Slogging on a Saturday and A Dinner Diversion

Saturday, May 11, 2019
Bombay


Slogging on a Saturday and A Dinner Diversion  
   
     Namaste from Bombay!
     The thing about the weekends, now that I am living alone in Bombay, is that I tend to spend most of them working. So when another Saturday rolled around, all I could think, as I awoke, was how much work I needed to complete today. I blogged, made myself brekkie of three slices of multi-grain bread with spreads and coffee and then got down to work.

Chained to my Laptop:
     And I worked and I worked and I worked. I had edited ten chapters of my manuscript yesterday--which meant that I had ten chapters to finish working on today. I worked steadily through the day with no distractions whatsoever until a fruit man came to my door to sell me a crate of Alphonso mangoes. I told him that I did not want any and hoped that he'd leave. I thought the had mistaken my flat for someone else's. But five minutes later, he was ringing my bell again and when I told him that I did not want to buy amy mangoes, he said something about being my fruit man. That's when I realized who he was--Dad's fruit man!
     I had left my address with him over a month ago when I had run short of some money to pay him while on the street and had told him to come to my flat later in the day to pick up the rest of the money. As it turned out, he had not showed up then as Dad had paid him the deficit on my behalf. But look how enterprising he is! He had held on to my address and, so many weeks later, he was showing up on my doorstep and expecting me to buy two whole dozen! Which, of course, I did--because I admired his tenacity and his entrepreneurship and because I love Alphonso mangoes! I would keep a dozen for myself and give a dozen to Dad.
     That distraction done, I returned to my editing and felt quite proud of myself for the work went really well.  I stopped for lunch: some more Goa Sausage Pullao and East Indian Chilli Fry with chocolate for dessert. And then I took a short nap. Then it was back to the salt mines again. I had just two more chapters of my manuscript to finish before I had to break to take a shower and go off for the evening to Dad's. He would be going to the 7.00 pm Mass and I intended to keep Russel company during his absence.

Spending a Relaxing Evening with Family and Friends:
     Dad left, Russel and I chatted and at about 7.45, I left Russel to get back home. En route, I ordered Chicken Achari Kebabs from Bandra Gymkhana with the idea of picking them up en route to the home of my friends Anil and Ninaz who had invited me over to their place for drinks and dinner.
     And that was exaclty what I did. Sameer called me from the Gym to ket me know when my order was ready to be picked up, I got dressed into something really cool (but carried my cardigan in case I felt too chilly in their air-conditioned home) and left. My kebabs all picked up and paid for, I found a rick that took me to their apartment and, five minutes later, I was chilling with a cold G and T in my hand and scintillating conversation that never stopped until almost midnight.
     We ordered food from Khane Khaas--sheekh kebabs, mutton rogan josh, aloo-mutter-gobhi and naan and rotis--and my chicken kebabs. For dessert, we had a range of fruit sorbets that Ninaz had picked up from the ice-cream shop next-door to her building, Huber and Holly. They told me all about their trip to Bangkok and their upcoming travels to the UK and Portugal and I told them all about my travels in Uzbekistan. We had the best time just chatting nineteen to the dozen until we were just too tired to stay awake any longer.
     As always, they dropped me over to my place by rick and then went straight back home. I brushed and flossed my teeth and went straight to bed.
     Until tomorrow....