Like a well fed python he was languishing in the bright sun 

Enjoying the fresh cool river breeze rustle through his scant gray strands

Basking in the attention of his latest lady love 

It must have been umpteenth innings for both 

He was blowing his horn about heading this advisory committee and that 

She soaked up all he said with rapt attention and apt interjections

Patiently she waited for her chance to crow over

When she got her cue

She chose a novel medium to blow her trumpet

And made a phone call to her daughter in the US of A

And speaking in loud elegant English 

Told her to play cupid for her brother and that girl 

The daughter apathetically reported, “No sparks flew when brother met that girl!”

She chided her daughter 

“Girls from good homes cannot be expected to turn flirty in the first meeting”

her restraint showed her immaculate upbringing

And so she was to be taken seriously 

And pursued with great gusto

Then changing the tone and topic

And bringing the focus on herself 

She boasted about dating a mountain boy 

He smiled patronizingly

For he was the Marchula boy 

And proud to be one

Cajoling

She gave him the phone to talk to her daughter

Pompously, full of himself, he told the daughter

That he was taking her mother and brother to the national park for safari

And had made arrangements to stay in a quaint British Bungalow 

Out of bounds for others 

He had the special privilege 

Because he was on the forest board

The bungalow was in the middle of thick forest

Where all the action was

And they would get the feel of the forest

Steeped in the sounds of animals and birds 

At dusk and dawn

And would get to see the big cats in their natural habitat

In their natural routine

And would be able to customize their dinner

He humbly admitted to being a nonveg person

But we would do vegetables tonight

He proclaimed that he would cook aaloo gobhi for her mother

He politely conveyed that he possessed modest culinary expertise

Honed through years of exposure to the very best

At which point

The lady interfered

And goaded him to divulge his great lineage to her daughter

Then unceremoniously she snatched the phone from him 

To ask her daughter to endorse her 

“Who cooked the best aaloo gobhi in the whole big world?”

At this juncture

I could barely conceal my effervescent laughter

Aaloo gobhi was the most plebeian proletarian preparation 

And there was no way anyone could prove to be better than anyone else

A self confessed novice and sans any lineage to boast 

I wanted to enter the competition

And emerge a sure easy winner

But that was not to be

However

Next morning

In between the safari

While having breakfast at the forest lodge

When I was ordering the chef to load my omelette with green chillis

A gentleman standing beside me echoed my order

When an omelette arrived

He graciously told the chef to give it to me

And offered to wait for the next

I turned to look at the chivalrous gentleman

With scattered wild gray hair it was none other than our Marchula man!