the carromboard...

Carrom was my favourite indoor game when I was a kid. I never had a board though. I used to wait for visits to friends and relatives to play carrom. I once asked my dad to buy a board for us. That was when I was in 3rd (it was 1987 I believe). He said - "okay, if you can secure 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in the class in your annual exams, I'll buy you a carrom board." I said to myself - okay dad, you dont know who you're challenging! This is my chance and I shall have it. A few months later, when the results were announced, my name was 2nd. I ran up the stage happily to collect my report card and a small prize from the head-master, in the school assembly. But my mind was somewhere else...I was thinking of the carromboard. Parents were invited to school on that day...I ran up to dad and asked when we can go and get the carromboard. He said "...but I said, only if you stand 1st; not 2nd or 3rd...Get that 1st position next year and I'll buy the board for you" My heart sank - I felt cheated! But there was no point in arguing. I looked at the girl who came 1st. I felt like she snatched away my carromboard from me. Next year, I tried harder. But again I was 2nd and the same girl was 1st. No carromboard again. I pretty much accepted that till this girl is in my class, I'm not going to get my prized possession. Next year, in the middle of the term, she had to leave the school as her dad was moving to a different city for his job. I was elated. I could see all the obstacles in my path cleared. But a few months later, even we had to move to a far-away city. In the new school, I stood 4th! :) Needless to say, no carromboard that year either.

That same girl called up today. It was surprising and pleasant at the same time. I was skimming through my gmail address-book over the weekend for sending out the wedding invites and I chanced upon her id. I remember discovering her on some social networking website a few years ago. We exchanged a few emails back then - that would be first time since she left school in 1989! I remember having told her about the little carromboard story back then and I mentioned it again today...and we had a hearty laugh together. We talked about old days - of whatever we could remember of them. I started taking names of a few friends from that era and she was surprised that I still remember those names. The fact that I even have their email-ids, totally blew her off. Sending out an email to the group was a good idea indeed. It would be a memory test for some people :) Lets see how many of them respond back. God bless Gmail for automatically saving contact details in the address-book! :)

...I still don't have a carrom-board! :)