Recently when we drove to Cornwall in the older one’s car for a holiday, the L&M kept ‘driving’ from the passenger side and the older Brat cried, ‘Oh, no! I forgot to put in the steering wheel!’
Did you think he had become crazy? How could he be driving without one, you ask? Well, you should read this post — which I am re-posting for the benefit of those of my readers who might have missed it, right till the end. You will realise then that old habits die hard.
It was also the first ever L&M post on Cybernag.
The L&M is paranoid about city roads. He is scared of speed – not the dopey kind, but real speed. He is famous for making auto drivers brake suddenly as he clutched his heart dramatically with an appropriate moan, if they drove too fast. He never got drivers because he wouldn’t let them drive above 40 – kms that is. They quit in a day in disgust even foregoing their pay. He is so scared of the traffic accidents that he has avoided two wheelers all his life. According to him, it is safer to drive a four-wheeler since the engine takes the impact in a head-on collision. Oh yes. He has a graphic imagination when it comes to road accidents!
He bought the boys tricycles and then bicycles at appropriate ages. Only, he expected them to ride the bicycles like they did the tricycles — in our lane or preferably on the terrace.
Even that was ok. But when the elder one went to college and demanded a bike, the L&M like a doting father that he is, bought him one. However, the trouble was that he was expected to adhere to the same rule that had applied to the tri and bicycles. But being practical (since a bike could not be ridden on the terrace), he had allowed the boy to ride in the JNU campus near our house.
“I must positively be the only boy in the whole universe who can’t ride his bike on proper roads!” complained the boy. When he was allowed to take it out on the city roads, he had to give a written statement attested by two witnesses that (a) he wouldn’t take it out on roads where buses and trucks plied, (b) wouldn’t carry a pillion rider (c) would inform us where he would be going (d) call home to inform about his whereabouts every 15 minutes and (e) return home before it got dark.
Do you blame the boy for leaving the bike untouched till he left for his college outside Delhi?
When the L&M drives the car, he is so careful that he is never likely to get a ticket for speeding — he might most likely get one for SLOW driving. And this habit has only got worse with age.
The boys refused to ride in the car when he was driving. “It is embarrassing to be overtaken by the pedestrians,” they said.
One day as we were going out, the boys didn’t get in the car. “We will follow you,” the elder one said.
“No bikes!” warned their father instantly alert.
“Oh, perish the thought! How can I possibly take it out when we have to go outside the colony?” asked my first born, voice dripping sarcasm.
It was completely lost on the L&M. “Then how do you intend ‘following’?”
“We’ll walk with you. Just keep the windows rolled down so that we can chat,” he continued.
“We’ll try to walk slowly to keep pace,” added the younger one, for good measure.
The father glared. I meekly got in. Hadn’t I married him for worse or worst?
If L&M is paranoid about driving on the city roads, he is a nervous wreck while trying to park the car. You would understand his difficulty if you realised that he needs a space big enough to park two trucks and then some. For him, parking is a family activity and now that the brats have left, I do the duty.
You will get an idea if you picture this scene:
The moment we approach our destination, all of us crane our necks from our respective windows to spot a suitable parking space.
“Dad! There was a space back there!” the younger one shouts.
“No. That was too narrow,” L&M snaps, sweat dotting his brows and knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel too hard.
“There! Another one!”
“No, and No!” L&M bares his teeth.
We would go round the block half a dozen times and manage to find a suitable space as detailed above. And now we had to ‘guide’ him into the slot — one to each side, as he maneuvered the vehicle gingerly back and forth. By this time the boys are having a tough time trying to keep the ever-lengthening line of cars on either side at bay. The whole place sounds like one big fire alarm, with the cars honking for all they are worth.
A few more tries later, the L&M finally manages to scrape in between two cars. “There! Wasn’t that neat?” he proudly asks, getting down triumphantly. A traffic cop has come to investigate the chaos by now.
I am unable to reply the L&M because the door on the passenger side wouldn’t open more than a few inches and I have to squeeze out from the driver’s side.
