Posted on: Nov 03, '09
Jack and Jill went over the hill!
Location: Foster City, Suburban SFO, CA, the US of A! Date & time: contemporary
Jack had just finished mowing the lawn and had come inside to have a bottle of beer! It was early afternoon. As he opened the fridge, he noticed Jill standing near the kitchen counter, almost spoiling for a fight!
“You beer guzzling, snobby son of a bitch! Why are you ignoring me?” Jill was shouting!
“Jill, this my first bottle of beer in over a week!” Jack was already shocked! It was like a cargo train hitting him when he least expected it! The power of Jill’s words cut his being, his soul and emotion, like a well sharpened saw!
Jack quickly recovered from his shock and looked at Jill!
She was trembling, either with rage, or by the force of her own outburst! Whatever it was it did not portend well!
Jack quickly glanced towards the hall to see if Bill, their nine years old son was around! Then he realized that Bill would be at the Sunday school offered by his parish church! He sighed imperceptibly!
Sure, he had a problem on hand. A mild mannered Jill bursting out this was a bad omen!
“Can we sit down and talk?” Jack tried amiably.
Strangely he was not angry. He was surprised by himself. Jack fifteen years earlier would have been competitive and probably, would have ‘out-shouted’ Jill by several decibels! But not now!
It was not a deliberate choice! He did not feel competitive! He saw a crying child in Jill; a child throwing tantrums for not getting something that was promised to her!
Jack had been lucky to have retained his clients despite the global down turn that seemed to have hit the States rather disproportionately stronger than other countries! His revenue had taken a beating but he did not go bankrupt! Jill and he could sit down and work out many things that helped them tide over the ‘trough’! They were those rare ‘successful survivors’ of the ‘melt-down’! Yet, he knew it had taken some emotional toll!
Jill and he had delayed many purchases that affected their comforts! Neither Jill nor he had bought a dress or a shoe in the past three quarters. They never deprived Bill, but had scaled down their ‘affection – purchases’. Even Bill seemed to understand that!
Bill’s bed room was crying for a makeover for sometime! He was growing up faster than they had imagined! His feet were beginning to protrude out of his bed when he slept on it!
Jack had found a reasonably priced quick fix for that problem. He made a bunk-bed out of some cheap lumber that came up on a distress sale. He had even saved on the cost of hiring a handyman! He had done the job himself!
But when it came to fixing the dresser, Jack ran out of ideas! To begin with he could not get the right type of wood! Despite his best creative efforts, the dresser he made ended up looking like tool boards in a mechanic’s garage…the only difference being the mirror sitting in the space meant for tool holders!
Jill was not very thrilled about it! Yet, she accepted it without grumbling, under the circumstances.
Bill was showing some promise as a budding golfer! Jack and Jill had enrolled him for coaching in golf with a well known and expensive trainer! Despite the down turn, they had decided to continue this training. Result was that the barbeque parties Jill used to organize twice every month had become once a quarter! These parties were all women parties, where Jill connected with her girl pals!
Jill had to suspend her Japanese Language training as well to accommodate the deficit golf coaching for Bill created! She did not complain!
Jack reduced his beer intake by half to begin with and later reduced it by even half of that! They both started taking stock of all groceries and began to maintain an inventory list! This too helped them in saving money that they used to normally blow away in Costco!
Then an opportunity to earn a little money came along! Jill’s cousin from the Midwest had moved from LA to SFO having lost a job. She wanted to know if she could stay with them as a paying guest! After a lot of deliberations Jack and Jill agreed and Bill’s room became the guest room, and Jack went to the sofa in the hall!
While all these life altering adjustments were happening, Jill had never blown her top like she did now! But, why now?
“Have all these taken their collective toll?” Jack was wondering looking at Jill!
Jill was already sobbing! Jack went near and put his hand around her shoulder and said softly, “I am not sure, what actions of mine have caused this distress. But whatever it is I apologize for that. If we can sit down and talk this out, this would be better for all of us. What do you think?”
Jill was already mellowing!
“You idiot! We make adjustments in life style to make a comfortable living! Did you ever tell me you visited Dr. Kaesar? Whenever, I wanted to make love, I could notice you were uncomfortable, yet you never declined. But, you never initiated it like earlier’ She was glaring at him!
Jack smiled weakly, “Hey Dr. Kaesar is an orthopedic, and he has nothing to do with love making”
“You fool, ever since you started sleeping on that goddamned sofa you have hurt your back, and that tells on you, when we make love! Would you stop sleeping on sofa, or would you stop sleeping with me” Jill was looking at him!
“Well, the one grand we get from your cousin is very handy now!” Jack mumbled.
Jill interjected, “I don’t care about the one grand a month. I have asked Martha to look for another accommodation. She would be moving out in a week. I want you in my bed room! Is that clear?”
Jack and Jill got entwined in a passionate lip lock that they had not experienced for almost a year!
Tags: when recession hits passion....
...hmmm...hap
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