How I learnt English by reading books

For every Urdu book I have read in my life, I must have read over 80 English books. But that wasn't always the case. When I first started school, my Kindergarten teacher told my mom that I struggled the most with English. Later my Class 1 teacher suggested that I should read more books to get better at it.

My first English books in school were Peter and Jane (Ladybird). At one page, I got stuck on 'This is a tree'. I kept looking at 't r e e' and I didn't know what it was and it didn't make sense. I didn't like that book or Peter or Jane or the 't r e e'.

Once, a lady at a dinner party asked me in English 'how do you do?' and I had no idea what that meant. I was only familiar with How are you. English was a strange language to learn and understand and school mainly focused on limited reading/writing/grammar and rehearsed conversation. 

I loved listening to stories that my parents read aloud to me, but I didn't actually read by myself yet. Then one day, as my mother was reading a story to me in the afternoon, she stopped abruptly at an interesting turn- to go and check on something cooking in the kitchen. I was so desperate to learn what happened next with the story that I picked the book up and forced myself to read. Something just clicked - the words came together with a meaning, and English felt easier to read than Urdu so I kept going. 

As an only child, books became my favorite past-time, my escape and my adventure. My mother encouraged reading as a treat, almost like chocolate or ice-cream, and a book was often a reward. She would get books for me and hide them somewhere in my grandfather's room. She called it the 'Treasure'. I did my best to track it down, following my mom around the house, searching Grandfather's room when no one was looking, but I was small and she hid the books on top of the cupboard that was out of my reach. One of the great mysteries of my childhood was the Treasure, and where it was hidden, and what amazing books were waiting for me if I was a good girl. 

At school, we graduated to Ginn 'Reasons for Writing' Anthology after Peter and Jane:

I looked forward to getting these in my course every year in Primary school, and I would read them right away during summer vacation. The first story I remember was 'Mrs. Long and her car'. Mrs Long bought a car that spoke in a commanding voice, screaming 'TURN LEFT!' at every traffic light, finally landing into a ditch near a train station. Mrs Long was obviously very upset, but the car was probably predicting the wide-spread use of the GPS systems of today. I recall this story each time I drive with the GPS on. 

Then we moved on to Wide Range Readers in school, these were by far my favorite. Some of the most wonderful, lovable stories that I have read in my life were found in these books. I somehow memorized them, and I think I'll put them in another blog post. These stories taught me so much about life and being a good human.

While school focused more on grammar, subject/object/verb agreements, present/past participle etc, I simply loved the stories. Over time, I just got a 'sense' of whether a sentence was grammatically correct or not, just by reading it. Even today, I cannot tell what the subject-object is in a sentence, but I can read or think it in my head and know if it is incorrect or what needs to change. I got better and better at reading comprehension and writing English, even speaking, and I could pick the correct tense in a grammar exercise, but I couldn't pick out if it was a past participle. I really didn't care.

At home, the Treasure was still waiting to be explored, one book at a time. Once I was sick with fever, and my parents were invited to a party, and I was crying about being stuck at home in bed and not being able to go to the party. I wailed and complained while my mom got dressed and to console me she surprised me with a book from the Treasure. It was called 'The Hot and Cold Summer' - I still remember seeing the title and choking back my tears. It was a good story, and I was glad I didn't go to the party after all. 

By this time, everyone in our family knew about my love of reading, and I began to get books as gifts. I got classics like Black Beauty, Treasure Island, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the Borrowers, Tom's Midnight Garden, Little House on the Prairie, but I also got my hands on my Grandfather's old collection. I got Don Quixote from his shelf, I read 'Short Stories by Modern Masters' that I also borrowed from him (without his knowledge) - these included stories such as Dubliners, the Outcasts of Poker Flat, the Yellow Wallpaper and the Horse Dealer's daughter. I rescued 'Great Expectations' from a discarded magazine pile at my aunt's house. I read the Exorcist found in another discarded book pile. These were clearly meant for adults, but I was addicted to reading and just couldn't stop. 

When I struggled with difficult words, I would drag out the big Merriam-Webster college dictionary and look up the meaning. If there were hard words in the meaning, I would look up those words to get their meaning to make sense of the meaning of the first word. But other times I got lazy and just inferred the meaning by context, sometimes incorrectly. Dictionary-browsing was another favorite past-time for hot summer days during a power outage. There was so much information about everything imaginable in that big red book. Of course, this was life before wide-spread internet availability and Google.

