Pinkie

Here's another node courtesy of my mom. We've bought a new computer stand, and are driving the box it lies in back home. My mom says something about feeling overwhelmed when me and my 3 siblings are at her house then missing us when we're at my dads. Then she says one reason is because she likes to talk to us individually, and this is where my node gets created. Let me first paint the situation:

My Grandmother.

"There's something I want to tell you, this is one reason I like to spend some time alone with each of you." Then she sits there about 7 seconds and continues. "You know that girl you met when you went to the wedding in India? The one you made friends with and stuff?" I think back, I met a lot of people. Then my moms comes in with some concisiveness, "That girl, Pinkie." Ah yes, Pinkie. Let me first assure you that "Pinkie" is not her real name, but she is referred to as Pinkie except on legal documents and such. So mom decides to drop the first bomb. "Your Dadi wants you to marry her." Well, ah hmm. This is the first time I've talked about matters of the opposite gender with my mom, so I'm sort of cautious. The dark interior hides my blush. Situation Check:

My Grandmother wants to marry me to my friend.

All clear so far. A Grandmother meddling in descendants personal life, nothing new to this world. Not to mention that I did like Pinkie. But this is my mother, and she's not done yet. "That's okay with me you know, she's a nice girl and all. Good family, good upbringing. If you want to your Dadi can make it look like it happened on it's own, she's done it several times before." Still nothing new, my "grandmother" is 80 years old, and has been a social animal for about 65 of them. I don't know when she achieved awe-inspiring finesse, but she's had it long enough to make herself very powerful. But enough praise, on to my mom. "She wants you two to grow up and run Caunka, which I don't approve of. They've mixed Islam with their prior tribal religions, and I don't approve of all the asking dead people to pray for them and all." Confused, eh? I really need to node Caunka and South-East Asian Islamic Customs. Situation Check:

My Grandmother wants to marry me to my friend then entomb us forever in a life of prayer and celibacy.

Caunka is a big beautiful place. Think Tropical Resort, now think Private Tropical Resort. Now think Dedicated Peerbhai workforce (Hmm, another nodeshell created). Now think palm trees everywhere, now think mansion on a hill, now think no Police involvement. Now think relatively easy access to drugs. Now think not one but two private lakes full of fish for fishing. Now think farmland, and poultry, and cattle. Heaven on Earth? So, Caunka is a big beautiful place, except that if I live their as Lord Shak my sexual outlets would be somewhat limited. A trip to London every time me and the wife were randy? We would work something out. But here comes mom, still not done setting the scene. "You do know your related right? She's a distant cousin of yours." Ah well, ahem. Hmm. I see. Well, time for a Situation Check:

My Grandmother wants to marry me to my cousin then entomb us forever in a life of prayer and celibacy.

What does mom mean by "distant cousin" anyway? Is she my uncle's daughter or not? Well Cletus the Foetus comes through with an explanation, so now I understand. Again with the mom: "That's okay with me you know. It's permissible, and if you want to and all then go ahead. Talk to Dadi about it. But listen, don't tell her I told you." Quick Situation Check:

My Grandmother wants to marry me to my cousin then entomb us forever in a life of prayer and celibacy. And my mom's okay with that.

It was an awkward ride home. My mom hasn't spoken about it since, so I haven't brought it up.

I did like Pinkie, I mean hey she was damn cute. She was maliciously cute, she always wore as much Pink as possible. But she's my cousin. Incest. Gah. Maybe if no one found out. I mean hey, a Private Tropical Resort in the middle of nowhere would make for quite a noder bash. If I was to inherit my Grandmother's estate I could even afford to provide comfortable transport for friendly noders all over the world. My mind is racing, it's planning it's portraying. A noder meet in the hot tropical summer, with me handing out airline tickets like cookies so everyone could come. Everyone. Everyone. The Mega-meet? First Annual Noder Convention? My mind grows maniacal. But I'd have to marry my cousin. But I'd get to marry my cousin? I might enjoy it. I would have done it if I didn't know she was my cousin (Thanks mom, everybody else was staying quiet, but YOU had to keep me informed). Before I had known she was my cousin I had been letting my eyes wander and my mouth water. And come to think of it my dear Dadi has already been playing her hidden hand, me and Pinkie ended up alone together somewhat more often than chance likes to allow.

I have a choice to make, I am deciding the course the rest of my life will take. I'm thinking in rhyme while typing in time and it makes me sound like a flake. I can marry my (beautiful) distant cousin, and live the life of luxury in a remote jungle paradise. Experimenting my way down the list of hallucinogens like I could never do in America. Caring for nothing much, nothing much at all. I've been to Caunka several times and stayed a month or three each visit. I find I acclimatize to the environment pleasantly. It would all occur after I made my way through college though, I'd have to get myself that far. The whole family is always pushing everyone into medical school. Take any 3 of us and 2 are doctors. But I find myself much more interested in technology. So really this is a matter of where my life goes after college. Actually this is no real matter at all. I can either have life handed to me on silver platter or attempt to acquire it on my own. Accepting the platter would not prevent me from exploring technology as I love. But it would mean buttoning down with a woman of whom I am not completely happy. We are from different worlds, completely. What would she understand of mine? What Would I of hers? We would have to expand each other's minds, it could work. Couldn't it?