The nail place

The biggest luxury I let myself indulge in is getting my nails done every 3-4 weeks. I love beautiful hands...almost have a fetish for it. I started this about 2 years ago but now am not really sure what the real reason is for me to go there month after month (kinda like the "if-you-get-it-you-don’t-care-so- much-about-it-anymore" theory).
Maybe one of you can help me decide…

When I enter, I am greeted smile-lessly and the conversation begins….

Nail lady: Wo you won? (After 2 years of consistently hearing this, now I know she means, “What you want?”)
Us (my devilish alter-ego and me): Just a re-fill, please.
Nail lady: “Only re-phi? You Fee AAh Baaaaa. You Shu You No Won Pedi-Qua?” (Only refill? Your feet are bad. You sure you No want pedicure?)
As we resist the temptation to smack the person across the head, who thinks my feet are bad, we look her straight in the eyes with a smile and say, “ Nooo, too espensi”. She now knows to shut up or is too dumb to recognize the sarcasm.
Nail lady: Wo collo? (What Color?)
Us (by now she has really tickled Ms. Alter ego to the nth degree): “I don’t know, I am not sure”. And I pick 5 different colors and ask her to test each one of them on my nails.

She hates it.
I smile.

We sit. To my dismay, I notice almost everyone is thinner than me and the one right next to me is thin and pretty. I hate her instantly.

Nail lady: You have keees? (kids)
Us: Yup, 2 girls 5 and 6.
Silence for 5 minutes. They haven’t been taught anything else to ask.
Us: How about you?
Nail lady: Ya, but not in amelika.
Us: O sad.
Silence for another 5 minutes.
Now, we are getting restless. How can I shut up for so long? It’s a hard task. I have already talked to most of my girl friends and my boy friends are busy working. I get restless, so I decide to play pretend. I remember #4 on my speed dial who should be out of her office by now and with my luck will be stuck in traffic. Awesome.
I quickly hit #4.

#4: Hey
Me: Hey
Me: Did you like my book?
#4: What the heck are you talking about?
Me: I am getting my nails done. I am bored.
#4: Good lord, girl. Are you pretending?
Me: Ya. Baju wali sunn rahi hai (Person sitting next to me is listening to us)
(I whisper). And yes, you and your man are on my Acknowledgement list (a lil louder than normal).
#4: What did you write about?
Me: I don’t know. Don’t ask me stuff like that (again a whisper).
Me: (Loudly). They don’t tell you ahead of time if you will actually win the Pulitzer. Hahaha (fake laugh, mixed with a witches cackle)

By now the thin gorgeous lady is looking at me too. I gloat.
I have rubbed off on #4 well enough to make her cackle with me. But she has to go; she got off early from work today and is pulling into her driveway already.
Dang.
But I have hopes. I can get creative here. Maybe change my role.

I try #6 on speed dial.
#6: Kidhar hai tu? (Where are you?)
Me: Nails
#6: Ooh! Kaunsa Color? (Wo Collo or Go back to line 15!!!)
Me: Don’t know yet. Hee hee.
#6: Saala, Tu uss se abhi pachchees color lagvaegi na? (You will ask her to try out 25 different colors, right?)
Me: Hmmm. Maybe. Do you still have patients to see?
#6: No. I am leaving in 5. Are you done for the day?
Me: No, I have a patient with acute MI.
(For you confused souls, “acute MI” is a term I have heard repeatedly used by people in “ER” but have no clue what MI stands for).
#6: What??
Me: I have to go to Chandler Regional hospital and then Mercy Gilbert. They are prepping him now.
#6: Tu kisse bath kar rahi hai? (Who are you talking to?)
Me: Terese (You). But such is life.
I can’t control my laughter now.
Thin lady walks to wash her hands. I quickly whisper, “I am pretending to be a doc. Play with me.”
#6: Chup re. Mereko kaam hai. Bye. (Shut up, I have work to do)
Double dang …but my work was done. I didn’t know anymore medical lingo either.
I see thin gorgeous lady with perfect finger tips now smile at me. I smile back. We sit beside each other drying our nails.

Bombshell: Sorry, I couldn’t help over hear your conversations. You write and you are a doctor?
Me: Yup
Bombshell: What’s your book about?
Me: My nails are done. Why don’t you stop by at Barnes on Saturday for the book signing? You will be surprised.
I give a cool smile and I walk away highly satisfied.

Do I love my nails so much? or
Did I miss my calling as an actress??

Soulmates

I don’t have a soul mate. I think the word is highly over rated. I have a soul though and it has different sections. Each has a special person tucked in there.
Amma and Papa laid the foundation to my being. Friends did the rest. If you haven’t guessed already, this is a special Ode to the people who have "made me"... (In random order)
To my Mu-Man: The only man who has loved me so deeply, it scares me often. The biggest pillar in my life. He raised me from a pup to bitch in 365 days!! I owe him so much. Thanks for putting up with me, G.
Taught me to dust myself and move on.
To An: My best friend in the worst profession. They say an apple a day….blah.. she is my apple and ironically a doc. How do I work this out now? Hmmmm. She gives it to me straight, puts me where I need to be and vents with me. I wouldn’t die without you, A, but would hate to hit #3 on my speed dial and not find you there.
Taught me everything mu-man couldn’t.
To Vik: He actually angers me...gets the worst out in me. I don’t know why he’s so special for sure but I think it’s mainly because I see him with his daughter and the look in his eyes is irreplaceable. Ya, I think I love him is coz he is such a great daddy. I laphz you, V-man.
Taught me how stupid and good looks go hand in hand, and good looks always wins.
To VD-ya: I love to hate her. She can drive you crazy in an instant, make you wonder if she really said that aloud but is the biggest sport ever. Her pool party gets called Dhool party because of a dust storm that showed up just as we were getting into the water. We tease her no end over and over again. The max we get back is a “SHUT UP”. Now that I think of it, Vd-ya should be ranked first as she christened me YO!!! Actually created my character..SUCK IT UP, girl.
Taught me that its ok to be silly sometimes.
To Sigh-man: I have to warn you, I can go on and on about my Sigh man. He is the epitome of coolness. Hardly anything bothers him (though I have seen him “bothered” when he gets disturbed watching TV!!!)
I would love to be born to him. There are times when I call him and talk to him when I am stressed out without needing to mention anything. Talking to him calms me. “Its ok, da” makes my day.
Taught me to let go.
To Sandy: Oh the crimes I would not have committed (at least in my head) if it weren’t for this girl. She fans the fire in me.. by giggling. And man o man that instigates me like nobody’s business. The best researcher in the world, fixes things like a guy and also knows to read owners manuals for thermostats!!! (no GUY can do it but Apna sandy can!!!) Viva Las Vegas Baby!!
Taught me that all I need is a stroke in the right direction to get my meanness going wild.
To Nadu: Tirupathi, hey. My morning coffee. Head on her shoulders, the smartest thing Vik ever did. And I mean literally. :) She has stories every single day. All about the stupid people she attracts and the stupid things they say to her.
Taught me to laugh at life.
To Ruh-eeeev: Hanging out with him, made me actually not dislike the smell of cigar smoke (now it feels like home, where I am among loved ones :)… sad, huh?). Hooked me on to a whole bunch of “vices”.
Taught me that when life gives me lemons, get a tequila shot , make a margarita and invite him.

Thanks to all of you, really. For picking me up when I crumbled, being there when I needed you and didn’t need you, showing up on my doorstep at 10 pm believing I loved you , buying cul-de-sacs, going over craigslist to find me a treadmill and last but not the least, renting homes in rocky point year after year!!!! ummmmmma