Pieces of the Puzzle

My project submittal went out of the door yesterday and since then, I have been dreaming about this day. A day all by myself with no plans. Bliss! No needy hubby, no harried boss, no cranky clients, no bothering colleagues. Last night I slept with eager anticipation, beads of excited sweat peeking from my forehead. Can't wait.

I wake up at 6 am (of course, it was a little late considering my agenda) and jump into my gym clothes. Spend some time running, till I get tired. Then I walk at 8% incline for some time. Even that gets me warmed up quickly; so I start ambling in the treadmill at 4 mph and at 2% incline. Perfect. Look at the time lapsed. Only 4 minutes?? Bah! I guess 5 minutes should do for today. I will spend extra time with the weights and crunches. …34, oof 35..oof 36..pant puff 37…collapse! I will not die staring at a ceiling. Very unglamorous. So I collect myself, go to vending machine, get myself some Gatorade (smart choice) and a Snickers bar (not such a good choice, but after all it’s a dying wish. So justified.)

After the gym & shower, it is still 7.30 am (cutting myself some slack for distractions in the swimming pool area). Back home, I pull out my painting supplies and scout around my 1 bed-room apartment trying to find a place to carry out my artistic venture. It takes me precisely ˝ hour to conclude that I have a very tiny apartment and I cannot bloom as an artist if I don’t own a house with a studio in the attic with Venetian windows throwing light at the perfect spots where my easel would be placed. I let out huge moans and sighs and settle for the breakfast table after spending another ˝ hour shifting the microwave, the mixer, the toaster and the water jug to the floor. I have a vision on how my painting would look like. It will depict the seasonal changes (yeah, I know it has been done million times before- but mine will be abstract) and I will hang it in the study area. People will be wonderstruck and heap praises on the artist and I will smugly say, ‘It’s not a big deal at all. I have done better. The entire collection of good one’s, I burnt.’

Yikes, Its 9.30 already! Yes, if you must be wondering- I paint awfully fast. If you see the end product, that’s what you would conclude anyway. With glowing satisfaction that I painted something other than my nails after precisely one year, I am feeling all heady and ready to take over the world.. err.. mall. On the way to the mall, I give my much-neglected car a much-needed wash and shine. Feeling like a good owner, I promise to treat myself to an extra pair of jeans from Express. Aha! I am like a lioness. I pounce on my prey and drag it to the bushes (in this case, changing room). If I like it, I will devour it. I shop till I can take it no more. My hands are aching carrying all the shoes, purse, clothes and cutlery. I can puke at the mention of ‘sale’. But I have one last thing to do here. Buy a little something for Pi, like a cookie. I know this will not pacify him for the damage I have done, but it will make me 2% less guilty.

I catch some lunch on the way and head to the library. Do some more research on Financial vehicles that would help me save up my change from this mall expedition. I make a list of potential stocks and mutual fund companies and feel much better about my situation and the fact that I won't go bankrupt in another year. I check out some, ‘How to write Fiction’ books instead. All geared up, I start my best seller, ‘Once upon a time, long long ago…

After a satisfactory 30 pages down, I start cooking a meal. I have ambitiously invited 10 of my friends for dinner. Last minute pizza option sounds alluring, but the satisfied look on people’s faces after they’ve lapped up my stuffed brinjal and licked the last of the tropical dessert seems more appealing. I start to cook my 5 course meal, while cleaning up my apartment simultaneously. I have changed the bed sheets, put new rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom, changed into my favorite kurta, set the table when the door bell rings, “Beep beep…beep beep..”

Strange doorbell, I think to myself. Hey, we don’t even have a damn doorbell. Thinking hard, I realize I have been thinking and realizing in my sleep.

I shut the horrid alarm off! SIX F***ing A.M.???? Is this a time to wake up on a holiday?