Doll for the Future: My Unfolding Voage 009

Dolly Future

My wife has always been very fond of dolls. She has a collection of dolls. When she came over to my residence after marriage she brought her dolls she owned at that point of time. She purchased at least one doll in all countries she visited and many in the cities she lived with me for long periods. Whenever I returned from a visit to new country or city, she expected that I would bring her presents that would include a doll. As a student of applied economics, I found that new dolls did not lead to diminishing utility of utility to her. I also found that dolls often cost me less than other gifts and yet had practically zero chance of not being liked by her, unlike other gifts like saarees. And, she never complained that had she been present at the time of purchase, she would have got the doll at a lower price unlike my purchases of other things of either relatively low quality or at relatively high prices. So, as a husband, purchase of dolls for my Love was the best bet.
I do not remember, but she reminds me from time to time which doll I bought her when. In terms of dates of purchase, the collection of dolls may be covering a period four to five decades.
The dolls are kept in different showcases that occupy lot of space. Finding that she seldom buys a new doll after I left active employment, I ventured to suggest her a better future of the dolls. " Why don't you start gifting away these dolls one by one so that by the time we leave this world, there will be no dolls left with us." She did not agree to part with the dolls until her death because she was not sure that others would take proper care of the dolls. I suggested that she equally divided the dolls between the two sons now with the condition that they would keep them in their residence in showcases that would not be accessed by any one else including those who would be their wives or children. She said that is a good idea, but the sons should take the dolls when we would be no more.
This attraction to dolls for a woman is somewhat is to appreciate. My wife had started playing with dolls even before she could walk or speak. But what about the dolls that caught the fancy of my elder son when he was three-year old and had no idea of what a dolls' house in USA could be. One Saturday evening, I was watching a Bengali movie telecast by Kolkata Doordarshan (local channel of the Govt. of India, the only TV channel available those days). My wife had gone to visit her parents along with the two-year old younger son. The elder son was with me watching the TV. At some point in the movie, there was a close shot of the heroine for about thirty seconds. She was looking like a remarkably attractive doll within the small screen. My elder son exclaimed, " I want her, Dad." For fifteen seconds, I could not believe what I heard and make out how to respond. Then I tried to get out of my embarrassment and asked him, "But, why do you need her?" He was not prepared for the question. He took fifteen seconds to respond, " She would help Mom in running the household and play with us". My sons did not have dolls to play with at that time. Nor did they have attractive girl friends of similar age around.
At around the same age and also a little later. I faintly remember that I loved to play with them. And, also remember that my friendship was a subject matter of smiles for my elder sisters. But these girls vanished sooner than later as their parents moved out of our neighborhood. And, this was the time when I first observed that a girl leave her home at some point. And, she is taken away by some stranger, a boy from a different place and family. Also, this event is supposed to be a pleasant event. My eldest sister got married and there was a long period of festivity at home. This provided me an interesting event for study at that age.
Everyone in the family became excited about Didi’s marriage and got busy to complete the various tasks allotted to them. Dad and Mom’s cousins, sisters and other relatives came to our residence 2-7 days ahead of the wedding. Those who stayed nearby would not stay overnight but discuss the forthcoming event with Dad and Mom. Lots of rituals, worship and feasts preceded the wedding. The wedding day was a gala ceremony day. On the next day, the brother in-law took my Didi away. I was very angry with him and tried to beat him when he paid the usual two-day visit to us three days after the wedding. This man, the groom, whom we called as Jamaibabu, seemed to enjoy my wrath. He wanted to make me angrier. He had told me then that when I get married he would elope with my wife. It was since then I became careful not to marry a girl who could be easily taken away by some one else. Little did I know then that this risk was always there. But at that point, I made up mind that I would not care about the vanishing dolls around me but I would have to deal with the threat of Jamaibabu or some one else vanishing with the doll I marry.
Didi’s marriage was just the first event of a sibling voyage permanently or temporarily moving away from sharing the center of the orbit. Didi would continue to be available to me time to time, but she would have others to care for. In the next few years, all my elder brothers and sisters would not have all the time for me. The forces of continuous change in my trajectory would now become increasingly observable. What impact would this leave on me?