Sweet Nothings

Pandemic and Patriarchy

Almost after a year of the raging pandemic I got a chance to pray at the mosque again. I reached there and sat beside a lady in a black mask who looked vaguely familiar. Before I could keep my bag down and sit, the lady who also presumably had had no one to talk to for the past year or so, started talking to me. Initially she was complaining about an old lady
who refused to move an inch from her place the previous day during prayers, and I politely kept nodding with no interest in pursuing the conversation ahead and dying to get back to the messages I had pending.

The course of the monologue soon changed, and she asked me how my twelfth grade was going and if I was happy about exams being postponed. I was a little taken aback and told her that she had probably taken me for someone else and that I was in my college final year. She asked me to remove my mask and I did to avoid further conversation. This unfortunately only proved that I was indeed the person she thought she was talking to and we had apparently been sitting together for prayers around 4 years back when her daughter was a new born and she has a picture of mine with her daughter. On listening to this I was flattering myself by my ability to form an impression that lasted 4 years, while the lady continued, now asking questions about the schools I studied in and enquiring about schools she could enrol her daughter in, going on to complain about the pressure the tiny one was put through during online classes in her lower kindergarten.

At this point I no longer able to maintain polite etiquette, texted my friend, complaining about this lady while also being secretly glad of her company that didn't portray me to be the silent introvert I am usually perceived as. She then told me of how she was a Montessori teacher in Cochin before she got married and now after moving to Coimbatore her father-in-law was against her working.

At this point I began getting involved in the conversation, despite my friend who knows fully well how my brain works and was texting me then, clearly warned me against it. She told me how she got married in January and pregnant by March and I started thinking if she was happy in her relationship. Satisfied with the way her life was taking shape. If her husband was half as supportive as she wished he would.

She blissfully unaware of my thought process and told me about her daughter topping her class and how she was now a full time mom. Gratefully now the Azaan echoed and she was interrupted. We prayed behind the imam and the minute the first half got over, she realised she had no idea what my name was and then asked for my phone number which I didn't want to give but I also didn't know how to tell a no. I don't know what impression my responses left on her because after I suggested she try online teaching like the white hat, she initially refused citing lack of time, but then soon started talking to me about her innumerable talents.

She was a working professional with a full-time job teaching the kindergarten kids and was a part of her family business while also juggling being a beautician and how she had only one student coming to her for tuitions now because not many people were aware. I think she was silently asking me to spread the message or she could just be talking to me because I was being a decent listener, I don't know. The second half of the prayers began and after that, out of curiosity I asked if as a beautician she could also colour my hair and now she pissed me off by asking "aren't you too young for that?" To which a little offended I said I am 21 and left her soon after telling her that I had my brother waiting for me.