One day, my mom got me a book called the 'Flying Saucer Mystery'. I was obsessed with Space and Aliens during this time, and a flying saucer mystery was exceptionally exciting. It was the beginning of my Nancy Drew phase. Over the next couple of years, I had read about a 100 Nancy Drews. 'The Ghost of Blackwood Hall' and 'The Clue in the Camera' remain my favorite Nancy Drew novels. Nancy Drew introduced some American history, culture and locations (states) to me. I had a book called 'the 50 United States' that someone had given as a gift, and I could look up state maps to see where Nancy was solving a mystery. 

We got Enid Blyton's from the used book stall one summer. I read them all, the Five Find-Outers and the Secret Seven, and the Famous Five and more. All about summer hols, and beaches, and picnics with potted meat sandwiches, some of the dialogue and themes a little dated (a little racist at times) but fun nonetheless. My favorites were the Five Find-Outers and the Ship of Adventure.

Around this time, my uncle was visiting from Canada, and brought a ton of books from a library book sale. I got Anne of Green Gables, Sarah-Plain and tall, Who Stole the Wizard of Oz, Ramona the Brave, the Cartoonist, Harriet the Spy, and many more. His daughter, my cousin, was reading a book at school in Canada those days, called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which she had brought along to read on vacation. So while she was busy playing- I finished that book in record time. This book was like no other I'd ever read - it had magic, and giants, and wizards and good friends and terrible teachers, and a castle with moving paintings and staircases. I have no words to describe the wonder and excitement I felt when reading it. I asked for nothing more but the next Harry Potter book whenever my relatives were planning to visit from US/Canada again. 

I started my journey struggling with the easiest word, and out of boredom reading adult novels, and then finally around 12 years of age I found Harry Potter. I read the Lord of the Rings after I saw the first movie, some time around 15,  in order to understand what the movie was about. I have never looked back, but I know I might still fail a grammar quiz asking me to find that pesky past participle. 

Nostalgia Part 2: Urdu Books I've read as a child

Following the theme of nostalgia these days, I'm writing about Urdu language books and magazines I read and enjoyed as a child. There seems to be a general dearth of good Urdu literature, specially for young readers, and most of the books that are available are either preachy, (shoveling nationalism down our throats unnecessarily) or too bland. But some were absolute gems. Here are the ones I remember:

1- Magazine: Children's World بچوں کی دنیا

This was probably the first thing I started reading - it was a kids magazine with stories for both very young readers and those a little older. There were genies, ghosts, fairies, witches and wizards, poems, and jokes to enjoy. There was one particular story that I loved the most from one of the magazines called 'Talaash' or 'Quest' - an evil fairy had stolen a little princess' heart and a brave Prince went on a quest to get it back. I'm probably going to re-tell that story in a future blog because it was amazing, I hope to one day tell it to my kids.

2- Amber, Naag, Maria عمبر ناگ ماریہ book series by A. Hameed 

I remember some of my older cousins reading these books, and I borrowed a few to read. These were a kind of mystery novel with three strange characters trying to solve them. Amber was probably a girl, Naag was a magic talking snake and scared me a lot, and Maria was also a girl but could be invisible at times. It was a really weird series, and I would get confused about who was who and sometimes the scenes/themes were pretty morbid. Definitely not my favorite though.

3- What happened to Aali... عالی پر کیا گزری novel by Aziz Asri

Aali is an obstinate boy who rarely listens to what his elders say. One day he befriends a stranger on the street, who is offering him something like candy or a toy, and gets kidnapped. He is held for many days and manages to escape, and makes a long journey back home, meeting several characters (both good and evil) along the way. The novel was a sort of warning tale for kids to listen to their parents' advice and to be wary of strangers. I got pretty scared after reading this one, although some of the kidnappers were pretty funny and the dialogues were hilarious.

