Episode 347 : Uncle

My nephew calls me "uncle", in the Malayalam equivalent of the relation.

The children in the apartment block call me "uncle".

Women friends younger to me call me "uncle" to emphasize my being out of touch with the current generation.

And given the corporate culture at work, nobody is formally addressed as Sir or Madam- we use their first names.

* * * * *
I had been ill for a few days now, and my haggard appearance made me look more sickly than I actually am. I had run out of water and a few provisions, so yesterday I went up to the nearest store to buy them.

'Water will take a little time Uncle', the young woman said.

I nodded, trying not to show the effect that word had on me. I walked back to the apartment, in thought.

When was the last time someone called me "uncle" because I looked old? All these years, I had been addressed as "bhaiyya" and it was something I could live with. But "uncle"...

The first thing I did on returning home was to make myself more presentable, but the thought remained.

While kids will continue to call me "uncle", I must also get used to young adults call me the same.

If this is like this, I do not understand how I will tackle the arrival of the forties.