I'm the "GGTTB"

Now the tattoo is more than a year old. It is still gathering all kinds of reactions from people around us. Not many people at my husband's office knew about it since he mostly wears a full sleeved shirt. A few days back when he wasn't, the tattoo caught the eyes of his co workers. To say that they were flabbergasted, is saying the least.

It seems they were all amused that he would go through all that pain to get his wife's name inked on him. One of them (a non-Indian) also went ahead and asked what if we were to go through a divorce. To which my husband said that he wasn't thinking of since he loved me and, moreover we are happy together. It seems she still insisted in asking what if later in life we were bored of each other/ found someone else and wanted to split. My husband still maintained his reply albeit he threw in something extra to quench her thirst for an answer. He told her what I usually say to him playfully. He said that I have threatened to kill myself and return to haunt him forever. I guess that co worker is used to having a last word to every conversation, so she adds, "Try that. Let's see if she will go ahead with her plan."

I was not done laughing with this whole fiasco when he came in yesterday with another episode. It seems the word had spread and those who hadn't got a chance to speak their minds about the tattoo in discussion, did.

One said I was an expert manipulator. Who else can get her husband to tattoo her name onto his arm. They were not done pulling his leg yet. Other asked if it was done before or after marriage. On hearing the answer, they were sure that I was a dictator. It seems everyone laughed it off. Fortunately, they didn't just call me a conniving, evil predator. :)

Well, we both are still finding it funny at how people get goosebumps at the site of the tattoo. It probably would have been a safer bet to get a burning skull or a 3D spider. But a wife's name???!

One would think I am fuming with rage, but the truth is I love being the center of attraction even when I am not in the room. I, hereby, title myself the "Go-Get-The-Tattoo-Bitch" ;) ;) ;)

Day 14 :: How did you know my name?

Priest : Your name?

Me : Pu.... (realizing it's a pooja on the husband's side) No, Kavya.

Priest : So your name's Purnima.

Me : Eh? How did you know? I didn't tell you that.

Priest : I saw the tattoo on your husband's arm!

Day 6 :: And what they said...

As soon as I lay my eyes on the tattoo, I was welling up with emotions. I was feeling honoured, although I did realise that he must have had to go through a lot of pain for that. I wasn't really thrilled with the thought.

Like I said, with that "I don't care what others think about it." dialogue, I knew that he must have gotten a tattoo. (And there were other clues too, like one day over video chat, he said he was feeling cold and wore a long sleeved shirt. And he is not the one who feels cold so easily!) He wanted to do it long back; even before we got married. I had told him not to. I have heard that it is way too painful,. And let's just face it, there isn't a dearth of people who would have thought I made him do it.

And neither was I expecting it to be this large. It was fairly new and hence the skin was a bit raw and swollen. You can imagine the melange of feel-good and feel-bad emotions that I was experiencing!

That episode elicits a wide range of reactions from people.

Reaction by 

Mom-in-law : She just smiled.

Sister-in-law : WOW, Brother!

Father-in-law : Love birds. Do what you please, you both!

Hubby's aunt : (jaw dropping) Did it pain? Why did you do this?
 - Hubby's reply : Because I love her!

Hubby's maami :Oh! You shouldn't have!
 -Hubby's reply : Oh! But I wanted to!

My mom : Is that permanent?

My dad : (Raises eyebrows with a smile)

V : !!!!!!!

N : (Playfully looks daggers at V)

My younger cousin brothers : Awesome, bhavaji!!! Even I wanted to do, but mom doesn't let me!
 -Hubby's reply : Earn and do it with your own money. No one will say anything.

Our Friend, T :Yaar, tune toh hadd kardi. You shouldn't do such things. It gets the rest of us in trouble with our wives!!!

:) :) :)

The next day was my baby shower, where my Parents-in-law had arranged for a Pooja (Sheemantha) and about a hundred people where invited. No points for guessing, I was NOT the centre of attraction!

And then there are some more reactions, each qualifying for a separate post for themselves. Wait for them.

;)

Day 5 : Knight in Shining ARMor

Every girl has at least once in her life time fantasized about her knight in the shining armor. Like a typical Bollywood movie, she wonders what out of the world thing her man would do for her. And she wishes - wishes that her fantasy does come true.

Now, what was my fantasy? Well, I wanted a memorable proposal. Nothing too elaborate or expensive, but something that would be etched in my mind forever. Something sweet, something special. I didn't want a going down on the knees bit. That is too cliched and unoriginal. I'd have preferred him (I didn't have KK in mind then) to unexpectedly pop the ring, or the question when I was with my friends. 

But as you possibly know already, my story was entirely different! Fantasy indeed!

KK, however, had other plans.

Last year in October, he told me he was coming back from the US with a nice little surprise for me. He has this very bad habit. He knows I am a curious cat and still he has to tell me that there is a surprise. I kept guessing. 'Something awesome, for you.' he assured each time we spoke. 

I kept guessing. Is it a Solitaire?, a car? a villa? Swarovski? Apple?? Each time the response was negative. 'You shall see, and keep seeing'

There was nothing I could do other than wait patiently for him to come. 

In a few days, one of is colleagues wife pinged me and eventually said "Bhaiyya ne aapke liye kuch kiya hai. Aapko bahut accha lagega. Lekin please unhein mat bolna ki maine apko yeh bola hai." (Your husband has done something really very nice for you. You will like it. But please don't tell him that I said this to you")

She knows what he bought for me?? I mean, why would KK want to tell the whole world what he does for me?? And again a few days later, my best friend in Germany pings me and says, "KK is absolutely amazing re! He loves you so much!! He has a nice surprise for you!" She too??!  I was getting a little irritated and impatient. How dare he keep me in the dark?

When I got confrontational, he took another way out by getting all mushy and emotional. "You know, I don't care what people say or relatives think. I just did it for me and for you." Now this dialogue, I had heard before. I started getting a whiff of what he might have got for me. 

He came to India on 16th October. And he was supposed to attend his cousin's wedding and only then come home. On his way back, he refused to even tell it any of his relatives. He wanted me to be the first one to know. (Yeah, right!!!)

The moment I saw him, I pulled him into the bedroom. Even before I asked him how the journey was, I wanted to know what my gift was! 

He pulled up his shirt sleeve and showed me 

I know! Sweet! 

More about this later...