My Birthday

MAHAVIRA

Today is my birthday and I'm here with Mai and Suni and Amritdeep. I guess you could say I'm surrounded by friendly Sikhs. We've all been sick but we're better now.








The Three Sikhs (TTS) (in unison): Happy Birthday, Lilly!







You guys are so funny. You always make me laugh.

M: It's good to laugh. Deposit laughter in the karma bank to pay off past and future debts.

A: Is that a Sikh teaching? I never heard anything like that.

M: I don't think so, but it's true. If it's not, it should be. But Lilly, we're all dying to know what Raj finally came up with.

Lilly: A whole bunch of stuff. Instead of a card, he gave me a thing he wrote, A Tribute To My Wife. Here I brought it. You can all look at it.

S: It's gorgeous. Did he hire a professional calligrapher?

L: No, he did it all himself.

M: Shit, he's talented!

L: Mai, please.

M: OK, but did you read what he wrote in my blog yesterday?

L: I know. But you know Raj. He likes to mouth off at you.

TTS: (All laugh.)

A: What else. I need ideas for Suni.

L: He took my favourite family portrait to some art place and they did it all in oil. It's like an oil painting of all six of us. And the frame is simple and elegant. We're hanging it in the living room.

M: Why didn't you bring it?

L: Way too big and heavy.

M: A big one, then.

L: Yeah. And he wants to buy a sailboat and take me sailing.

M: A sailboat? Not a yacht?

L: Don't give him ideas. But I think sailing would be fun. In the Sound or maybe on Lake Washington. After he gave me the picture, he handed me this.

I hand them a piece of paper.

S: A land deed?




L: For a cabin in the forest by a small lake. Nothing modern, no electricity. Well, there is a cesspool thing so we have a flush toilet! And some kind of solar heating cells because he knows how I hate to get cold. But other than that...Here are some photos. Wood stove, kerosene lamps, even a well. Our own well! Out away from everything. Quiet, peaceful. And you see what he named it?








TTS: Lilly's Retreat. Awwwwwwwwwww.








M: He can be obnoxious, Lilly, but he really does love you.

L (blushing): I know. He can be really sweet. And you have to admit he's handsome.

M: No, I don't. He needs more hair.

L: My mom was upset enough that I married a Hindu...named Singh, no less. She'd have had a heart attack if I married a Sikh.

M: Yeah, your mom has a thing about Sikhs. Does she still think I'm going to corrupt you? Get you eating potatoes or something?

L: I think so. We Jains may be peaceful and gentle, but we do have a tendency to be stubborn. And my mom's almost as stubborn as you are. What do you like to quote. That German thing. Martin Luther, I think.

M: Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. (Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.) I know I have a reputation for stubbornness.

L, S, and A: Mai can out stubborn a cat!!

All laugh.

L: Mai, I want to ask you something.

M: Sure.


L: I read what you commented in Eleanor's blog. Just joking about how I'd react to you killing that, er, - put it like you do, so it looks like I'm cussing - [human male] that murdered Sandeep. Sandeep was so special.


M: Yeah


L: Did you really wonder how I'd react, what I'd do or feel about you?

M: Not while I was doing it. But when I first saw you when I came to in the hospital in Montreal and saw you, it did go through my head - pardon my language, 'Aw, shit...Lilly's not gonna like this.' I admit I was surprised about how calm you were about the whole thing.'

S: Of course, I'd already told them all everything that'd happened a few weeks before, so everyone had time to get used to it.

L: Yeah. Mostly I felt bad that you had been put in that position. I thought what I'd do if someone murdered one of my kids in front of me. But, you know, people don't go around massacring Jains much, so I won't have to face that. Truthfully, I don't know what I'd feel. I couldn't do much. I don't know anything about fighting.

M: Do I hear a shadow of 'Live by the sword, die by the sword?'

L: Of course. I've never hidden from you that I don't approve of the violent part of Sikhi. There's a karma thing. Remember the Tao Te Ch'ing? 'A violent man shall die a violent death.' If you harbour violence in your heart, it'll come back to you in one way or another.

M: But you have none in your heart?


L: I'm human. Don't you know that what happens to you happens to me, too?


A: Hey, you ladies are getting too serious. We're supposed to be talking about Lilly's birthday. And I think you're upsetting my wife.





S: I'm OK, Am. But yeah. Lilly tell us more about your birthday.

L (giggling): OK. I got some e-cards from my cyberfriends, Eleanor and Lin. They said such nice things to me. Both of them sent those funny little guys that crack us up, who are they, something and Yoyo.

M: Hoops and Yoyo.



L: Yeah. Different cards, too. When we finish this, I'll show them to you.


A: Those guys are a crack up.




M: This thing's getting long and I'm gonna have to do the proofreading and cleaning up, so why don't we end it and let me get to work.

L: We haven't decided on pictures.

S: How about three lions and a...a what?

A: Lamb?

M: Eating a lamb, maybe. We'll find something. Try Googling on 'three lions one lamb' image? We'll find something good.

L: But no violent pictures on my blog. I know we're writing this from Mai's account, but I still have veto power

M: Right. But let me put ClustrMap on your blog. That has to be done from the administrator's account.








L: But no one reads this!









M: A few now, but more'll come. I wish had those things from when I started. I just didn't know where to go or how to do it. Thanks, Eleanor!

L: OK, but I'm afraid my map will look underpopulated. But now, let's go look for pictures!

TTS: Agreed!.


LILLY AND RAJ