[ My thoughts with my Wife.]

We will be completing 54 years of our wedded life in another 2 months.If I tell my wife she just smiles just a smile, not a laugh or a big smile.The flashing smile, if it had gone behind a camera shutter, maybe I would keep looking at it for the rest of my life.Her smile told me the story so big that I do not know where she started it and what was that thought but I could make it that it was the Ups in our life with indeed some Downs but not so deep that we could not come out of it.I sold my house since I could not afford the upkeep of a home 35 years old and with the problem of other social society that changed with the age coupled with children getting settled very comfortably we were alone looking at our faces in the mirror of course not looking together.

When we get bored we will go to a pub or a good restaurant of our yesteryears which we enjoyed with our two children who would want a menu card for each of them at once. I enjoyed my drinks and my wife her juice of the seasonal fruit.After lunch or dinner, we will go to the city's most favourite Icecream shop and then to a regular Calcutta pan shop where my daughter will get a free pan.My son will not take that pan even in his dreams even he won't touch.I took to Pan as it was the choice of my Maharashtrian friends in Bombay now Mumbai where I worked in Asia's Biggest Textile Mill of that time. I was a bachelor boy unmarried but having a good friend my college mate.We both studied textiles and his father was a weaving factory owner and my father was a technical officer in a large group of mills having two of their textile mills in our city.

I married in the year 1964 when I was in a textile capitol of south India Coimbatore working in a reputed textile mill belonging to a reputed house known as Tata's of south India. My close friend who was working in another textile mill who was also a junior to me in the Textile College / Institute at Bangalore took up a house on rent which had 2 bed rooms as bachelors we lived there and soon another friend who was taking training in my mills joined us. He being married wanted to bring his wife who was staying in the textile capitol of India Ahmedabad. This was before my marriage. He stayed for few months and got a job as branch manager of a textile mill spares supplier at Coimbatore only and shifted to his big residence. I was with my friend again when I married and told my friend that I will bring my wife and if he gets married we can discuss how we both can stay together.

I had returned after my marriage till my mother wrote to me that she would bring my wife and set up our house. I was eager to start my married life and my friend had no objection. Soon my mother arrived with my wife and did puja's and she prepared food and sweets and stayed with us for some time .She enjoyed Coimbatore as my friend used to take her on his imported BSC 3.5 motor bike and show her some temples when I was in night shifts. My mother was happy that I married the Girl she had selected for me. My wife came from a very orthodox family and very shy in front of me. My idea was to make her a modern society wife so my first thing was to make her move with my friends which I hardly tried. Soon my friend got a job in Calcutta now called Kolkata and he left us with his and my rented furniture. My wife had the full house all for herself. There was no need for that Note book and pencil which was always on the table kept to record the expenses we two family's incurred towards food to be totalled at the end of the month and shared by me and my friend.

My wife was always silent and talked less so I used to call my another friend and allowed him to keep my wife discuss any topic thus she was happy and things went on till she was pregnant after 3 years of our family planning. My parents put too much pressure to stop our FP and they were happy that our family tree would branch out. My dear wife soon left me to go to her parents house so that she is taken all the care needed for safe delivery of the baby. During her stay with me every month she was examined for pre child birth was in perfect order.

I got a post card from my father in law and on seeing the post card I know my wife had delivered a Baby BOY.I had told my father in law to send a post card if it was a baby boy or a Inland letter if it was a Baby Girl

No mobile no pictures only by letters I could be in touch with my wife. Soon I planed to visit my son with his mother. My colleagues and all my mill workers having received sweets knew that my first baby boy was born and my mill manager sanctioned my leave for a week.

I saw my son soon kissed him on his forehead purchased some dresses but stayed in my parents home. Going and coming from my house to my parents in law's house my leave was coming to an end and I was back to my work. Seven months my wife and son were taken care by my parents in law when she came back to join me.

Our Life started with a new face in our colony called Tatabad.