Joblessness; how it happened

The night was a little less busy than the usual ones. So, I decided to catch up on a cousin in another part of the country over the phone. She was quick to receive in the third ring and we started discussing the turn of events since our last conversation almost 4 months back. This is how it followed:

She- How have you been? Seem to be really engrossed!

Me- Well, yes, you could say so. I am good. How are you doing? What about my niece and nephew?

She- They are doing fine. The younger one’s a monkey ass.  Getting hard to handle. The elder one is at least considerate, I must say. But it’s not so easy to handle kids. It’s the toughest job under the sun.

Me- I understand.

She- No, you won’t. Not unless you have one.

Me- Well, I do have one.

She- Little sis trying to pull up a joke?

Me- I am serious.

She- Are you stoned?

Me- C’mon, you know I am a teetotaller.

She- Could you please elaborate your last statement then? (I could feel her tone getting jumpy this time).

Me- I have often heard this ‘have a kid and you will understand’. Pardon me for sounding profane, but the kind of effort you, my friends or for that matter our parents have put in to bring up their children, I put in the same to my job. Both the projects I’ve worked in so far have been nothing short of a nurturing a baby. Hence, you could vouch by my experience.

She- I think your work is taking a toll on your mental health. I suggest you take a trip to hills and relax your nerves. May be that could help you keep such gibberish at bay.

Me- I am in no need of a break. All I want is to make people, especially the ones who feel I am making the most of my li

fe by choosing singlehood at 28, understand why all of this is not hunky dory, though it might look like. Trust me Didi, putting up alone in a city and managing a job is not really different from rearing a baby, except for the fact that you at least are happy with the latter. I can actually drive in the similarities from my conversation with all my ‘newly-mom’ friends. Let me try to explain.

A says she hasn’t been able to sleep since childbirth. I haven’t been able to sleep since my new job, courtesy the imprudent organisation which has no regards for its employees whatsoever and keeps them occupied with tension of workload even when asleep. B says she hasn’t been able to take a self-indulgent shower or enjoy a peaceful dinner. I forgot the last time I indulged in some ‘Me-Time’.  C says her toddler has ensured nothing in the house remains in place. Everyone thought I was badly inflicted with OCD; but that was before I got a job. Now things lie haywire and I neither have the time nor the interest to set them straight. For D it’s chasing the tiny tot whole day long that drains her energy by the evening. After chasing the stories and deadlines throughout the day, the only thing that makes sense to me when I get back home is the comfort of the bed. E says motherhood is a constant duty, where you need to be on your toes. Putting in efforts to the best of your ability, 7 days a week and always prepared to get a call from the office to drop by anytime, might not sound quite intriguing after all. F says motherhood certainly is the best phase of her life. If only she could still party around or go clubbing. With the baby becoming your priority, every other enjoyment stops making sense. Not that I am a party animal, however, since I started earning enough to pay taxes double the amount I once did, I’ve forgotten to keep a tab on the new clubs and restaurants coming up or the old ones shutting down for good. Lastly, G’s only concern is about losing the baby fat and getting back in shape enough to sneak into that LBD. It was 46 the last time I stood on the weighing machine some four months back. Last week when I impulsively got on one of the roadside ones, I was taken aback to see it stubbornly stop at 50. There’s hardly any time for stretching or bending. Need I say more?

Candidly, as parents you still have a partner to share duties. However, I have to grin and bear with the buttload of responsibilities all by myself. Also, you at least have the satisfaction of seeing your little one grow and people waxing eloquent. Unfortunately, it is only a one-way process here, where  no matter the amount of endeavour you’ve put in, there’s always someone else ready to enjoy your success that he/she has achieved as a fluke.

Do I make sense now?

She- I feel its high time you quit this job. May be then we should talk.

The line snaps… her last sentence haunting...