ALSphere Foundation
When we were newly married, my husband made it a point to call me from his workplace before heading home. These weren’t lovey-dovey chats, as one might imagine, but practical calls to ask if I needed anything from the market. It was thoughtful, especially since we were setting up our new home, and grocery runs were tiring for me.
And yes, along with the groceries, he often surprised me with my favourite chocolate or ice-cream. I looked forward to those calls.
But life changed as we inched toward the new millennium. The world was going digital, and cell phones began to take over. Soon, his thoughtful calls were replaced by curt text messages. The SMS—or Short Messaging System—became the order of the day. No time for conversations or detailed grocery lists; we were both busy juggling work and home.
One busy day, I sent him a simple message: “Get atta, biscuits.” When he came home, he handed me a small bakery packet before rushing off to change.
Puzzled, I looked at the packet. Where was the atta? My dinner plans hinged on rolling out chapatis, and we were out of flour!
Turns out, he’d brought atta biscuits instead. Missing commas had transformed my grocery list into a snack list.
Roti dreams were shattered.
I turned into a fiery dragon, breathing fire over dinner sans chapatis. He apologized profusely and promised to be more careful next time. I forgave him, though my grumbling stomach took longer.
But the SMS saga didn’t end there.
On another occasion, I texted him: “Get saree, grocery.” Simple enough, right?
He walked in proudly with a brand-new saree—for the maid.
Flabbergasted, I asked why he’d bought her a saree. Innocently, he replied, “Weren’t you talking about gifting her one for Diwali?”
Yes, I had mentioned it in passing, but he completely forgot the real reason for the text: to pick up my saree from the dry cleaner!
Dry cleaning was cheap, but his misplaced generosity wasn’t.
The maid got a saree; I got a lesson in proofreading texts. My saree stayed at the dry cleaner, but his mistakes brought a whole new drama to our lives.
Now, I’m cautious about SMSing my husband. His grammar may be my undoing, but it sure has turned into the maid’s jackpot.
Dr Preeti Talwar