There are times when he manages to park at a spot suspiciously free of other cars. “Wonder why none of you guys spotted this place!” he would say smugly.
“‘Co’s this is a ‘no parking’ zone that is why,” his younger son would reply calmly.
We consider ourselves very lucky if we find a parking space within half a kilometre of our destination. “I think we should walk all the way from home instead of just half the way. At least that way we’d be spared the parking drama,” says the elder one in all seriousness. “It would also give us some exercise and reduce the pollution from at least one car,” the younger one puts in his tuppence’ worth.
To be fair, he is a completely different person while on a highway — relaxed and humming. But never did he go beyond 70 kmph. And so relaxed in fact that he sometimes begins snoring softly, eyes wide open. I am tense as a wound up toy while on a highway with him and keep him talking. He has never accepted that he had dozed off though!
But thanks to all these safety measures by their dad while they were young, both the boys have turned out into excellent and safe drivers. However, they have to contend with an ageing father who continues to hound them if they so much as accelerated a bit. He keeps his eyes fixed on the speedometer. Even if he is sitting at the back, he would crane his neck and surreptitiously glance at the needle inching upward and would say, ‘Hey, slow down! You are crossing 80 (km)!’ The boys just cover the speedometer, but that only makes their father even more tense, trying to guess the speed!
When the older one had begun driving (after attaining the legal age for driving of course!), he had to swear a solemn oath to abide by certain conditions every time he took the car out — one of them being that the L&M rides with him — and does passenger-seat-driving (since he would insist on sitting in the front).
The boy had had the last word on this one. “When I buy my own car, I am going to install a set of dummy controls and steering wheel for dad to ‘drive’ from the back seat.”
…and now read the opening lines again 🙂
The Cybernag 
Ohh where do I start? This is hilarious and even though I can’t relate to the scenario, I can certainly imagine the scenes that would have played out in the car, parking lots and the house! 😀
I am so glad to have found your blog! It never fails to bring a smile 🙂
Cheers!
LikeLike
I am so glad my recounting of the scenes brings a smile to your face. I can assure you that we were all more than exasperated with the L&M and the thought of a smile was as far from our minds as the stars! I see you like the comments very much 🙂 Goes to show how many people identify with our crazy family!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! I love the comments! 😀
LikeLike
[…] crowded parts of Delhi, as I was more comfortable driving in such localities. And if you have read this post, you would know how nervous the Delhi traffic made […]
LikeLike
It is a hilarious post no doubt. I suspect you have indulged in hyperbole for the effect! I concede that L&M is a safe and cautious driver given the type of reckless traffic in our roads and certainly not one that cycles can overtake
Enjoyed the funny post aware that he may have a different take on the post!
LikeLike
The situations are all genuine and real, KP and I confess to having added a wee bit of masala 🙂 But cross my heart, the parking scene was played out many times over! As for the L&M, he loves all the attention, even if it is a tongue-in-cheek leg pulling. He is my biggest fan 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very funny post, while reading I just laughed, comedy film can be made, even in our house same thing happen, when Vatsal comes home he is not allowed to take activa outside the coloney.
I really enjoyed reading this post, I am still smiling.
LikeLike
Glad you enjoyed the post, Suman. Don’t worry, the children will have their ‘revenge’ sooner than later 🙂
LikeLike
[…] reading all those L&M and Brats posts, I am sure you think of us as a crazy family. We might be a little quirky and crazy. Well, ok,. The […]
LikeLike
I think I must read more of your post….can laugh heartily!
Why does the father thinks that his sons are dumb always? My husband also drives from the back seat when our son drives and gives funny sounds like ‘choo choo’ often making us think that the son is going to hit some vehicle or some pedestrian! Keeps on saying ‘take the center lane, left lane, right lane, etc.! In between ‘Gear change pannu’ too!
Will read more, now!