4- Inspector Jamshaid انسپکٹر جمشید  Detective series by Ishtiaq Ahmad

This was a detective series clearly inspired by Ibn-e-Safi's novels (see No. 5 below). These were nicely written: there was the patriotic Inspector Jamshaid and his three kids, but they were too perfect and too preachy that sometimes I used to roll my eyes while reading these novels. Some of the ways in which these characters got out of trouble were incredible and really bent the rules of physics and human capabilities. I had a friend in Grade 7 who was obsessed with these and we used to exchange the 'Special Numbers' from the Inspector Jamshaid series - these were extra long novels with grand complicated plots, and sometimes were cross-overs with Ishtiaq Ahmad's other series. 

5- Jasoosi Dunya جاسوسی دنیا  detective series by Ibn-e-Safi 

My number 1 most favorite of all the Urdu books I read as a child. Ibn-e-Safi was a prolific writer during my parent's childhood, my mom grew up reading his novels and I was really excited when I got my hands on these at a used book store. There were two main characters, Colonel Fareedi and Captain Hameed, who solved mysteries ranging from the supernatural to international crime and espionage. The plots were intricate and detailed, the dialogue crisp and at times hilarious, and all the action took place in a sort of fictionalized country that was a mix of both East and West (almost like 60s Karachi was mixed seamlessly with NYC or some other American city). I tried reading Imran series by the same writer, but I never liked it as much as I liked Jasoosi Dunya. I wish these were translated into English, and the rest of the world could learn of the genius of Ibn-e-Safi.

TV shows I watched as a kid

Recently, I saw a post on Facebook where people were listing all the shows, cartoons and movies they watched as kids. I got inspired to write down my own list, and it kept growing and growing until I decided to add it here as a blog post. I was able to track down a few of the opening credits/themes on youtube for some of them, so I'll add links where possible. I don't know why once I read a few of the names, my faded memories just kept coming back -  I'd like to document them here so I don't forget them again.

Growing up, we had just one state-owned tv channel called PTV. It is surprising how many international shows PTV aired at the time in addition to our own dramas and news shows. But people in our country were either lazy or didn't have the resources for dubbing, so all shows were shown in original English.  Here are the children's shows and cartoons, and other shows that I remember:

- Fraggle Rock (usually shown early morning on weekdays): very faded memory of watching this show when getting ready to go to school

- Wind in the Willows (the BBC TV series): the song is so hauntingly beautiful and sad! My dad loved this show and made me watch it in the mornings when I was having breakfast before going to school. It is a stop action animation, and my dad's favorite

- Thundercats (usually shown in the evenings on weekdays): I loved snarf so much. But I was scared of Mumm-Ra - I once had a nightmare where the vacuum cleaner in the corner turned in to Mumm-Ra and my grandma just couldn't understand who/what it was while she was trying to calm me down. 

- Silverhawks: very faded memory of watching this show, some older cousins probably watched it and I remembered it when I saw the opening credits again

- Chronicles of Narnia (BBC TV series): Loved this show so much, it was generally shown on weekends

- the Jetsons: my Mom loved this show and would put it on for me. I was fascinated by Rosey the robot

- Gumby: another one of my mother's favorite show that we watched together

- Rentaghost (BBC series): when I got a little older, I was really into this show - it was such fun

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I remember for some reason I wanted a Ninja Turtle, the red one, Raphael... and I was very ill those days and kept asking for it. My parents got a Ninja Turtle pencil sharpener from a stationery shop for me. I didn't particularly like it, but at least I had a Ninja turtle that was a pencil sharpener from the waist down, and it was cool to show off at school. 

- ALF: I didn't understand English very well, but I loved the alien and thought it was hilarious.

- Amazing Stories: my parents watched this series, I think it used to air on the weekends and I watched it with them

- Ainak Wala Jin (the genie with glasses): the only Urdu tv show for kids back then, and I think still the best one created by PTV. A Jinn is banished from his tribe because of his failing eyesight, and ends up alone in a busy city among humans. A young boy and his dad help the Jinn get eyeglasses so he can see better, and he becomes friends with the boy and his little sister. There are other Jinns, a Wizard and a Witch racing to catch the near-sighted Jinn and trap him in a bottle, and fairies who travel on clouds. So much fun!

- The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest: I was a little older when this show came on, and I was obsessed with it! The Intro theme is still my favorite

Here are some other cartoons and shows that I used to watch on PTV: Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, Sesame Street, Captain Planet, Smurfs, Dexter's laboratory, Addams Family, Simpsons, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Full House. 

