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| Monday, March 06, 2006 |
| Saturday Night |
An Ata & Mr Ata story.
On Saturday, Mr Ata scored for the basketball. He has been unable to play the last few seasons due to a knee injury. Last Saturday was the last game of the season, and the team were going out for dinner afterward. Ata strongly suspects that Mr Ata scored for them on this occasion so as to go to dinner, and thus maintain his connection with the team.
Ata did not want to go out on Saturday night. She wanted to cook the lamb roast that she had failed to cook on Friday night due to unexpected oven failure. Additionally, she wanted to go to the movies on Sunday, and was keeping the financial aspects of going on Outings twice in one weekend in mind.
"But L and J might be going," argued Mr Ata in most persuasive tones. L and J are wives of two team-mates. L is a good friend of Ata's, and used to work with Ata's father. L's brother used to work with Ata's mother. J happens to be married to L's brother. Some years back, J was BIL#2's girlfriend. Twisted little web, isn't it? And all this spread across two states. To top it all off, Ata and L share a birthday. But I digress. Back to the story.
Notwithstanding the possible attendance of L and J, Ata maintained that she wanted to stay home and cook lamb. "You can go if you like," she offered by way of compromise.
"But I don't want you to enjoy roast lamb without me!" protested Mr Ata. "Tell you what, I'll only go if you go, and you'll go if L goes." This did not sound like any sort of compromise to Ata. But he could not talked out of the plan through rational debate, and Ata really had no strong moral objection to eating out, so while she maintained that she did not want to go, Mr Ata was allowed to cruise off to the game with the promise of maybe.
Ata's Friend-Around-the-Corner was visiting on Saturday afternoon. This is because it was Hot in Adelaide, and FAC's airconditioner was producing only a smell of burning chemicals. So FAC sought refuge at Ata's abode.
When Mr Ata called at half-time, Ata and FAC were paying no particular attention to the show that was playing on TV, and only some attention to their drawing and stamp-sorting whilst chatting. Just for the sake of clarity and to avert potential mockage, Ata would like to point out that she was NOT stamp-sorting.
"L and J are going," reported Mr Ata. "They're going to Najjar's. You like L and J, don't you? It'll be fun!"
"What time is it?" asked Ata, relenting somewhat, but making no promises.
"About 6, I think. I'm not sure. I'll check with C and call you back."
Ata did not hear from him again. At about 5:30, he breezed in, hot and sweaty from shooting around on the court after the game.
"M is picking us up at 7:10" he announced. "I am going to have a shower."
Ata and FAC looked up in amazement. "When was this decided?" enquired Ata.
"When I called!" said Mr Ata, a little surprised.
"I don't recall agreeing to anything!" protested Ata. FAC backed Ata up, asserting that she had heard no such conversation.
"No - when I called the second time." Mr Ata was quite sure of his claim. In the face of double female denial that a second call had taken place, he became uncertain.
"Well, I thought I called twice. Didn't I call twice?" Expressions of definate uncalled-ness from Ata and FAC.
"Oh well," says Mr Ata. "I could check my phone, but you're probably right. Anyway, M's coming at 7:10."
So we went out for tea. It was nice, although there was a 45-minute wait for food to be served, and Ata's meal got sent to the wrong table. Apparently the waitress thought nothing of the fact that out of a whole table of people, Ata was the only one minus a meal, and Ata had to go track down a waitperson to enquire after her missing food. Fortunately there was not a 45-minute wait for the replacement dish. |
posted by Ata @ 5:21 pm  |
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