LikeLike
I am so glad you could laugh heartily. I can’t tell you how rejuvenating a good belly laugh is 🙂 I am surprised your son hasn’t banned his father from riding with him 😀 Mine makes it clear before starting the car that HE is the driver and that his father should look at the scenery or play with his daughter and leave the wheel and brakes alone 🙂
LikeLike
ROFL! Right till the very end, this was completely hilarious! Absolutely love your extraordinarily unique signature humor style, just love it! 🙂
LikeLike
Maybe you can take a ride with us when we finally shift to Mumbai sometime in the not too distant future and can see for yourself that what I have said here is all sola aane sach 😀
LikeLike
haha reminds me sooo much of my dad. We always ended up going in a rick to avoid the parking fiasco! Awesome 🙂
LikeLike
Makes perfect sense to take a rick. In our case, the place used to be at an awkward distance to either walk or take the car and the L&M insisted that we go in the car and get offended if we suggested an alternative!
LikeLike
Hi, I am a new reader! This is such a awesome post!! Your boys are just hysterical!! They obviously get along amazingly with their dad; the way they tease him!! Loved it!!
Do visit my blog when you have the time!
LikeLike
Very Funny 😀
You L&M is so much like my dad, who can compete with him in the matters of back seat driving..So, whenever he is around i don’t drive!!!!
LikeLike
Every family has an L&M with his own store of quirks, right? I am glad I could capture these wonderful people. So who drives when he is around?
LikeLike
He only drives 🙂
In case my brother shows bravery of driving when he is around, they end up arguing and finally my papa takes over driving 🙂
LikeLike
Hi
Hilarious one, I get reminded of a scene from ‘Friends’ where one of the characters gets a ticket from the cop for driving too slow 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, yes. HE would have got many tickets had he lived anywhere, but India 🙂
LikeLike
Have you ever given a thought to publish your L&M series!
I wish to share it with my friends who dont use the computer.
No comments on the post. Too good for my words to justify any comment.
LikeLike
AApke munh mein ghee shakkar 🙂 It is not so easy to publish a book in India, Pratibha 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Its not all that difficult either. Give it a try.
LikeLike
I miss reading your L&M series *wails loudly*
My husband is the polar opposite. When he drives, my heart nearly pops out and my knuckles turn white from clutching the seat too tightly. On the highway, I expect our car to take off!
Yep! he’s is a speed maniac.
Do I see a connection with L&M’s paranoia and the younger one’s passion for bikes?
Btw….I had written “Driving myself crazy” (about my driving travails) around the same time 😀
LikeLike
That’s why I posted this one. I saw that it had very few comments and most of my friends had not read it 🙂 Can you imagine the two husbands in a car together? Imagine them driving by turns. 😀 I will go to your blog and read the post. And no, Vinni’s riding passion is not the result of his paranoia. He simply loved noisy bikes and likes being on his own for long periods and this is the best way, right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some people think that the car is the most expensive thing in the world and having brought one, they should do anything and everything to protect it from the slightest of the dust/bad roads. Obviously, they treat it like a piece of jewelery and not even take their car to go out anywhere (except marriages, mainly for flaunting). In comparison with that, the L&M is a gem, don’t you think? 🙂
LikeLike
The L&M is a lot of things, but gem? 😀 Well, he will surely be kicked up about such an epithet if I tell him 🙂 We are a family that uses the car well and proper.
LikeLike
Ha ha :D.. He really did that… I can’t believe it… Wonderful set of family you have got there…
LikeLike
We are a quirky lot, all right! He did all that and more! And I am sure you will have similar people in every family 😀
LikeLike
ha ha I can see that , a family with members having heads sprouting out like knobs on the windows, to assist the driver as though the car he is driving has no view mirrors and then parking half a KM away from the destination, causing chaos on the traffic and then leading at the head the half a KM walk taking extreme pride in the way he took care of them while steering the wheel.
A very humanistic piece Zephyr
LikeLike
Ha ha! you said it! After all the manoeuvrings he would actually lead on and expect us to praise his driving skills 😀 Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLike
Interesting post. I have made my own post on my vehicular trouble. You can find it here.
http://luciferhouseinc.blogspot.in/2011/12/in-quest-of-steed.html
LikeLike
Thanks for the comment TF. I will certainly take a look at the post and comment too 🙂
LikeLike
lol.. i can understand your kids feelings.. i have just learnt car driving, i also take so much time to park in a particular slot.. :)…
i think almost all fathers impose such rules… that is the reason i never learnt two wheeler.. even now my dad is against me getting a car..
my hubby doesnt want me to drive, as he is very much sure that i would pick up fight on road, when ever there is a traffic violation. 😛
LikeLike
I am so sorry, I didn’t know I had missed replying this one.
