It’s summer! Make no mistake, it’s not just another summer. The mood is really upbeat this summer. Almost everyone hoping for a dramatic change to come over. Eleanor is particularly hopeful. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, Bob!” she reminded me. But not everyone is desperate. Someone’s playing cool…

Steve is all set to rock the summer this time around! From the time I know him, he’s always been cooped up in his office during the summer, bent double on the innards of a processor. This summer he’ll not be doing so. Instead he’s going to have a summer that promises to be much better than anything we have done. He’s headed to the Rockland Lake State Park. Yes, with his special friend Natalie! It was at lunch that he told me about his plans. And only when I asked what he’ll be doing this summer because I wanted to include him in any plan that we make. He looked hesitant. I said, “Okay Steve, out with it!”

I think he was looking for the cue. He relaxed immediately, “Well mate, I have a plan!” Then he outlined his plan in some detail. He was headed to this place. They plan to go biking and hit the pool with a vengeance. He also informed me that there’s excellent barbeque on offer. The last one was of course a clincher for me. I told him that if I get the chance I would definitely keep this place in mind. As for him, I wished him a wonderful time with his sweetheart. Did I tell you it’s official from Steve’s end? Good luck to him!

You can keep your grief under wraps, but not your happiness. It will bubble over and make itself visible to others. Though I was reluctant to celebrate my birthday as such, it was not meant to be that way. As the day came near, my mood started to lighten up. On the day, mom and dad called to wish me a great birthday. They were a tad sad that I couldn’t make it home this year. But they understand that taking a leave at this time is not a viable option. After talking to them in the morning, I was really ecstatic. Then I went to work.

People in the office wished me and all. They were really nice about it. When I got home, I was ready to spend the evening watching a movie. But as soon as I walked in, I found the pad all done up. My friends were all there. As an afterthought, I wouldn’t say I was totally in the dark. I saw the list that Adrian tried to hide at the breakfast table. I also saw Donna making hasty calls and went completely silent as I walked into her cubicle. Despite everything, it was one of the best times this year. All these people make my life in New York livable. Thank you everyone!

I have often wondered how differently guys and girls bond with each other. You see two guys out together for a movie and two girls doing the same, and you will see the difference in their bonding clearly. I mean, when I and Adrian go out, we hardly care who’s paying for the tickets and who’s paying for the cola or the popcorn for that matter. It’s all a jumbled up sharing of costs, that sometimes become hopelessly one-sided. That is not the case when my girl friends go out, say for example, Kate and Irina.

They share the cost evenly! Even for the cost of popcorn, they whip out the mini calculators they carry in their brains. And then they dissect the most indivisible figure into two equal halves. Then they grope for change in their mammoth bags to come up with the exact cents. And if that still leaves room for an uneven share, they do not rest in peace unless they have paid the surplus amount back. I have no idea why this stark difference exists, but that is how it is. You will know what I mean if you have been to a theater and seated beside two girls who are friends. You can hear them discuss the sharing even when the curtains have gone up!

With love comes doubt. The lingering doubt that your happiness is for real and that it’s not a mirage. And that it won’t disappear when you open your eyes tomorrow morning. So, when this doubt comes calling, you can be rest assured that your peace will take to the wind. When in love we want to ensure we can hold onto our love for ever. Then you try to control factors that cannot really be controlled. As in, you can’t control your partner’s flow of thoughts and you can’t really be sure enough of your partner’s love for you. You hunt for signs to convince yourself. That’s what Rachael is doing these days!

Rachael’s convinced Charlie has the hots for her, but still she’s looking for his behavior signs to be more sure. The other day Rachael asked me how will she know that Charlie really loves her. I told her a few pointers like how he behaves with her, if he treats her specially. Rachael was nodding her head to each one of them, as if I was presenting her with a check-list! “Well, that’s it!” I said finally, having exhausted my romantic pointers to the last bit. But Rachael still looked unsure. Then Liz, her mom, who was with us, told her, “These are all secondary really!” I looked at her with quizzed eyebrows. Liz smiled at her daughter and said, “Listen to your heart dear. If it says, he does, take it that he really does.” Rachael upped and hugged her. I wanted to applaud.

This week’s Zen quote comes from Helen Rowland: “Falling in love consists merely in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common-sense.” What do you say, Rachael?