The Wedding Reception
Sunday 28 Sept I wanna tell you about the Wedding Reception. Let me start at the beginning…(I know its not as exciting as your life and all this will really bore you so indulge me as you usually do (HA! as you if have a choice but to listen) Wedding Mass at 4:00 pm: our choir sang for the wedding mass. The bride is (sorry was) a member of our choir. She will be movin to Chennai with her new husband who is a South Indian Catholic. They met over the net you know, discovered a love for music, discovered their love for each other. The rest, as they say, is history. tis sooooooo romantic. Sigh. He is a software engineer or something. They look so good together. We girls were sighin looking at em, saying among ourselves that they are really lucky to have found each other. Ooops sorry I’m rambling again. I know, I know. You are not interested in love. Pooh! It was great fun. Like I was telling ya…we had all discussed and planned on what we were gonna wear for the wedding and the reception thereafter. The guys turned up all suited and booted, looking smart and savvy but clearly uncomfortable with dangling ties – dangling becoz a couple of them could not knot their ties and had just thrown it around their necks. You men really really hate those things, don’t you?? Do you how ties originated? Hmmm? Oops I’m digressing again. Well as I was saying, we girls helped them with the ties. Got em properly knotted and noosed around their necks. (giggle). You would’ve enjoyed our hymn singing. (Choir singing you think. Hymns that too!!!! Where rock and roll (soooo neechay), where church music! (soooo ooopar) hee hee. I know. Count to ten. Yes, believe me, you would have liked it very much. The style was very peppy, and vibrant. All of us had to hold ourselves from breaking into dance, tap-dance or jive. Just imagine…jiving in church!!…the aunties and uncles would faint! too funny. I think the priest would have joined in though (he’s cool). Well it was gloriously enjoyable. We were 4 guys and 5 girls, all crowded around the mikes, singing our various “voices”. Voices meaning - some sing ‘seconds’, some sing melody and some sing a ‘voice’. As usual before the mass it is chaotic: last minute practice, the leader glares at us when we forget our ‘parts’ or are distracted, or forget to ‘come in’ (start the song) in time or are naughty (I am a naughty one btw. if there was a rule to disqualify people - I’d get kicked first). Anyways, (shruggin naughtily - uh haughtily)..They tolerate me coz they love me so, ya know (preening). The bride and groom sang a hymn together. It was lovely. During the recessional hymn (last hymn of the mass), in the middle of the throes of a jazzy hymn a fly (yes, the buzz buzz pesky insect) seemed to find the face of one of our male singers particularly fascinating (or maybe just dirty) and it kept hitting on him. The chap standing next to him (a hilariously funny, gay type) promptly and helpfully waves his pretty fingers in the other guys face. It looked so ridiculous I almost went into hysterics. It’s awful when you have to sing and laugh at the same time. My uncontrollable mirth also affected the others and we all could have cheerfully slapped the fly swatter! I mean how helpful can a person get – swatting other peopl e’s flies and all… gosh u shudve heard him explain himself in his high, tenor, waving his arms in the air “I was just being helpful…poor fellow, his hands very occupied”. We have a bunch of cartoons in the choir, not excluding myself. One of the choir members proposed to me after the mass as the bride and groom walked down the aisle. He hooked my arm through his and said, looking deeply into my eyes, “gurl, when will it be our turn to walk down this aisle?” (please hear the passion and ardour in his voice). I giggled (ok ok..I know, you are thinking ‘How can u giggle as such a delicate moment?!!’. But it’s expected of me to giggle at such serious moments). I mean how can I not giggle? He is cute and adorable and he loves to sing by my side…but u gotta understand. He is only sweet sixteen. (GOTCHA). Its great fun being in a choir. After the mass, plans were made to attend the reception. I, of course, would not attend. Unfortunately when I informed them of my decision, I got “spanking” orders that I absolutely must…no excuses, no buts no nothings!!!. With such “un-gentle” threats, I had no recourse but to give in gracefully. As usual it took us half an hour to decide when and where and how we were gonna meet and proceed to the Reception Hall which was in Prabhadevi. After much “hoo ha”, the guys not wanting to walk even a distance of five minutes becoz of their precious attire and the girls coz of their heels. Ultimately we went our ways, and decided to congregate at 7:15 in the church compound. I went home, relaxed, had some time to kill so called Sarin. He was so excited at receiving my call; I felt I was talking to a corpse in a coma. Well, I hung up, disappointed (nothing new here). I quickly freshened up, and moved out. The taxi ride was uneventful, same old story – guy takes us for a ride and overcharges us. We give in fatefully – karma and all that. While we were waiting