Parking takes a long time to master, so don’t worry. Unlike your father, the L&M wanted his sons to drive a car directly, since he felt that was safer than being exposed to the traffic in a two-wheeler.I agree with your husband’s reason for not letting you drive though. It is so easy to get heckled by some jerk on the road and end up fighting futilely. 🙂
LikeLike
Totally enjoyed this post. I simply love the way you write. I can relate to the over-protective dad’s ways. My dad never tires of trying to get ‘his’ first born to ditch his two wheeler and switch to a four wheeler. :D.
LikeLike
And are you the first born in question? If so, please accept my sympathies. Though I agree about one thing here. Four wheelers are relatively safer in comparison to two-wheelers.
LikeLike
Wow… I come back to read all the posts I have missed and boy.. what a start. This one is packed with loads of satire and rib-tickling humor. It was so good that I read it twice.
That five point conditional driving permit for the bike was hil-a-rofl-ious. That was just a word I made up! 😛 And that parking scene.. was so gripping and nerve-racking, I felt I was watching a Bourne movie. And finally.. Driving from the passenger side! 😛 Quite a genius idea indeed. L&M for sure is a rage.
This was as hilarious a post I have ever read.
LikeLike
Welcome back Raj. am I glad you landed on an L&M piece and not some serious stuff to begin clearing the backlog on my blog 😀 The five point condition list might have been longer, because he would remember something suddenly and add to it even before the boy put one foot outside the door 🙂 And yes, the more foibles I expose about him, the more popular he becomes since there are so many like him 😀
LikeLike
hahahahahahaa… OMG
had me laughing as much as I did the 1st time!!!
Brilliant!
LikeLike
Glad you liked it on the second reading too 🙂 L&Ms love to read about their counterparts (or themselves) and feel smug about it too. 😀
LikeLike
Haha, sounds vaguely like my Dad. He too made me solemnly forsake my geared-two-wheeler license and use just my four-wheeler one. Initially, while he was in Saudi, it was essential that I drive as Amma occasionally needed a chauffeur to ferry her around. Once he got back and sold my faithful Maruti 800 for the swankier Ford Ikon, I was banned from touching his sedan!! The excuses ranged from I don’t want you getting into any scrape when you are visiting for just a few days to the roads have changed so much and with a big car you might struggle a bit too much..:D Finally, really recently, the L&M of our house has softened his stance and lets me chauffeur him around and behaves much better and not like the teeth-greeting pillion-rider..:)
LikeLike
Hahah…I love the way you connected the last and first lines! 😆
It’s so good to see you back… how was your trip? 🙂
OMG, I thought MY dad was bad. This one takes the cake! 😀 I shall count my blessings!
LikeLike
I am not yet back. But didn’t want to keep my blog languishing and so re-posted the first L&M piece I had published on my blog especially since it seemed apt after what happened during our holiday drive 😀 L&Ms are found in every family so your dad is no exception to the rule, right?
LikeLike
Lol….that was a sweet and funny post…..my husband too wanted my son to drive a bicycle like a tricycle….and a bike is not permitted…..can you believe that?
LikeLike
Ha ha
Nostalgic again. I never learnt driving when I was at home. The instructions of papa were too many.
My brother too learnt driving with his friend’s car. 🙂 Today he makes sure that papa sits in the back seat. Otherwise the whole time he will be driving from the passenger seat. 😀
LikeLike
Awesomeeeee!!!!! And your sons’ sense of humor is really cool. The post is awesomest (that’s a word I learnt from my 9 yr old). I don’t know how you lived through it, I would definitely go mad 🙂
LikeLike
Great post !
