Picnic Abandoned

Shekhawat lines up the ladies and takes them to task

Our picnic to Lonavala, slated for next week, has been called off. Inability of members to decide on a date, conflicting opinions and suggestions from all quarters and to an extent, the cost factor have together conspired in sending Shekhawat’s plans for a monsoon outing on the hills for a toss.
“The Lonavala picnic stands cancelled,” he announced this morning. “I am fed up dealing with people who cannot make up their minds. Some cannot go on a Sunday, some cannot go on a weekday, some want to go only on a week-end... Where shall I go? I have to tell the bus wallah, book hotel rooms, fix everything. If you people still want to go, you’d have to arrange for everything yourselves. I'm out of it!”
Shekhawat was especially bitter about the indecisiveness of the ladies and their tendency to pick faults.

Prakash Motwani

“You do not want this bus, you want that seat, you do not want so-and-so to join us, you want X Y Z, you want everything your way… and then what happens? You will back out at the last moment. I am just fed up.”
He picked on Monthi Serrao and Harbans Kaur in particular for putting him at a loose end every time there is talk of a picnic. “Both of you have always scolded me for various reasons,” he told them. “And yet, you are the first to back out.” Santosh Tyagi quickly did some damage control by explaining that since the ladies regard Shekhawat to be one of their own, they take liberties at scolding him. “Otherwise do you think they would dare to scold that man walking there?” she asked pointing at a stranger passing by.
That somewhat cooled tempers.
All this while Prakash Motwani stood by the side, an amused grin on his face. He was showing up after close to six months because of a debilitating bronchial problem, coupled with unexplained weight loss. He looks to have recovered well enough and even the huge boil on his forehead has almost disappeared. “I feel much better now,” he said reassuringly.