it is. Take the uncoordinated raven out the back and shoot her.
"What did you do yesterday?" she asked, in that sniffly plaintive voice that always spells trouble where she's concerned.
"Well..." I said. "I got up at about half ten. Went into Liverpool with my friends."
"What did you do?"
"Um...." I said, a tad helplessly. What did we do? "We sat on the grass," I said. "We bought beads and made bracelets. We went to Virgin and bought CDs. Um... we went to Subway."
"Oh?" she said. Her family own a Subway franchise.
"And bought sandwiches," I continued doggedly. "And... um... we sat on the grass. Did I already say that?"
"That sounds like so much fun..." she said.
It does?
"It does?"
"I wish I could just do what I want like that."
"I'm three years older than you," I said reasonably. "You'll be able to when you're my age."
She's a smart cookie, my sister. Obviously - it's genetic. "That's not true," she said. "I can't get the train anywhere."
"Because you don't have them. Right," I agreed.
"And you could do what you wanted when you were younger," she went on, piteously.
"And you can't?"
"No! I don't even get to sleep late!"
"Nupur," I said. "You know I'm coming to see you in late June?"
"Yeah...." [Sniff, sniff]
"When I come back, why don't you come with me?"
"Really? You mean it?"
Absolutely.
"Absolutely. You can sit on the grass with me and my friends and learn how to do nothing."
"But..."
"And don't worry," - I was on a roll - "Pedar will talk your mother into it."
I put my thumb on the phone mouthpiece. "Pedar, will you do me a favour?"
"Anything you like, princess."
My mother is now assisting in the talking-her-into-it.
Somewere out there, in Indianapolis, Indiana, there is a very happy thirteen-year-old girl jumping up and down.
And she's the sweetest thing, Nupur is. I love her to tiny little pieces, not that I've ever told her that. She ought to enjoy a summer learning the elusive British-teenager art of doing fuck-all.
I've done my good deed for the day.
"Tired," she said. Shoot no wonder. It was eight o'clock on a Sunday morning. "Why're you up so early?" I asked.
"Geeta Mandal," she said.
"Right," sayeth I. It's the local temple, and the family figure greatly in its administration, so they do have to turn up for all the functions.
"I never get to sleep in," she complained.
"Not yesterday?" I asked. "What did you do?"
"Bharat Natayam."
My, oh, my. Indian classical dance, it is. Take the uncoordinated raven out the back and shoot her.
"What did you do yesterday?" she asked, in that sniffly plaintive voice that always spells trouble where she's concerned.
"Well..." I said. "I got up at about half ten. Went into Liverpool with my friends."
"What did you do?"
"Um...." I said, a tad helplessly. What did we do? "We sat on the grass," I said. "We bought beads and made bracelets. We went to Virgin and bought CDs. Um... we went to Subway."
"Oh?" she said. Her family own a Subway franchise.
"And bought sandwiches," I continued doggedly. "And... um... we sat on the grass. Did I already say that?"
"That sounds like so much fun..." she said.
It does?
"It does?"
"I wish I could just do what I want like that."
"I'm three years older than you," I said reasonably. "You'll be able to when you're my age."
She's a smart cookie, my sister. Obviously - it's genetic. "That's not true," she said. "I can't get the train anywhere."
"Because you don't have them. Right," I agreed.
"And you could do what you wanted when you were younger," she went on, piteously.
"And you can't?"
"No! I don't even get to sleep late!"
"Nupur," I said. "You know I'm coming to see you in late June?"
"Yeah...." [Sniff, sniff]
"When I come back, why don't you come with me?"
"Really? You mean it?"
Absolutely.
"Absolutely. You can sit on the grass with me and my friends and learn how to do nothing."
"But..."
"And don't worry," - I was on a roll - "Pedar will talk your mother into it."
I put my thumb on the phone mouthpiece. "Pedar, will you do me a favour?"
"Anything you like, princess."
My mother is now assisting in the talking-her-into-it.
Somewere out there, in Indianapolis, Indiana, there is a very happy thirteen-year-old girl jumping up and down.
And she's the sweetest thing, Nupur is. I love her to tiny little pieces, not that I've ever told her that. She ought to enjoy a summer learning the elusive British-teenager art of doing fuck-all.
I've done my good deed for the day.
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no subject
on 2003-03-23 06:45 am (UTC)It does?
Reading your last entry, I thought the exact same thing. I've never been able to just go off and do what I like -- especially not with friends. Maybe it's an American thing, this parental paranoia? I don't know, but I envy you.
no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:08 am (UTC)I don't know... we've always been led to believe American teenagers get more freedom than us, not less. Maybe the grass is always greener...
no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:22 am (UTC)ps: and, when you come here, you can take ME back with you, too! ;x
no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:35 am (UTC)You're really dying to get out, are you not? Would you have any objection to being kidnapped in the black of night?
no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:40 am (UTC)kidnapping just might work, though..
no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:26 am (UTC)Re:
on 2003-03-23 07:33 am (UTC)no subject
on 2003-03-23 07:39 am (UTC)Clare and I still don't know why we weren't invited yesterday. Care to shed some light? :P
no subject
on 2003-03-23 08:42 am (UTC)And I'm free when you want to do nothing. Probably. I'd like to meet your "sister".
Re:
on 2003-03-23 09:28 am (UTC)I know... I never really understand why she and her friends don't have our kind of freedom.
And you will meet her. Don't worry about that, it's all being... arranged....
no subject
on 2003-03-23 12:20 pm (UTC)OMG... You HAVE to let me show her the bead shop! And whilst you sit and do nothing I can make bracelets. And I can make her a special bracelet to remind her of her doing nothing. Like one that says 'nothing' on it.
*hops around clapping happily*
Though I might scare her. I scare new people. Not sure why...
Re:
on 2003-03-23 12:27 pm (UTC)Although, seriously, I do take you up on the offer. She'll like you.
I hope. If she isn't permanently scarred.
No. I will be positive. She will like your bracelets.
no subject
on 2003-03-23 03:03 pm (UTC)I do, however, remembering spending a lot of time trying to persuade my mother that she needed to give my sister more freedom. There was an ulterior motive to that, of course; Until about a year ago, I could go anywhere I wanted, provided I drag my rotton little sister with me. She is five years my junior. Having a kid along is really quite detrimental to a thirteen year old's social life, you know.
Once she hit 12, she was no longer my responsability. Whoo! Maybe Nupur will have more freedom once she hits her teenage years?
Then again, it could go the other way as well.
She'll have a great time with you! I only hope that the desire to rebel that will without a doubt arise from the taste of freedom does not lead to too many problems later on!
Re:
on 2003-03-24 09:01 am (UTC)I do think, though, I will enjoy having her as my responsibility. The local nutcases - ie, my friends - all want to corrupt the poor girlie.
Did your sister enjoy tagging along with you? :)