Why can't a good feeling last forever? Why is it that when you least expect a bad thing to happen, that's precisely when it does! When you are at the pinnacle of happiness, you are suddenly pushed to the bottom of the mountain. You don't just roll down the mountain. You come crashing down.

Because we belong to the "instant" generation, the 'breaking news' spreads like wildfire. Within hours, the whole world knows that you have fallen down. But they won't spare you.They will certainly boggle you down still further. How? With hundreds of text messages, phone calls and personal meetings. It's fine till here. But the toughest part is when they ask "what's the plan now?" People please! All I and my family have done so far is recall the entire episode to every Narayanaswamy, Lakshminarayan periappa, Saraswati Mami, Kaveri akka etc in this world. You really believe that these people sympathize you and have come to lessen your pain. But sometimes the best of intentions rub in the wrong way. Every individual wants to listen to every minute detail! Never mind that you are upset. They will still have questions and will expect you to reply then and there. "Oh Really? How did it happen? What time was it? Where were you? Where was the rest of the family? Who informed you? What time? Did you finish your lunch by then? Where did you have lunch? Who informed outsiders? I got to know from this person, did you inform her? No??? Then who told her?

Nobody seems to understand that we haven't yet digested the news, let alone decide the next course of action. As a family, we haven't sat down with one another to talk things out. As soon as the rapid fire questioning of the past event is done, the next rapid fire question set is ready. This time its about the future course of action.