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Gulliver's travails
It was either in the air or in the goodies from the mini-mart both families frequented.
- By Cheryl Rao, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 01:04 February 9, 2008
It was either in the air or in the goodies from the mini-mart both families frequented.
Certainly not obvious in the genes, for two sets of parents of average height, neighbours, found their sons shooting up beyond all expectations. Ours was a modest six-four, with the other way above that, making the six-four appear slightly stunted!
For some time, it was great for the rest of us - bringing down cobwebs, hanging up curtains, changing bulbs, reaching for the topmost shelf - who needed a step ladder or a stool, when all that was only a 'Come here, son" away.
Then the boys got wise, and disappeared from sight as soon as they spied the cleaning gleam in the mother's eyes, kicking a football purposelessly, not even bothering to use their long arms and extra inches to dunk a basketball!
No amount of calling got a response and it was understood that the particular high-pitched sound of their mothers' voices did not penetrate the rarefied atmosphere around their ears.
Olfactory sensitivity, however, wasn't affected and they had no trouble responding to the aroma of haleem or roast, which, naturally, soon began to be readied at a time when they were needed to complete the chores they had avoided all day!
Lost for weeks
But there were other lessons to learn. A comment like "About time you learnt to help with the clearing up!" leads to everything being stacked way above normal eye level and thereby lost for weeks.
In the absence of the clearing-offender, who has done a kind of household hit-and-run, hours are spent, tempers are frayed and many calories are expended in the resulting search!
Better by far to do the clearing up oneself, it is decided, and somewhere up there, if I crane my neck far enough, I catch a glimpse of a satisfied smirk! Obviously, this disappearing act was planned to make sure he didn't have to participate in the drudgery of everyday chores!
There are other ways in which we realise that being the "tall, dark and handsome" Mills and Boon hero isn't all that great a thing to be! One has only to go shoe hunting or try furnishing and renovating a normal house to understand that!
Hours spent on our feet, tramping from one shoe store to the next, has taught us that there is no such thing as the perfect fit - toes need to be wiggled a bit and squeezed a tad, laces have to be loosened, and compromises made on colour and design, but thankfully, the "growing child" is not forced to remain barefoot in the park.
Furnishing a normal home is another adventure in size-onomics. There we are, tape measure in hand, hoping to find a bed that will accommodate a little bit of a stretch first thing in the morning!
Overhead cupboards, fitted when the child was young, are no longer overhead but in the face, and any number of bumps later, there is no option but to remove them and find alternative storage space that doesn't get us accused of "child" abuse!
Doorways present another problem. Where he once raced to answer a knock with a hop, skip and a jump in an excess of youthful enthusiasm, he now slouches along slowly, afraid that another knock will damage either his cranium or the lintel!
Travelling with one of these incredible hulks is for contortionists only.
Yes, the luggage finds its way into overhead storage space with ease, but oh, the jabs from those elbows and knees and various other bony body parts that squirm around with a mind of their own and wind up occupying more space than reserved for the three of us!
What happened to those chubby Lilliputan limbs and palm-sized feet, I wonder. A small bundle of boy took turns on our laps a blink of an eye ago and we yearned for him to graduate to his own seat to allow US to stretch out - and look what happened!
Cheryl Rao is a journalist based in India.
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