in the Hotel Lobby surrounded by mirrors, our lovely male escorts (Yup, MALE) vied frantically among themselves for a mirror. VANITY thy name is MAN. With much hilarity, leg pulling, teasing, flirting, yeh woh, we proceeded into the hall and sat ourselves down. There was the usual “toasting”. We were all ravenous (all that singing and talking you know – saps our energy tee hee) and we finished our cake and wine before the toast was raised. The guys had to stand for a long time (as the toastmaster’s speech was long winded) and we girls did a “loud” critical appreciation on their poses. Gosh, are we mischievous or what! Hmmm, then the music began. First the march, followed by waltzes. I grabbed the first available male – but with my rotten luck it happened to be Brennen (the gay fly swatter). My earnest suitor (remember: proposal down the aisle) could not make it as he had to study for an exam the next morning (My oh My! He was studying so hard - I had 7 missed calls and 2 smses from him during the course of that evening. He is surely gonna get top marks for THAT paper). Brennan is tall, thin and bespectacled, not to mention funny and weird. The march was good – no problems there – except for the initial correction – when he realised, after looking around, that he had me on the wrong arm. That quickly amended we had a great time for the march. Then came the waltz. Alas, my worst fears were realised. Brennen has no sense of rhythm! Realising our ineptness we both apologised in advance – me for treading on his toes and he for banging me into other couples. That out of the way, we did have a good time, both fumbling along, me jealously eyeing my girlfriends with my eye on the main chance to dump Brennan an d grab Sean. (WHO SEAN?) Sean (HIS fly got swatted): he dances divinely (I noticed). He sings beautifully (a gorgeous bass). Well in one word – Sean is “HAPPENING!” Looking spiffy and suave in his dress shirt and tie. We’d both like to sing a duet together…hmmmmm (scrumptious thought). Maybe some day, some time. Sob, cry, sob, cry…I never did get to waltz with Sean (wrist touching forehead in classic gesture of sorrow), Natasha (darn her) dinna let me. I did try to grab him literally) but to no avail. After all he is a dish. But I did manage to drag him away for a jive. Natasha was feeling sorry for me. She saw ME LEADING Brennan for the jive and that was a sorry sight indeed. The blind leading the blind. The men are supposed to lead u know (nah. I don’t think u know). Well, I had a fabulous time dancing with Sean – he is fantastic – fast, furious and jazzy. My head was spinning. My feet dinna touch the floor. Luckily they played so many jive numbers…we merrily exchanged partners (compromised and came to a common consensus). Sean killed me! He swung me round and around, and executed so many intricate steps, I was completely disoriented. The Hall was A/c, but we were perspiring profusely. You know there is a Victorian phrase which goes – Horses sweat, Men perspire, Women glow”. Well, I break all the rules. I definitely sweat! By the time the music changed to free style dancing… we were totally in the throes of madness. I was completely uncarin and started executing all the cartoon Indian dance steps (amitabh bachchan ishtyle) which sent my friends into paroxysms of laughter. I ignored them and continued to thoroughly enjoy myself. We danced through the entire genre – bhangra, Indian, masala, hokey pokey, birdy dance and what not. It was killer. We dinna leave the floor at all. We were completely exhausted, so tired out…breathing was a major effort. (This was ten times worse than aerobics) My arms were aching, they still are very very stiff, achy and sore as I write this mail) due to Sean’s attempts to rip off my arms. We only abandoned the floor at 11:00 becoz Sean had to go to the seminary in Goregaon (btw Sean is actually Brother Sean – the handsome happening dude is gonna become a priest!!!! What a waste!) And so we went for dinner. Dinner: Skip this part totally. No use waxing poetical about dinner to Sarin. Suffice to say we barely ate, as we were totally pooped. We had dessert though - Vanilla icecream with chocolate sauce (am not particularly fond of chocolate sauce, I love my icecream plain or with fruits and nuts). I read something somewhere about the same "Sex is wonderful. Without romance though it is like vanilla ice cream without chocolate sauce - nice but not delicious”. I don’t subscribe to that view..but the problem is that everytime I see vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce together those stupid words come to mind and I end up thinking – sex? Rom ance? Duh-uh! Burrrr!!!! (shaking head to clear mad thoughts) At 11:30 we wished the bridal couple and said our goodbyes. Got our photooooos taken and cabbed it home. I’m battered and bruised but for different reasons from yours. Tee hee.. I danced and danced and danced. There’s a song I’m singin to my self from “My Fair Lady” It goes like this: “I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night and still have begged for more; I could have spread my wings; And done a thousand things; I'd never done before”
Copyright © 2006 Avis |