THE IDIOT BOX
Anil was tired. It seemed like he was always tired nowadays. All that studying, cooking and work was taking its toll. Combined with the fact that he was far from home and missing his folks, life was not exactly the bed of roses he had envisioned when he had landed in the US of A.
“I think I shall buy myself a TV.” He thought to himself. “One of those inexpensive ones, that should help me understand this country and its people.” “And maybe, just maybe, it will help me get through those lonely hours too.”
Decision made, he logged onto craigslist.com, and began looking through listings for televisions. “Hmm, this one sounds interesting,” he thought to himself reading further.
Moving this weekend, television for sale, speakers included. Perfect, he thought to himself. I think I will go check this one out.
He got to the address listed and the man selling the TV told him, “ I am leaving right away, and you can have the TV for $20.00 if you take it away right now.” “Wow, that is quite a bargain” thought Anil to himself. But then his cautious side asserted itself. He had better switch it on and see if it worked. He switched on the TV and was confronted with ghostly images that were dancing to eerie ghostly music. The owner assured him saying that the cable was disconnected and that was why the images were so hazy and that it would work just fine once it was set up properly. A bargain was stuck and the TV changed hands.
Anil walked outside pleased with himself and was confronted with the next problem. The TV was big and heavy and his car was too small to safely transport it home. He called Hemant, praying he would be home and willing to come help him with transporting the TV. He enlisted the help of Arun too, just in case the TV proved too much for the two of them.
Hemant arrived, wondering for the 100th time why he had never learned to say no to people. First, it was this girl who had just arrived in the city and knew no one. She wanted to move from one hotel to another and he had volunteered, sensing she needed his help. She had two battered suitcases and his heart was in his mouth when he had to place one of them on the back seat of his brand new car. And now this huge, heavy TV. His leather seats were never going to be the same again.
Sighing and resigned to the inevitable, he went in and helped Anil wrestle the TV into the back seat of his car. Where was Arun for pity’s sake? The guy was around only when there was food available.
Anil managed to get the TV safely home and got it all hooked up. He held his breath when he switched on the TV and something was not quite right. The whole screen was red since the actor wore a red shirt. Smacking his head and cursing his stupidity, he resolved to set it right if it was the last thing he did. He got to work. He looked up every website listed on the topic of tv repair and finally managed to fix it over the course of three weekends.
THREE MONTHS LATER
It was time to get rid of the TV. It had gone on the blink permanently. Anil now had his eye on a new flat front 58-inch TV that he had always wanted. But what was he to do with his old one?
He hit upon a brainwave. He got a thick sheet off the bed, put the TV in the middle of it and got his four friends to hold up a corner each. After all, everyone was going to benefit once the new TV came home, right? And didn’t they all state that they owned 1/3rd of the old TV since they had helped to bring it home in the first place?
They again wrestled it into the back of Arun’s car, since this time Hemant flatly refused to subject his car to any more mangling.
They drove to the waste disposal center. The attendant at the disposal center accepted the TV, but when Anil put the two speakers on top of each other, he insisted that those were “electronics” and that they had to pay extra to dispose of them.
Heart heavy and purses lighter, the quartet returned home. The only bright star on their horizon was the anticipation of the spanking new TV that would soon find it way to their home.
“I think I shall buy myself a TV.” He thought to himself. “One of those inexpensive ones, that should help me understand this country and its people.” “And maybe, just maybe, it will help me get through those lonely hours too.”
Decision made, he logged onto craigslist.com, and began looking through listings for televisions. “Hmm, this one sounds interesting,” he thought to himself reading further.
Moving this weekend, television for sale, speakers included. Perfect, he thought to himself. I think I will go check this one out.
He got to the address listed and the man selling the TV told him, “ I am leaving right away, and you can have the TV for $20.00 if you take it away right now.” “Wow, that is quite a bargain” thought Anil to himself. But then his cautious side asserted itself. He had better switch it on and see if it worked. He switched on the TV and was confronted with ghostly images that were dancing to eerie ghostly music. The owner assured him saying that the cable was disconnected and that was why the images were so hazy and that it would work just fine once it was set up properly. A bargain was stuck and the TV changed hands.
Anil walked outside pleased with himself and was confronted with the next problem. The TV was big and heavy and his car was too small to safely transport it home. He called Hemant, praying he would be home and willing to come help him with transporting the TV. He enlisted the help of Arun too, just in case the TV proved too much for the two of them.
Hemant arrived, wondering for the 100th time why he had never learned to say no to people. First, it was this girl who had just arrived in the city and knew no one. She wanted to move from one hotel to another and he had volunteered, sensing she needed his help. She had two battered suitcases and his heart was in his mouth when he had to place one of them on the back seat of his brand new car. And now this huge, heavy TV. His leather seats were never going to be the same again.
Sighing and resigned to the inevitable, he went in and helped Anil wrestle the TV into the back seat of his car. Where was Arun for pity’s sake? The guy was around only when there was food available.
Anil managed to get the TV safely home and got it all hooked up. He held his breath when he switched on the TV and something was not quite right. The whole screen was red since the actor wore a red shirt. Smacking his head and cursing his stupidity, he resolved to set it right if it was the last thing he did. He got to work. He looked up every website listed on the topic of tv repair and finally managed to fix it over the course of three weekends.
THREE MONTHS LATER
It was time to get rid of the TV. It had gone on the blink permanently. Anil now had his eye on a new flat front 58-inch TV that he had always wanted. But what was he to do with his old one?
He hit upon a brainwave. He got a thick sheet off the bed, put the TV in the middle of it and got his four friends to hold up a corner each. After all, everyone was going to benefit once the new TV came home, right? And didn’t they all state that they owned 1/3rd of the old TV since they had helped to bring it home in the first place?
They again wrestled it into the back of Arun’s car, since this time Hemant flatly refused to subject his car to any more mangling.
They drove to the waste disposal center. The attendant at the disposal center accepted the TV, but when Anil put the two speakers on top of each other, he insisted that those were “electronics” and that they had to pay extra to dispose of them.
Heart heavy and purses lighter, the quartet returned home. The only bright star on their horizon was the anticipation of the spanking new TV that would soon find it way to their home.
posted by newatthis at 1:46 PM
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