Bachelors!!!!!!Do read..
It was not "someone" who called me a bachelor the first time. It was
"something". The brown official-looking envelope I received by registered post
that day had my degree certificate in it. 'Bachelor of...', it announced in
somewhat gaudy letters as I stood smiling. Bachelor!
Till then I was a boy, a brother, a student and whatnot -- but not a
bachelor. All of a sudden, that important piece of paper had given me a new
identity.
I know you are dying to tell me things like 'this bachelor is not that
bachelor', but believe me, the very next day my phone rang. It was my real
-estate agent, an uneasy reminder to the approaching expiration of the
initial company accommodation. "Sir, you are a bachelor, are you not?"
"Sure, I am," I said, almost adding, "and now I have proof of that, if you
need."
"Sorry sir. The owner is not willing to give the house to bachelors. But
don't worry, sir, I have many other houses. You see..."
So that's how it is. No country for the people of
starving Somalis.No trees for migrating birds. And yes, no houses for poor
bachelors.
They are not welcome in residential areas. Bachelors party and make noise
round the clock. They go after the neighborhood girls. They don't respect
the norms of the colony. They come in groups...
Anyway, I learnt my lesson: Bachelors don't have all the civil rights that
'normal' citizens enjoy. But then, what do we have that makes many a married
guy cherish the memories of his long-lost bachelorhood?
Palestinians have to cling to their land. Migrating birds are bound by
directions. But a bachelor has few restrictions. Except for renting an
apartment and walking into one those stupid 'couples only' clubs, he can
have everything else.
He gets up at any time and sneaks into the office unnoticed when others get
ready for lunch. He sits to almost any time in front of the computer without
worrying about anxious where-are-you calls. He stays away from the house for
days and no questions are asked. He does whatever he wants on the weekend,
in the company of his friends...
Yes. Friends are the most important aspect of any bachelor's life. Without
them he practically has no existence, especially if he's staying away from
home.
But then one day, over the thundering music and the first round of cold beer
in a dimly lit pub, he announces his plans to get married to this cute girl
that someone else had found for him. Over the double cheers, the naughty
comments and laughter, I become aware of something that hurts me somewhere.
My friend's getting married. Of course it's something to celebrate. But
then, that also means he's leaving the gang!
[ I can see this symptoms on few of you]
We attend his wedding, the most colorful function of his life, in full
spirits. All of us. We give him gifts, wish him good luck and retreat to our
good old world, one member less. It does not take much time before we find
him reduced to much-delayed replies to our bunch of mails -- and as for
phone calls, that comes only once in a blue moon.
For my part, I watch the pile of wedding invitations in the corner of my
desk grow at an amazing, alarming pace. Before I know it, most of my cool
buddies are gone. And the rest of us soon realize that we are not always
welcome to the new circle the married men have formed. So we seek solace
behind those office doors where the sun never sets.
I do meet my married friends occasionally. In the office, on a casual walk,
or in a busy restaurant. They are my friends still. And they are still
friendly as much as their new lifestyle and added responsibilities permit.
But...
Oh heck, there's my telephone. I think it is my real-estate agent again.
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