I have been posting some serious topics recently and it is time for a lighthearted one.
Our son Ranjan thinks that his grand father is cute!
Let me explain.
On his arrival to stay with us, among the various adjustments that had to be made, was to fit my father with a new hi-tech hearing aid. This was duly arranged for, and he has already been to the clinic a few times for adjustments to the instrument. While at the clinic, all complaints are satisfactorily attended to, no sooner he reaches home, where the environment is not sound proof, he was finding wearing the aid discomforting.
When a couple of days ago, he caught hold of Ranjan with some spare time, he requested that he be taken to the clinic. I suspected that it was to enjoy an outing with his grandson and did not particularly object.
On return Ranjan came up to me and said, “Dad, Thattha (Tamil for grand father) is cute”. This is the first time that anyone has called my father that, and I asked in amazement as to what made him think so.
It transpired that my father complained to the doctor that the aid was not responding to his adjusting the volume control to which he was told that that facility had not been activated yet, as per normal procedure, and that it would be done, once he got used to the unit. My father had been informed of this on earlier occasions, but perhaps had not understood the message. He then complained that wearing the unit did not result in any improvement whatsoever to his hearing ability. He further complained that when he wore it, there was a loud disturbing hum in his ear. When the hearing aid was examined by the doctor, it was found that there was no battery inside. Apparently, in fiddling with the volume control etc, the battery had fallen off! Since there was no battery, obviously, the loud disturbing noise was only in his imagination! My father was again tutored in detail, as to what all he needs to do to get used to the unit and sent back.
After they left the clinic and in the car, my father apologized to Ranjan and wondered how he could have lost the battery! He also wondered how the loud noise disturbed him at home but not at the clinic!
Ranjan found this episode quite funny and that is why he thought that his grandfather is “cute”. My siblings and other second and third generation members of the family reading this post, will vouch for one fact. That description would not have been used by anyone else in the family in earlier years.
Any such “cute” stories out there?