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LIFE AND LIES #9 | Part and Parcel

Come on!
Come on!

I sit behind my nephew, cheering him; whatever purpose it serves in a game of luck.

The circle grows smaller. It has transformed from being a game of passing the parcel to throwing and snatching the parcel.

Nonetheless, I want my nephew to win. The number of children has gone down to 10. His probability to win is rising. Apart from the lady organisers blowing their whistles, I'm the only elderly here. Wait...Elderly. Me... Woah.. didn't see that coming.

The number is down to 5 now. The kid who just got dumped throws away the parcel in anger. One of the ladies rushes to console him.

No matter the game, it's important to win. A lesson, we learn quite early in our lives.

My nephew is playful. Sometimes, he holds the parcel a little too long making the adjacent kid nervous. I nudge him to pass it quickly.

The number is down to 3.

Then to 2. Now, it's just my nephew and a girl.

50% probability.

Boys vs girls, some kid shouts.

The music resumes. The parcel is thrown. It spends most of the time in the air. The two of them treat it like it's something reviling. To and fro, it goes from one end to other.

It's been a while. I anticipate the music to stop anytime now. The girl throws the parcel back at my nephew and the moment it lands in my nephew's hands, the music stops. There's a moment of indecision. The lady organiser ponders for a while. I know my nephew has lost. Still, I wait for the lady's word. She announces what I know already.

Lost to a girl, a group of boys surround my nephew and start teasing him. My nephew runs. They chase him.

The chairs are rearranged for the upcoming game of tombola. Not just for kids, it's for everyone.

I have been standing until now. Now, I wonder where to sit; not amidst the housewives, that's for sure. My eyes wander to the group of working men. Technically, I belong there but I know from experience that they'd bore me to death talking about work the entire time. 

Just then, I find my nephew tugging on my sleeve. He wants me to sit with him. That's settled then. I go with him. His friends welcome me with a chorus of 'Uncle'. I'm still not used to it. 

Later on, not a Fullhouse, but I do win one of the prizes which my nephew brags about to his friends in his own efficient manner.

It's a Sunday well spent.



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