PTV also aired news slots from BBC, CNN and Deutsche Welle. We got a Hollywood movie on Saturday night and a special movie (either Home Alone or Honey I shrunk the kids) around Christmas and New Years. Shows I was absolutely allergic to were Miami Vice and the Flash that were shown on weekend afternoons. 

 Today I have logged in from my brand new laptop and made a promise to myself to revive this blog. Not for anyone else to read, but purely to push myself to take up writing again. I think I've been silent too long, and I got really scared about losing touch with a major part of my personality. Again, it feels like a brand new beginning and I am not so sure what I will write about. It could be about current events, music maybe, a few good films I have seen, maybe the pandemic - but I can't say for sure. I aim to write at least one blog entry per week just to keep practicing. 

My old laptop, a Dell Inspiron called Hunny, has long been dead and forgotten, but I remember Hunny today because I typed my first ever blog post with his help. His replacement was a Macbook Pro I got in 2015, but somehow that Macbook Pro always felt like a stranger, someone I was on tentative good terms with. Things have a way of picking up our vibes and this new Macbook took it personally. I never gave Macbook Pro a name, he was not Hunny and not a close friend. Macbook Pro dealt with me like a friendly neighbor or distant relative, available to help out when I absolutely needed it but otherwise keeping his distance. Part of the reason of our relationship's coldness was my own disinterest in getting to know him. Life had changed gears, I had an iPhone who was like a shadow, clinging to me wherever I went and doing most of the work I needed, there was a job and career, a place to call home, a citizenship to acquire, so much to do. Macbook Pro helped but in a backup capacity, and always somewhat grudgingly. Still I am really glad for Macbook Pro's services.

He finally decided to end things with me on Valentine's Day, 2021 - after a good 5 years of a kind-of friends relationship. I tried to fix him, looked up how much it would cost to appease him, and bring him back to his senses, but he was unwilling and wanted to quit. The money wasn't worth his tantrum or silent treatment.

I saved enough money to get this new Macbook, this time an Air instead of a Pro, since I don't think I need such an advanced laptop and it might take offense at my mundane tasks. This time I am committed to being good friends with Henry, and I hope he likes his name. I have big plans for Henry, he is supposed to help me for the next few years in my creative pursuits and I will try to limit how much the iPhone tries to interfere and cling unnecessarily. So Henry, this is the first one I typed with your help - we are off to a good start, my friend! 😊

Things I thought as a Kid

Things I used to believe when I was a kid:

• I thought we lived inside the world, not on it. I once asked my mother why we couldn’t see the floors above our heads where the people in the north lived. Not until my parents bought me a small globe and explained that we lived and walked on the surface did I understand this concept. 
• an older cousin once convinced me that vhs tapes could record our dreams, you just had to sleep with the tape under your pillow and if you played it in the morning, your dream would be on tv, but only if you woke up really really early. Alas, I was never early enough. 
• another cousin convinced me that pink tissue paper, properly crumpled up and twisted around a few times was an easy way to make cotton candy at home. I don’t know how he got me duped, but I embarrassed my parents a couple of times at other peoples houses, asking if I could borrow that pink tissue paper to eat as cotton candy. 
• I used to think people went to restaurants to read a book and then have food. Like you sit around a table, read the book, and then order. It was extremely important. I often demanded the waiter give me a book to read whenever we went out to eat.  
• i thought there was a special cloud that collected stray balloons that floated away in the sky, they probably gathered into a single colorful cloud and lived happily ever after. 
• Because I was so scared of lightening and thunderstorms, my dad convinced me that the lightening was just a flash of God’s camera, He was taking pictures from the sky. 
• I believed my dolls and toys had feelings, if I didn’t hug them or play with them equally every day, they would feel sad and hurt and lonely. I did have favorites, but I always tried to make up to the not-so-favorite ones. 
• I thought little tiny people lived inside the tv all day. 
• I thought elevators could go anywhere in a short time. When my aunt got married, she stayed at a hotel for a few days with her husband before leaving for New York. I thought we went all the way to New York in the elevator to see her when we visited her in the hotel. 
• I thought London, England, and Britain were three different countries. 
• I thought Iraq and Iran were the same country, only spelled differently by different people.
• I thought Kenya was another name for all of Africa.
• I thought lakes were just stations for rivers and streams to rest in a place, like train stations. 
• I thought MQM and PPP (the political parties) were actually NTM and PTV, the two television stations. 
• I thought cats were people in disguise, always keeping an eye on us. This was probably inspired by my aunt telling me she went to my school every day as a cat, and she used to sit on the wall and see me around, so I wasn’t lonely. 
• I also thought all teachers were supposed to wear heels, and their hair in a bun, and chew gum after lunch, this was all part of their job description. 
• I thought writers sat and wrote the books all day, every single copy of the book by their own hand, and also colored the illustration. 
• I thought things we bought at the store, like cake and pudding mixes, would come out looking like the pictures on their boxes. When my mother made them, they never looked anything like on the box. I was always so disappointed. 
• I thought some eyeglasses could make you see right through the floor. This is probably because I often borrowed (stole) my grandfather’s glasses when he was taking a nap in the afternoon, and they made everything look a little hollowed out. 
• The Morven Gold cigarette ad with the tag line “har dum tawana” (english: Always strong) made me run from the room every time it came on. I believed the guys enjoying the cigarette and grinning into the screen were some kind of monsters like the dracula with their pointed flashy teeth. 
• I got annoyed whenever my uncle sang the song “gorey rang ka zamana” by Vital Signs for me (which he did often)  I thought he was making fun of me.
• The same uncle used to dissuade me from touching his shiny-rimmed glasses by his classic quote “don’t touch the glasses” in a sing-song voice. I used to repeat the rhyme anytime I saw another person wearing glasses and tried to touch them anyways. I thought it was necessary and I was asking permission. 

