There I was in a upmarket shoe shop teetering on some high heels that I was gingerly balancing on and swivelling my ankles to see how they looked, when in the mirror I caught a reflection that looked a bit familiar . It was a lady (for she was not a girl anymore but then neither was I) yet I knew she was my class mate from the distant past for those eyes behind the thick glasses were known to me . Equally familiar was the deep voice that I heard as she asked the salesman for something. I squinted into the mirror , I frowned trying to get her name and then suddenly the penny dropped .
I hurried up to her . "Excuse me, "I said , "you are C... aren't you?" With my biggest and warmest smile I continued "Remember me ? I was in school with you , I am ......"
She cut me off quickly "Geeta ! Yes I know , "she replied coldly "you called me a bitch one day when we were in school".
You could have knocked me over with a shoe horn. Is that what she remembers about me - one day(!) from eleven years in class together ? Phew !! Before you go thinking that I hated her or something equally vicious , let me enlighten all : way back then it was fashionable for rebels like me and the rest of my ragtag clique ( though our teachers called us lazy blokes and saw us as the you-will-never-proper-in-life ones) to greet each other with a jolly wave and a "hi , bitch" . It was not an expletive or cuss word, it bordered on endearment and was a bonding among the defiant ones . The word was used as a Proper noun, a verb , an adjective , an adverb and even an exclamation of joy - "what a bitch !" was a total compliment. Sometimes it was philosophical like : Life is a bitch, isn't it . I certainly don't hear Life complaining about it .Success has also been referred to as the Bitch Goddess I don't think she minds too much either . No one seems to like Success the less for it - everyone is too busy wooing her ; bitch or not !
Back to C : the funny thing is I remember that one day very clearly. She was sitting on the school bathroom floor , miserable and alone, during break and howling with pain because she had stomach cramps and I distinctly recollect running to fetch the school nurse . I was punished in the next class for coming in late and stood outside the class. Our Principal saw me during her rounds and enquired.When I explained why I was late for the geography class , she took me in herself and whispered the reason to the teacher and I was allowed to sit at my desk again. Memory sure is a funny thing . She remembers what suits her and I what suits me . But what amazed me is how long she has been holding a grudge . at least now I am totally justified in calling her a capital B with an itch !
Words do change with times. Someone in the eighteenth century walking down the street in London would have looked up at St Paul's Cathedral and murmured - what an awful church ! We would now call it awesome but we would mean the same thing as that bloke . A Sunday afternoon I walked in on my school going teenager and asked what he was watching on tv. "Pimping" he said , then noting my shocked expression he clarified "it means customising a car !" So I asked him "you mean like accessorizing?" He looked at me as if i was nuts and muttered - what is accessorising ? By the way , is that what customizing/ accessorizing called these days . Pimping had a certain sex worker related connotation when we were young and we never used the word in polite conversations and certainly not to your mother. Besides, if my mother had heard me use it she would have rapped me . no, not broken out into a rhythmic use of similar sounding/ rhyming words- just given me one across the face !
More next Monday , ciao for now !
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