Embarrassing Moments

All of us have experienced embarrassment at some point of time or other. And believe me, these moments are very hard to forget. At least that has been the case with me. The harder I try to forget these terribly ear-burning incidents, the more intensely they come back to haunt me.

I remember, very vividly, the day I attended a friend's wedding in Hyderabad. I ceremoniously walked in with a great deal of ostentation, smiling at the girl who stood at the entrance, sprinkling rosewater on the guests. I delicately picked a yellow rose from the tray that was offered to me, and turned around very gracefully. A trifle too gracefully, I suppose. For, just then, *plonk* went my pencil heeled sandal. And there I was, trying to do an elegant balancing act, with an embarrassed smile on my face. My left foot remained perched on a neat four-and-a-half-inch high-heeled sandal, while my right foot was leveled with Mother Earth. The gift packet slipped from my hand and fell crashing to the ground.

I could hear amused giggles across the room and I felt my ears burning. I knew I had turned a healthy tomato red - I could have bet my life on it. Just then a kind soul in the crowd greeted me pleasantly and offered me a pair of ordinary (and quite worn out) bathroom slippers. I slipped them on, scooped the gift in my arms, and made a quick escape into the adjoining dining room. But that was not the end of my disastrous misadventure.

As soon as I entered the dining hall, I bumped head on into one of the servers and had hot sambar all over my pretty salwar kameez. This was the last straw. I had to do something and fast! I broke into a sprint, made a beeline for the wash area and kept running till I came to a wooden door, slightly ajar. I pushed open the door and lo! I was face-to-face with a man who bore a lethargic countenance, and was in the middle of a cozy session of relieving himself, looking at me quizzically. It was tough to figure which of us was more embarrassed. I had had enough for a day. I turned on my heels and rushed outside, hopped into a rickshaw and rode back all the way to the hotel.

A few days later, my close friend Babu came to visit me and we decided to go out with a few friends. I was all set to show off my friends to him, and I was a little too excited. We met at the local coffee pub and placed our order, urging the waiter to serve us asap. In a few minutes, the coffee, ice creams and munchies arrived on the table. I had bragged about my friends no end and had told Babu that Mitha was my bum pal, and in an attempt to prove it, I slapped her on the back as I animatedly described how we had met. Unsuspecting Mitha was caught unawares by my blow on her back and toppled forward, hitting her forehead on her mug of coffee, which in turn promptly spilled all over Babu's white shirt. Mitha glared at me, and I froze, my hand still in air. I grinned sheepishly, and wished the earth would gobble me up that minute. So much for true friends!

Recently, at a house party, I was the hostess. I was enthusiastically serving the guests. I enjoyed flirting with all the handsome young men present. The invitees included some of the city's big shots and I was doing my best to impress them. "Who knows, one of these old hags might be the mother of a handsome guy in the crowd! And it never hurts to flirt a little!!" I thought wickedly, as I flashed my oh-so-innocent smile at some old ladies, and served them juice and chips.

As if she had heard my thoughts, one of the ladies walked up to me and said, "You have beautiful eyes," and I blushed a 'Thank you' in return.

Just then, a young cousin of mine piped up as if from nowhere, "Aunty, those are lenses!"

Needless to say, my inflated ego almost came crashing to the ground. And as usual, my ears burned, my cheeks turned potato red… or is that tomato? Whatever. I was very embarrassed. So much that I couldn't think straight. I excused myself and walked away.

Well, these are just a few of the innumerable such embarrassing encounters I have had till now. Someday, I'll reveal the rest. For now, I am done. I can't forget these episodes no matter how hard I try. I guess the best way is to accept them, and laugh them away.