"Husband in the Attic & Wife in the showcase"

Let me explain....As per popular saying "Marriages are made in heaven" and to be lived on earth. If you have a fulfilling marriage, definitely you experience heaven on earth. Not all are privileged.

In most cases, the intensity of emotions, bonding may be strong initially and may wear out as years pass by, leading to my analogy "Husband in the Attic & Wife in the showcase".

We all have stuff stored in our attic. Usually the stuff that is not required for immediate use gets stored in the attic  (may be in modern homes, we may call them storage places beyond everyday reach). We all know such stuff is lying around somewhere if the need comes we can retrieve it. It may have wear and tear due to its idle condition. However, there is a mental relief that we have it somewhere and have not lost it. Similarly the case of husband in attic. They exist, not very functional but if need arise, you could retrieve and use them. Need could be social gatherings, children's education related events etc.

Now about the showcase. We all love to keep our best looking artifacts, antics etc. in showcases. These are for display only and do not have real functional value. When visitors come, they appreciate the stuff in our showcases and may enquire about those artifacts, which may bring back our memories of how we acquired them, when and from where. We may feel proud and happy sharing the story with those people. Yet, once the visitors are out of the door, we know we are back to normal and the pieces in showcase remain static. We have nothing to do with them. Similarly in some homes, a wife may have lost the functional value of emotional comfort and be a pure show piece for the man in the house. However, her value in terms of offering all the housekeeping services and home management including regular cooking, caring will never seize. Which is anyway, not acknowledged or appreciated.

Many homes may have this arrangement. Yet the fact that people can co exist without fighting or arguing and giving space for each other is amazing. I am not the one to judge and say if this is good or bad. Not all things in life have to be segregated in those two categories. Life can be lived in any fashion suitable to the person living it. Peace and harmony must prevail at all costs!

Story of Two Sheep...

Once there lived two sheep on a farm. Farm was green and filled with goodies. The two sheep were well cared for and adored by the farmer family. It was beautiful morning and the sheep were grazing on the misty grass, when the kids came around and in usual playful mood started chasing them around. They had named the sheep "Snowy" and "Fluffy".  

Though they both looked alike and were of similar age, kids seem to like Fluffy better than Snowy as Snowy preferred to be left alone. Fluffy loved the attention and responded to kids playful joy by jumping and bleating. Once the children left them on their own, Snowy as usual reprimanded Fluffy for being a sport and accommodating the little human's fancies. She always considered humans as enemies and could not trust them for she had heard from her mother about the tricks they play and the purpose of their being raised in farms. Snowy came from a big farm where she had heard and seen sheep's being taken for slaughter. Fluffy, on the other hand was unaware of any such stories and was living life in ignorance of such facts.

Despite Snowy' s regular reminders and stories about humans, Fluffy could only base her judgement on what she saw and experienced. All she saw through her short life so far on that farm was love and care and hence she ignored Snowy' s version. For now they were just eating and getting fatter in their own ways.

When time came to slaughter a sheep for the festival, parents had a quick discussion and obviously Snowy was the first target as her popularity in comparison to Fluffy was lower. Though it was a painful decision on part of the kids to lose one of their playmates, they were learning to imitate their elders. 

Next morning when the whole farm was asleep, farmer came and tied up Snowy. It was self-fulfilling prophesy and she did not resist much as she was prepared for such a day and had not expected anything different from the farmer. She was not sure if she had to feel sorry for her painful end or to feel happy that her prediction about the farmer was proven right. While Fluffy slept sound, Snowy met her end and provided the meat for the family and its guests.

The next morning when Fluffy did not see Snowy around she tried to make sense of the situation. When the children came out to play after their sumptuous breakfast which included choicest parts of Snowy, they were full of remorse. They knew Snowy is missing her companion and maybe even fearful of her own future. So they pursed their lips and gave out no information about Snowy, rather tried to make up by being more playful.

One of the smart kids with a kind heart was not happy with all that was going on. She did not join the other's. She was aloof and was writing something in her note pad. She was worried for Fluffy and wanted to stop what is coming. She waited for the right time during dinner to kick a fuss and deny eating what was on her plate. Convincing by parents only made her more determined about her choice. She made an emotional plea with her parents about the kind of cruelty they were inflicting. 

Her voice must have been feeble, but definitely not fruitless. Other children joined the chorus now and there was mutiny around the dinner table. That night the parents were pushed back and had to take a stand on what would be the fate of Fluffy and other farm animals in the days to come. They decided to find an amiable solution to this situation soon.

Fluffy at the same time is finding it hard to sleep. She is wondering what would have happened to Snowy. She still wants to give the benefit of doubt to the farmer family and feels that Snowy may return soon, while her own future hangs in the hands of those little children and their ability to influence their parents.

By: Lavina Cardoza