“Can you please go to the store, while you are going out?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t buy eggs. I have got some. Then we simply end up stocking eggs. Eggs should be had fresh.”
“Don’t get any milk. Or curds. Or buttermilk. We have in the fridge. And don’t get ice-cream. Enough for atleast two more servings. “
“And get some fruit. Don’t get bananas. Or Apples. or oranges. We have enough.”
“Those are tangerines. ” The kid, the one who can read and relate. Ignoring kids as they grow up should be as much practiced as kids ignoring you as they grow up
“Don’t get any other brand of tea. I will get my brand.”
“Don’t get any cooking oil. What you got last time is sitting right there.”I gesture.
“And don’t get any flour. I will get from the local mill.”
“And don’t get those big bags of biscuits. They lose their crunch ; and no one eats them.”
“Don’t buy sliced bread. I have got. And don’t buy those fancy ones with seeds and stuff strewn on it. Way too costly for bread. They could as well have been cake. Costly just because they are artisanal. No one eats them.” I harrumph.
“Artisanal does not mean containing arsenic.” This , he said, strewn with mirth all over. The kids join in . Those kids who have absolutely no clue what is artisanal or arsenic.
I harrumph some more.
“Can I leave?” This , he said, strewn with exasperation all over
“Yes.Yes. Please go. Here is my list. And get whatever else that you want.”
“Your list of don’t gets is longer than gets. Looks like what you don’t need is more than what you need.” He mutters below his breath.
He returns with, amongst other stuff, a bag of Milo.
“Why did you get Milo? Did I tell you to get Milo? We have so much Milo, I can sell it to the store.It isn’t in my list.” I remind him
“Exactly, it isn’t in the list.” He parrots back.
“Exactly, it isn’t. Then, why did you get?”
“Because it isn’t in the list. It isn’t in the don’t get list.You didn’t tell me not to get.”
“You have to only get what is in the get-list. You can’t get whatever you want.” I observe.
” Sure. I can not-get what is in the don’t get list.” He uses some spin of the language here.
I give up.
“Hmh….Well, then Milo it is. Next time, don’t…”
He cuts me mid-sentence.
“Don’t go to the store.I will take that.” He appeared relieved. I wonder why.
“Don’t say that.”
But he has already moved on, as they say.
PS: How do I convince him to go , that next fine day, when I really don’t need something?
26th Nov 2019