When both have been driving for the same number of years in the same undisciplined cities, the ideal thing I have found is to ensure one sits in front and drives while the other sits at the back and hopefully dozes off. Else you can see the feet of the person in the front passenger seat , involuntarily pushing imaginary clutches, brakes and accelerators , while you do stuff in reality, occasionally having to listen to Hmmmm, Hmmmmmmm and more Hmmmmmmmmm.
We’ve actually given up on parking in Mumbai, and often take an auto .
And yes , parking in spaces and coming out of parking spaces, I have often done what your kids did. Control traffic . Some drivers stop in sheer shock, some even said some give gaalis (which I didnt understand anyway), while some actually smiled. . Only to have the husband say that was not needed. Such is life.
(A visiting American lady , a houseguest, once helped me do this in a massively chaotic situation, and at the end of it all she bowed to the motorists who stopped for us. I bet they dont have that in the US !)
LikeLike
And what makes you think that the person wouldn’t do the same from the back seat? 😀 I am sure the drivers of the cars you were trying to stop would have been shocked out of their wits and screeched to a halt. In our case, with three of us, it was a free show and drew amused chuckles and sometimes gaalis too 🙂 I think these incidents can be made into ‘travel experiences’ for tourists too, don’t you think? After all, they are unique!
LikeLike
My dad was exactly the same. Somehow he has mellowed down a bit but the initial six months were like hell. He still drops his expert advice once in a while but he has stopped nagging me all the time.
Now my next target is to drive on a highway. I have not been granted permission for that. Not yet.
Loved this post.
LikeLike
L&M is a relaxed cookie while on the highway. He is scared of the traffic and the zooming past of two-wheelers and stunt drivers on the Delhi roads, basically and feels that if one drove slowly, the chances of an accident are less. Let me know if he is right once you drive on the highway 🙂
LikeLike
It looks like a scene from my home..I am scared of speed and then my husband always parks the car at a distant place….In delhi he will park the car in palika bajar and then we shall take an auto and go to Karol Bagh.
LikeLike
Seriously? I mean, park at Palika bazar and go to Karol Bagh? But the chaos in KB can be too much to handle. I used to go there in the mornings and get out before noon. L&M never ventured anywhere near the place, of course 😀
LikeLike
Oh he is so adorable…please give him a big tight hug from my end 🙂
no seriously he is adorable 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t oblige because my arms are not long enough to cross the seven seas. He is already back in India, you see 😀 And yes, I will pass on your compliments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He really did all that! I was doubling over with laughter. And, the men in my life, earlier dad and now hubby are so good with their driving — parallel parking, parking, reversing in the most difficult situations with such ease that they give me a complex :). You reminded me of my dad-in-law, in his later years, he had almost lost his eye sight. And, there he was trying to guide my husband on the route to the Railway station from his memory of his childhood days in Bangalore :). We had a great laugh (mil and me) from the back seat. At one point, I thought that hubby would leave the car and run :).
LikeLike
Your poor hubby. He must have been really nonplussed since he could not be rude to his father and yet being driven crazy by his advice. I could never do parallel parking to save my life. I’d rather park somewhere further away and walk to the place instead or leave the car behind and take an auto if the destination didn’t have decent parking. All this in those distant days when I drove, of course.
LikeLike
Yeah, dad in law was something else. There were times when I stayed with my fil and mil in Hyderabad. And, I would take off in the khatara Maruti 800 that they owned driving them around. Both did not know driving. I did not know the routes, and with dad-in-law guiding, there were hilarious errors. He would tell me about the turn when I was just passing it or a road that did not exist. He had sharp memory, but he would keep drilling his point incessantly :). He gave new meaning to back-seat driving! He has passed away, and I cherish these memories with him.
LikeLike
My story in your inimitable style ! Much younger and lacking patience, I once hopped in a rickshaw to the market from the so called perfect parking slot he had found after driving in circles for half an hour . After two decades of being married, not much has changed …I just get dropped at the destination,while he takes his own time finding the perfect parking space.
BTW, we in our luxury wheels can be found at the extreme left lane on the express Highway.
