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

Lilly and Mai Have A Conversation

The orange is Mai and the other colours are me, Lilly, except at the very end, Suni says something in green.

OK. We're going to talk in my blog.

OK. What about?

Well, first I need to tell you I know what Raj said on your blog in the comments section.

Oh. I wasn't going to say anything. I really don't want to start fighting with him again.

I know. But what you said was really nasty.

He deserved it.

I know. But you'll never make peace if you always give back what the other deserves.

But I need 'Peace With Honour.' I can't have him dissing me on my Sikh Khalistan blog and not react at least somewhat strongly. And he did act like a slime ball.

Is that worse than a scuzball?

About the same.

Is that spelled right?

I dunno. Doesn't matter.

Why didn't you just delete his comment?

I don't do that. I only delete if someone says something illegal or actionable. I believe in freedom of expression, even if I disagree.

Voltaire?

Yeah, I think so.

So are you mad at Raj?

Not really. He can act the fool if he wants, but that fight's over and I won. I don't need to fight him any more. If he wants to shadowbox with the empty air, that's his business, not mine. I'll just leave him to his own karma.

Oh, good.

Can we talk about something else?

Sure. What?

What do you have planned to do for your birthday?

I don't know. Raj is up to something, but I haven't a clue what. I know he asked for suggestions on your blog. He makes me laugh! Has he gotten any responses?

Would I know?

Probably. You know everything that goes on on your blogs.

Oh, by the way, I took him off the authors list.

I noticed. Good idea. That's for the best.

Yeah. But your birthday.

It's a lousy day for a birthday! (Sept. 11)

Yeah, but as you said, he'll never forget it.

*Laughs* He never has anyway. You know what I'd really like?

(Enthusiastically) I'm listening

I'd like to turn off all the machines for a day. No TV. No radio. No computer. No Internet. No stove. No refrigerator.

No hot water?

Cold showers are your thing, not mine. I'll just bathe early while the water's still hot.

That's kinda weird, Lilly. The TV, radio, compy I understand. But the refrigerator?

All of it. I'd like to do some real pure simple living for a few days.

Simple living? That's gotta be the Quaker in you! A few days!? Well, maybe while the weather's still reasonably warm.

Uh huh. I don't mean to freeze. Quaker, Jain. Both emphasise simplicity.

Are we going to go back and two-colour this, so people who read it'll keep it straight?

Yeah, but do you think anyone'll actually read it?

I don't know. What do you think?

A couple. Eleanor and Boo have to because they asked us to do it. Lin'll read it; she reads all your posts. Probably Raj. We need to put in some words that the search engines will pick up; Kh-listan, Khal-stan, Khalist-n. That way people'll know you're here.

Mai, stop it!

I struck it. I don't think they'll pick up struck words.

I think you need to get rid of vowels or something.

OK. Done. Does that suit you now?

Yeah. That's funny now.

Are we going to proof-read this?

No. Just spellcheck.

This is awful. We haven't said anything.

Yeah, but it's the way we talk. Isn't that what they wanted?

I guess. It's just really, really dull.

I don't think it's that bad. You said you wouldn't fight with Raj. That's something .

I guess.

What about pictures?

You know that song we said sounded like us?

*singing* There's a rose in a fisted glove

And the eagle flies with the dove.

That one?

Love The One Your With?

You're. I just wrote about that in sometimes - 2. But that's the right song. We'll have to find an eagle eating a dove or something.

Not on my blog.

*snickering*

Shall we go looking for pictures and post?

Yeah.

But you have to put in the links and stuff.

You need to learn how to do that. This is your blog.

I'll try.

DO IT!

I'll do it then.

Suni, will you read this? Is this really how we talk?

Yeah, sounds like you two all right. So Lilly found out about Raj, after all? It's probably for the best. I don't think you two could keep something like that from each other anyway.