Story of a “simple small-town-girl” turned “snobbish cosmopolitan socialite”
______________
______________
SMALL TOWN GIRL
Story by Vikram Karve
_________
PART 1
STORY OF A SIMPLE “SMALL TOWN GIRL”
_________
This story happened 23 years ago — in the year 2000 — during the IT Software “Boom”.
_________
Pune — circa 2000
_________
Once there was a “happily married couple”.
The highly educated husband was doing well in life.
He worked in a Research Laboratory in Pune as an Research Scientist.
His simple homemaker wife was a “Small Town Girl” — and she looked up to her husband with respect, awe and adoration.
The well meaning husband encouraged his wife to learn and enhance her educational qualifications.
The scientist husband wanted his wife to realize her full potential.
He motivated his simple wife to do courses in Computers, Information Technology (IT) and Software.
Then — he helped his wife find a good job in the IT Software Industry.
The wife did extremely well in the IT Software Industry — which was flourishing at that time.
_________
So — in a few years — due to the “IT Boom” — things had totally changed.
Whereas — the wife’s career prospered — the husband’s career stagnated.
_________
Yes — the tables had turned:
_________
1. Wife’s career prospered.
but
2. Husband’s career stagnated.
________
This had nothing to do with professional competence of the husband who was a highly talented research scientist.
It was mainly due to the IT Software “Boom” — that the wife’s career prospered so much.
The upwardly mobile wife travelled abroad to the US and other countries on prestigious projects — she earned lots of money — she got fast promotions — and — her career truly flourished.
________
On the other hand — the poor luckless husband continued to slog away in his mundane research job — without much reward or recognition — as is the case in many govt research organisations and academia.
_________
I have seen this happening during the IT Software “Boom” — when IT Careers really took off as compared to other professions — especially government jobs — where prospects are slow and steady.
_________
So — to return back to our story:
_________
Wife’s career prospered.
but
Husband’s career stagnated.
________
Now — the “successful” wife started looking down upon her husband — as if he was an embarrassment.
And sometimes — the “successful” wife even belittled her simple husband.
She had progressed in life — but — he had remained where he was.
The wife now felt that she was too good for him.
Well — she was way up the ladder — breaking the glass ceiling and rocketing upwards.
She was now “out of his league”.
_________
The wife had conveniently forgotten that before her marriage she was just a simple “small town girl” from the mofussil — and — it was her progressive husband who had initially encouraged her to learn and take up a career.
She had totally forgotten the fact that it was her husband who had played a major role in her success.
The globe trotting successful wife now moved in cosmopolitan high society and developed much finesse, refinement and “social graces”.
She had moved way up the social ladder — whereas her husband remained his simple self.
To put it bluntly — the wife had become a “snob” — as her success had gone into her head.
Yes — the simple “small-town-girl” and turned into a snooty “snob”.
She was now a “cosmopolitan-socialite”.
__________
Once — the couple and me were dining at one of those exclusive “highfalutin” dinner parties.
It was very awkward to see the snobbish wife nagging and lecturing her husband on Etiquette, Table Manners and Social Graces.
She went on and on — lecturing her hapless husband on etiquette and social graces — till I could bear it no longer.
I looked at the wife — the “small-town-girl turned cosmopolitan-socialite”.
And — I thought it was high time she was brought down a peg or two.
First — I wanted to give the snooty wife a lecture on “etiquette”.
But — on second thoughts — I told her this story — since I believe — that a message can be driven home much more effectively through a bit of wit and humor.
________
PART 2
________
SOCIAL GRACES AND ETIQUETTE
________
Wisdom Story
________
A man went to see a divorce lawyer.
The man told the lawyer that he wanted to divorce his wife.
“What grounds do you think you have for a divorce…?” the lawyer asked the man.
“It’s my wife’s manners…” the man said, “She is unbearable. My wife possesses no social graces and has absolutely no etiquette. It’s disgusting — her behaviour — she has absolutely no etiquette — and her table manners are so bad — that she is disgracing the whole family…”
“That’s really bad…” the lawyer said, “How long have you been married…?”
“Nine years…” the man said.
The lawyer was taken aback on hearing this.
__________
So — the lawyer exclaimed in surprise to the man:
“Nine years…?
You have been married to this same wife for nine years…?
If you have been able to put up with your wife’s etiquette, social graces and table manners for nine long years — I can’t understand why you want to divorce her now…?”
_________
The man said matter-of-factly:
“Well — for all these years — I did not know anything about all this “social graces”, “table manners” and “etiquette” stuff etc.
But — today morning — I bought a book on “Etiquette”.
Yes — I bought a book “Etiquette” — just today morning.
And — it was only after reading the book — did I realise that my wife has no “etiquette” — no “social graces” — and — no “table manners”…”
__________
After narrating this wisdom story — I looked perceptively at the snooty wife — hoping that she would get the message.
_________
PART 3
_________
MORAL OF THE STORY
_________
The case of the simple “small-town-girl” was similar.
Basically — she was a simple middle-class girl — a homemaker — before she took up a job in the IT Sector — and prospered.
It was only after tasting material affluence and career success that she become a “snob”.
She started feeling in her mind that she was more sophisticated than her modest but well-educated husband.
So — she started pontificating to her husband on etiquette, social graces and manners.
__________
The “small-town-girl” turned snobbish wife — she was like the man in the story — who was suddenly “enlightened” about “Etiquette” — only after reading a book on etiquette.
_________
Once she heard this wisdom story — I think — the “small-town-girl turned cosmopolitan-socialite” — she got the message — and — I observed a marked change in her demeanor towards her humble husband.
________
A few years later — I met the same “small-town-girl” while I was shopping in a mall in Pune.
She was shopping with her husband.
They invited me for a cup of coffee to the coffee shop in the mall.
And — while we sat in the coffee shop sipping coffee — her husband dipped a biscuit in his coffee.
The wife looked aghast seeing her husband dipping his biscuit in coffee.
And — I think she was about to start scolding her husband for dipping his biscuit in the coffee cup and nagging and lecturing her husband on “table manners”, “etiquette”, “social graces” etc.
I gestured to her — and I gave her a canny look.
She smiled at me.
And then — she broke out into laughter.
_________
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
- This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
- All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
- E&OE
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
Link to my source blog post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2011/12/simple-husband-and-snobbish-wife.html
This story is also posted in my various blogs including at urls: https://karvediat.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-successful-wife.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2012/07/snooty-wife-simpleton-husband-etiquette.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-emancipated-wife-wit-and-humor.html and https://karve.wordpress.com/2020/12/07/the-small-town-girl-turned-snobbish-cosmopolitan-socialite/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/06/14/etiquette-and-social-graces/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/09/25/story-of-a-simple-small-town-girl/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2022/03/20/the-small-town-girl-2/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2022/11/14/small-town-girl/ etc.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
____________
