Sunday, June 24, 2007

Dhanno likes reading the girlie books by Meg Cabot, Jacqueline Wilson, Georgia Byng. Why deny it, I do, too. The other day, we had a big row because I read a new book before she did. What's the big deal, I thought, a book is a book, the older the better. I like old books, library books, stolen books, stinky-smelly musty books, falling-apart books, long-forgotten books, books that are liable to give me thousands of germs. But to Dhanno, the book was a shiny, new thing which I had somehow spoilt.

To get her back on me, she said, "You won't even remember the story in a week's time". I said, "Well, I can tell it to you now." She screeched. She said, "Tell me the story of the book you read last week - Avalon High". I said, "It's about a ... school." She rolled her eyes and said, "Tell me something that is not so obvious." I rolled my eyes and made funny faces to get out of a sticky situation, but she was not letting me go.

"Ok, tell me about that book you liked so much - Double Act". "It's about twins", I said facetiously. "Oh yeah, and what about that book - Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism". "Oh, I remember that, it's about this girl, Molly who knows hypnotism, and becomes a model, and very rich, and there are all these other kids who are imprisoned, and she rescues them, and they all run away." She said, "NO ONE runs away in the book."

"Fine, so I confess I am a book-binge-r, and hardly ever remember what I've read. That's why I think it's really good you read so little, but read it well, and remember it," I said, to make peace.

At the FTII hostel, with Dhanno, a little infant, curled up beside me in bed, I'd be reading, lost somewhere, and then suddenly she would kick the book, and I'd look at her, and she'd look back with an angry scowl. No wonder it took her years to bother with reading a book, unless she was told to.

6 comments:

Space Bar said...

heh! you sound like sisters...

(i wonder who's going to hate me more now...)

Banno said...

Neither one of us. Vivek Phillip said the same thing to us a few days ago. He told me, "You'd better grow up now."

GJ said...

did we begin glaring and scowling with our mothers that early? or is it only this new lot?

i shudder to think of the long arguements and interrogations that i will be subjected to- happy reading banno!

Anonymous said...

oops that was me surabhi. did not realise that george's inbox was open in another window!
this google world is driving me a bit nuts now.

Banno said...

Sur,

Yes, I don't remember us being quite so demanding with our parents, atleast that early on. Hmm, lots of fun ahead with the court-martials. The fun of being a parent, and not a sister, is that you can, when you are losing, just say, "OK, that's enough. Shut up!" No way you can get away with that, with a sister.

Space Bar said...

ok, my bloglines says you did a post on die hard etc. costemics i remember. where's the post when i come to your blog?!

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