I am sick. I am tired. But I want to....

“I am really sick. I feel very tired. I am so lethargic today,” my wife said as soon as I entered the house.

“Oh! I am sorry. Let me make you some hot soup,” like a caring husband I asked.

“No. I don’t feel like eating anything,” she replied while yawning.

“Maybe you should go to bed,” like a good husband I suggested.

“No. I don’t want to sleep.”

“May be we can watch a chick flick in home theater,” knowing her taste for movies, I made another proposal.

“No. I cannot watch movie. I have headache too,” she replied.

Like an authority on maladies, my daughter interjected, “I think shopping will help.”

Suddenly my wife’s face brightened like a fluorescent lamp is turned on. All signs of dullness disappeared. Cheerful and happy face glowed and she announced, “Let us go shopping.”

It was my turn to say no, “How can you go shopping if you are sick?”

She replied, “In your car.”

“I can’t go shopping. I have to pack. You know I am flying to China tomorrow morning. Why don’t you go by yourself?”

“No. You have to drive. I am sick and not in a condition to drive.”

“It is raining cats and dogs. People don’t shop in this kind of weather.” I made another attempt to avoid going to shops.

“We will go to the mall. It is covered and car parking is underground.” She had perfect answer.

The idea of a trip to the mall with apparently unwell wife on a rainy day was not appealing and I asserted myself, “No. We are not going shopping. Period.”

“I always take good care of you.” She said with a very sweet voice. Emotional blackmail always works.

“Oh. Please don’t go there. I really don’t want to drive in this weather,” I replied.

“Remember when you broke you arm I drove you to all the doctors so many times.”

“That was almost a year back. I can drive you to the doctor if you are not well.”

Like a UN diplomat mediating India and Pakistan on Kashmir issue, my daughter said, “Shopping is a better option dad.”

“How is that?”

“Let us see pros and cons. With out of pocket expenses and medicines, you will still end up spending money and an hour wait with really sick people. And if we go to mall, we will spend money on something tangible. So going to mall is better.” My daughter presented a hard to counter argue reasoning.

“Okay. I give up. What do you want to buy anyway?”

“We will decide when we reach there.”

(Author’s note: - I will let my readers decide if it is fiction or fact and what we purchased.)