Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Two Purple Bands

It takes five minutes and two purple bands on flat white oval disc to change your life.

The home test kit sounds complicated but is surprisingly simple. It involves putting 2 drops of body fluid on that white disc and waiting for five minutes.

Those five minutes seem the longest and the shortest spin in your life. The do-it-yourself kit instruction pamphlet tells you that if you get only 1 purple band, in the region marked T, then it means your test is successful. And you're negative. If you get 2 purple bands however, one in the region marked T and the other in the area C, then your test result is positive.

Of course, if you get no bands, then you've messed the test up and need to do it again.

The kit also warns that you must check in exactly five minutes. Any delay and the bands may fade or drift or god knows do what. Implode perhaps.

Of course you don't take your eyes off the disc for those five minutes. So the 'check in exactly 5 minutes' instruction seems a bit redundant.

The funny thing is that the kit doesn't tell you that the purple band in the C area appears BEFORE the purple band in the T area. Which means, technically, you know your results even before you know if the test has been successful!

It's strange, that colour spreading gradually on the white paper inside the disc. You remember ink on blotting paper, weaving its way through the warp and weft of the material? Its exactly like that. A pale purple spread, over which the darker bands appear. Quite magical actually, and quite beautiful.

And you keep staring at it. At the two purple bands. At the first completely real, lifetime committment you're making, at the ripe old age of 32 going on 33. At the first sign of 'the rest of your life', especially if yours has been the moment-to-moment and whimsical and uplanned sort. 2 purple bands, like grips around your heart.

2 purple bands like wedding rings.

2 purple bands that feel like wizened fingers gripping your own.

2 purple bands that bring to life cliches you never thought would be real for you. Cliches like tears. And a smile. And a bursting heart. At the thought, so funny, so strange, so scary, so overwhelming, so insecure, so giggly, so frightening, so soft, so curly, so cuddly, so freaked out, so unknown, so worrisome, so careful, so boring, so mundane, so clinging, so freedom, so independent, so binding, so restrictive, so liberating, so fattening, so figure-loss, so stressful, so stress free, so calorie-count, so eat-what-you-like, so personal, so universal, so restrictive, so addictive, so old, so new, so confusing, so contradictory, so mismatched, so timely, so accidental, so sudden, so awaited, so unborn...

2 purple bands.

Drive carefully. Baby on Board.

6 comments:

CurlyGirlie said...

Congratulations! I don't know if it was planned or not - I think not judging from the first paragraph but you sound excited enough! Congratulations again!

P.S I visit often because your writing is good as is ur choice of poetry or song!

Riya said...

hey curlygirlie - thanks so much! For the congratulations as well as the compliment!! Cheers, keep visiting.

Deej said...

damn.


I am sittin in office and grinning rite now :D

For no reason specifically - but for the magic this "so awaited" is gonna see with u two guys.. esp rains :)

tadadeeedumtadaadeewheeee! :D

dee

Riya said...

thanks dee! That rain thing has obviously left some lasting impression - I hear you were quizzing my very puzzled hubby about it in Chennai??? ;-)

kaaju katli said...

I was SO the first to read this!!;-p. Are you throwing up yet woman? Have you turned veg yet? Hee.

Riya said...

sorry to disappoint. No throwing up, no food aversions, no off putting smells and so far just about 3 kilos of weight gain... hee hee ha ha ho ho hyuk.