LikeLike
Ha ha ha!! Extreme left, did you say? While the son was driving at 80 mph on the motorway here in the UK, the L&M seemed relaxed till he realised the converted figure in kms. and then boom! he went berserk, jumpy and tense, advising the son to slow down till he was informed that it was against the law to drive below the limit. (Wonder if it is true 😀 )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hilarious! Sounds very much like my father-in-law(my husband’s uncle). His son got married last year and the groom requested us to strategically keep his dad off from driving the car on the day of wedding.
LikeLike
Wise boy! The tension of having someone like the L&M on his best day would have been too much. Were you able to do his bidding? 😀
LikeLike
Ha ha! Very funny!
My husband is like this too! When our son was learning to drive, my husband would sit in the seat behind him. He would clutch the seat in front and issue instructions to our son the whole time.
The son would blissfully drive as he pleased (which was quite good actually), and my husband would sigh with relief when we reached our destination!
LikeLike
Your son must be commended for keeping his cool under the barrage of instructions 🙂 It can be very hard to do it. But your husband is better in that he allowed your son to drive his care when he was still learning to drive. My sons learnt at the driving school 🙂
LikeLike
ha ha ha, that was a fun read. enjoyed it. shouldn’t laugh too much because i don’t even know how to drive.
LikeLike
Glad you liked it Deb. And it doesn’t need driving gyan to laugh at the ways of the L&M, does it? Just laugh. 🙂
LikeLike
Zephyr, your description left me in splits! I could give competition to L&M:)
LikeLike
Cybernag gyan says that all L&Ms are alike at some level! Your wife and daughter might have some vignettes to share, I am sure 🙂
LikeLike
The DH does this all the time when I am driving. On long drives, he’ll tell me to drive and say I’m taking a nap, but once we reach our destination he will claim he didn’t sleep at all because he was so worried about my driving. Periodically, I will hear things like “Stick to the right lane”, “Lower your speed”, “Change lanes, NOW”. Wouldn’t you know it, I make maximum mistakes when he’s in the passenger seat 😦
LikeLike
And did you know that the L&M accused all of us for making him jittery while parking? Though I learnt to drive first, he began backseat driving even before he learnt to 🙂 And I forgot to mention in the post that on straight roads on the highway, he would begin gently snoring with his eyes fully open!! Quite a contrast from his city driving!!
LikeLike
Ha Ha I had such a good time reading this post. Thanks for putting a smile on my face 🙂
BTW met up with Deepthy Menon today in Pune…
LikeLike
You are welcome Vinita. 🙂 The L&M sounds funny in retrospect, but certainly wasn’t when the events were occurring.
Is Deepthy in Pune? I thought she was wandering in the forests of Chattisgarh??
LikeLike
HAHAHAHA!!! I can now understand why Vinni is so passionate about riding! A reaction to L&M:) Don’t mind Srini, Zephyr! I am on your side totally. L&M, you are definitely a cuddly bear but ….hahahaha
LikeLike
More like a prickly pear and not a cuddly bear 😛 And I was the peacekeeper of the trio, you know and peacekeepers had to keep their opinions to themselves lest they be accused of being partial. Thanks for being on my side 😀
LikeLike
Dear god ! But my dad is exactly like l&m … And he is an expert at backseat driving … Enjoyed reading this …
LikeLike
He is your mom’s L&M, isn’t he? So he would definitely do it 😀
LikeLike
Another superlative post, Zephyr. I’m going to take your L&M’s side here and laud him for driving you guys around (not minding your jibes) and keeping your safety as his first concern 🙂 I’d love to hear his side of the story one of these days.. 🙂
LikeLike
Hey, didn’t you know that I dared not voice any misgivings or sarcasm since I am married to him ‘for worse or worst’, remember? The Brats had more liberty with that. Bah, one more fan of the L&M!
LikeLike
I read the whole of L&M..Brilliantly sculptured..I loved all of them.You can see lot of me in your blogs again and again 🙂 Keep blogging and I’ll keep reading
LikeLike
Thanks a ton. It will be nice to have another regular reader of my blog 🙂 I don’t do any social networking and rely on the posts to bring in readers, you see. 🙂
LikeLike
lol! that was brilliant writing!
