The last time my
husband bought a bag was a decade ago.
Somehow I’ve noticed men never seem to need a bag. Are they light
travelers? Is that a reason they move quick from undesirable situations and
people? Are they more secure in their personas? Are they pickier than women?
This is quite a contrast to my women friends and I who buy hundreds of bags in our lifetime. There is one particular friend Vandana who probably has a
million bags by now; I think she may have a record for buying bags every few
minutes or maybe hours; I can’t be very sure, only time could tell.
So when my
husband aka Bapi said he needed a bag, my mind started whirring. What could
Bapi need a bag for; does he have to hide some secrets in that bag; will the
bag come with furtive pockets; was he planning on a clandestine trip; was this
a precursor to a separation and so on. The search for this bag began in stores
and ended on Amazon. Bapi found a few, went crazy trying to choose between black and grey, abandoned some rather quickly when he saw them being advertised by men who looked very un-manly and the kinds who stood with their hips stuck out to one side; he also watched videos about the bags he took a fancy to, read reviews, ordered them, placed them in the cart, changed his mind,
cancelled them and thus the bag saga went on for a while.
I was told to
stay out of it because I picked up some pansy looking bags. Bapi needed a very
manly bag, which could either be grey or black and I asked him if he was deliberately trying to confuse life or me by including two colors. I suggested he carry a cardboard box, which came only in one color and one shape. The bag had to be big at least 15 inches in length and could not show the
manufacturer’s name anywhere. I immediately felt sorry for the maker who could
not even claim credit for the marvelous piece whenever it would have been possible for it to be possessed by some man. Finally I had to
ask what exactly was he planning on carrying in this highly desirable bag. Bapi
said he had his Chap Stick and keys. Is that it, I asked because I seemed to have the entire globe
in my handbag.
