A LIFE SENTENCE
Last week, we had been for the wedding reception of a cousin of my wife. It was in a swanky banquet hall and the ambiance was familiar: that of a traditional Catholic-wedding.
In a Catholic wedding, the programme, from the start to the end, is all well-set; it is predictable... You know what comes next, what the Master of Ceremony is going to tell next. And, for most of us, the one liners, the teasers and the jokes that the M.C. uses, are, often, too familiar. On this particular evening, the M.C. cracked the familiar teaser, while the bridal couple waited nervously before the lovely cake, about to hold the knife.
"Marriage is not just a 'word'," he reminded the newly-weds, "It is a 'sentence' - a 'life sentence'."
"Nice one," I softly said.
"What is nice in that?" reacted my wife.
Now, I knew that question was not asked to seek an answer, but to express a faithful wife's displeasure. It meant: "You old man, shut up."
"We, too, were warned with the same words by our M.C. about two decades ago," I muttered in my mind.
"So ?" I heard her screaming through her nasty look.
"Nothing, just watching as to who is going to grab the knife first," I meowed.
"Very funny," I was reminded.
"I know, darling," I agreed with my mouth fully shut.
"You know what?", that was the predictable question.
"That, marriage is not just a 'word'; it is a 'sentence' - a 'life sentence'," I clarified.
The D.J. went on a full blast... the confetti showered from the beautiful centre piece as the guests gave a long applause...
The bride was the one to grab the knife first!
"Did you see that?" the grin wanted to know.
"Yes, I did," I accepted the sentence.
GERALD D'CUNHA
In a Catholic wedding, the programme, from the start to the end, is all well-set; it is predictable... You know what comes next, what the Master of Ceremony is going to tell next. And, for most of us, the one liners, the teasers and the jokes that the M.C. uses, are, often, too familiar. On this particular evening, the M.C. cracked the familiar teaser, while the bridal couple waited nervously before the lovely cake, about to hold the knife.
"Marriage is not just a 'word'," he reminded the newly-weds, "It is a 'sentence' - a 'life sentence'."
"Nice one," I softly said.
"What is nice in that?" reacted my wife.
Now, I knew that question was not asked to seek an answer, but to express a faithful wife's displeasure. It meant: "You old man, shut up."
"We, too, were warned with the same words by our M.C. about two decades ago," I muttered in my mind.
"So ?" I heard her screaming through her nasty look.
"Nothing, just watching as to who is going to grab the knife first," I meowed.
"Very funny," I was reminded.
"I know, darling," I agreed with my mouth fully shut.
"You know what?", that was the predictable question.
"That, marriage is not just a 'word'; it is a 'sentence' - a 'life sentence'," I clarified.
The D.J. went on a full blast... the confetti showered from the beautiful centre piece as the guests gave a long applause...
The bride was the one to grab the knife first!
"Did you see that?" the grin wanted to know.
"Yes, I did," I accepted the sentence.
GERALD D'CUNHA
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