A fool’s magnet

“I don’t watch TV; either it has saas-bahu serials or the hyperactive anchors. Switch elsewhere and you see skimpily clad girls gyrating shamelessly! Looking at the plotting, quarrelling and backbiting raises my BP,” I paused, took a breath and continued my tirade against the fool’s box and how I wasn’t a fool.

Hubby heaved a sigh of relief when I cut the call. “It’s a mobile phone, why don’t you walk the talk in the garden?” He suggested mildly. I turned on him with full force. “So that you can hear the same news again and again? This was an old friend of mine with one husband and four kids. She joined our WhatsApp group recently. It’s my duty as the admin to take care of all group members, since you know I manage many groups!” He turned his attention back to the news, being “broken” ad nauseum from morning. “Didn’t you also get to know her through this call? Else you would have missed all spicy details!” I persisted and then retreated as he started to frown.

Post dinner, I settled on the sofa next to him. The anchor was still shouting, gesticulating and leading a panel, which discussed topics seemingly of national interest, though I couldn’t see why the common man on the street would be interested in such a debate.

Suddenly, hubby looked at me. “What are you doing?” I wondered how he had managed to see what I was up to while his gaze was supposedly on the TV. “Oh, I am liking stuff on Facebook” His frown deepened. “See, this lady has posted her own pictures in different dresses throughout the week! Who wants to see her photos, anyway!” His tone turned to one of amusement! “Oh, really, weren’t you liking it just a few seconds ago?”

“Look at this. She always quarrels with her husband but puts romantic photos with him. This lady has a lot of issues with her friend and yet portrays as if they are BFFs. And this one takes the cake. She has photos with all her relatives but they can’t stand each other. This is the girl who took fee concession and has now bought an iPhone. Hope you recognise this fellow. He is our milkman, delivering milk on a rickety bicycle. Here, he is posing with a Benz, photoshopped obviously!

“You recognise these? Our neighbours who went to their village for a few days and have put photos of themselves in Alps. Now don’t ask how it can be done. And this,” I pushed the laptop under his nose, “is your subordinate, who has built this lovely home and clicked himself and his wife in every room!” My voice had turned angry and frustrated.

“Chill! Remember you said you don’t watch TV as you can’t stand peeping into others’ lives? But you are doing the same now, unnecessarily stressing yourself. Let your friends have their share of limelight, it does no harm. Finding out what people are up to need not always give you information, it might give acidity also!”