LikeLike
Do come back for more of the same stuff. I have a whole lot of experiences to share!
LikeLike
Awesome !
LikeLike
I can easily co-relate with most of the scenes. My dad is same. Even today he drives SLOW and we are showered with advises and suggestions and at times DICTATED. And who wants to fight and disturb the peace of the House?. Yes i want to .. but mum tells me to keep patience and not to pass risky comment that might agitate the L&M of my house. hahaha.
But i tell u , each time we go together with Dad ( ofcourse He is the one who’s driving) we search for parking and each of us have necks out;). Giving directions right nono , left,;) little more;) lol
the commens Kids passed are amazing .. they can walk with the car.. hahah I can sense the look the father gave that time. M sure thts common in all DADS.
Last but not the least, i have to ask the same Question which Poornima asked above 😛 😉 Tee-Hee!
LikeLike
nearly laughed out loud at work. reminded to a great extent of my dad and how one fine day i decided never to touch his car again 😛
bought my own a few years later to settle issues, but by then he started driving like a 20 yr old – no clue what happened!
LikeLike
ha ha! maybe it is the second childhood.
LikeLike
this reminded me of my childhood….
LikeLike
you bet!
LikeLike
I agree with Harish here. How come Vinni has a mom like you? You are so on the way to become a celebrity blogger mom 🙂
LikeLike
This was really funny, Ma’am…Now I know where Vinni *didn’t* get his awful sense of humor from!!
LikeLike
Amazing! Very well written and intriguing 🙂 Hope to hear more of your stories..
LikeLike
thanks for the read. visited your blog. great stuff!
LikeLike
Just came across this link through vineet’s facebook post aunty… Hilarious stuff!.. 🙂 loved the article!
LikeLike
thanks Sahitya. visit again!
LikeLike
hahahaha…mami I can totally picture the four of you in the car. Vinni and his smug comments..mama and his demands and you trying to make peace
LikeLike
oh this was way too good… interesting activity to try and figure out which of the two boys is vinni! (i think its the younger)
Also reminds me of my mum who, as my dad claims, requires clearances similar to an aircraft’s to even drive on the road… and she doesn’t go shopping w/o dad or me cos she still can’t park our family car in parallel parking 😉
LikeLike
didn’t i say that the characters have parallels in every household? you are right about your guess.
talking of parallel parking, it should be banned, if you ask me. i entirely sympathize with your mom as another victim. you can read about that in one of my pieces soon..
LikeLike
To give my mom due credit though… it was she who first learnt how to drive our old Premier Padmini and then taught dad and, a couple of decades later, me. So although we do frown upon her driving skills we ourselves owe our respective skills (at least the foundation) to her alone. 🙂
LikeLike
An amazing read… Can someone imagine comments like these from Ca204valry..
The boy has the last word on this one. “When I buy my own car, I am going to install a set of dummy controls and steering wheel for dad to ‘drive’ from the back seat.”..
LikeLike
that’s great praise from someone who himself writes so well! the comment attributed to Ca204valry by you are in fact his brother’s.
LikeLike
I loved the piece. You must write lots more!
LikeLike
very funny….liked the bit about ‘parking being a family activity’….hilarious
LikeLike
i am glad you liked it. more is yet to come….
LikeLike
I do sympathize with the older brother… quite like me to have faced such naan-sense…
And yeah… a good read, a good blog…
Regards.
LikeLike
Didn’t I tell you that you would identify with the characters?
thanks for the nice feedback.
LikeLike
Haahahaha. Loved this! Really fun and so well written.
LikeLike
Wasnt this published in the paper ? Was I really like that ? I couldn’t have been that smug too! come on!
LikeLiked by 1 person
of course you were! wait till you read more!
LikeLike
thanks vishal. keep visiting for more!
LikeLike
lol….awesome read
LikeLike
thanks a ton Shaifali. comments like these are truly inspiring and make me going!
LikeLike
lol..this is awesome! very very well written
LikeLike