I deliberately dragged the previous piece of writing just to give a buildup.

Perhaps our two trips to the USA immediately after my retirement provided some relief to my wife, though not entirely. The first visit is always hectic. In six months, we tried to see the entire USA. So, there was a lot of travel, which kept us busy, interested, active, and entertained. On top of that, we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild.

During our second visit to the USA, to my own surprise—and to the even greater surprise of others—I volunteered, gracefully, to take on the onerous task of cutting vegetables. Though no one had much faith in my kitchen skills, they readily agreed. Why? Well, in the USA, vegetables are so huge! If onions are the size of footballs, imagine how a cabbage would look. They probably thought, "This guy is free and doing nothing—why not let him do it?" Good lessons were taught. It would be far from the truth to say it was easy, but I did enjoy it.

When we returned to Chennai, my newfound kitchen practice came to a halt. My wife didn’t object.

During family gatherings and discussions with my sisters and their families, occasional remarks started becoming more frequent: "He’s lucky. Retired, and no work. When will we ladies get retirement?" These comments grew more frequent, and only then did it penetrate my thick skull. They were directed at me. Why hadn’t I thought about this before? I had been so absorbed in myself.

But how could I help? Aside from my vegetable-cutting experience, I had never stepped foot in the kitchen, except for those two years when I lived alone in Mumbai. Back then, it was just me, and only I had to endure the tasteless meals I made. But my wife has very high standards, and understandably so.

Continued in 153. Tired But Not Retired - Part 3