Now I think about it, I was pretty gullible. 

Why kids don't read

This is for Sadia

Why kids/students don't read:
They have not been introduced to reading properly. Unfortunately kids view reading as a "chore" or "work" and not as a "fun" activity like playing sports or playing with toys. Secondly, the stories kids have access to are also "boring"- I mean the assigned reading in class. The teacher is boring, the environment in the class is boring and sleepy, kids are forced to stand up and read aloud- which is a nightmare. Third, there is more emphasis on spelling, new words, underlining and bringing heavy dictionaries to school and trying to find the meaning of those new words. It is highly discouraging. I almost hated reading at school because of this. Lastly, some kids just aren't readers at all. They don't have any natural inclination towards books and stories, you can't force them to like something they don't.

How to inculcate reading habits in young children:
Parents/Grandparents/home environment are vital for young children to take an interest in reading. There is no replacement for these factors, not even school. Each child is interested in "stories" from a young age, and parents can utilize this interest for an easy transition from "story-telling" to "reading". Parents can limit watching movies to after the kids have finished reading a book. Also, avoiding "preachy" books with a clear-cut "Moral" at the end of the story goes a long way. Having a story "preach" makes the fun activity into something less fun. At school providing too many aids, (drawings/animations/using props) actually spoils the fun in imagining the story as it is read.
Finally, limiting kids with downright stupid "library" rules such as only allowing them to borrow books if they have purchased the library "bag" or brought it with them on the designated day should be avoided. I remember clearly how many times I was told I could not borrow a book from the school library simply because I forgot to bring the stupid library bag with me. I also remember the librarian being a strict lady who would not let me touch certain interesting books because they were for "reference" only (Illustrated history books, books on pyramids and books on rainforests were out of question- I was only allowed to borrow books from a selected shelf).

How can reading be made fun:
Again, some kids are naturally inclined to reading books, others simply don't like it that much. It is nice to encourage those who have the natural bent in them to read more. On the other hand, forcing non-readers will only push them further away.
Having interesting books is also key. If it is boring there is no way a kid will like it. No matter what grown ups think. Urdu books in particular suffer a lot from the boring syndrome. We simply do not have interesting enough stories for the kids. Also, forcing your own culture on kids just to counter the stories from the West is not a good option. I fell in love with "reading" by reading the "Wide Range Readers" series...now they have been conveniently chucked out of school because they apparently converted kids to Western thinking and Christianity. That's just stupid. Don't bring religion and culture in to reading please.

Having separate spaces/cafes for readers to socialise:
No, I don't think these are necessary. Socializing and interaction can't be forced. Having artificial conversations to fit into a "cliché" is not a good thing. I do believe there should be open public spaces where people can meet each other and enjoy a cup of coffee. The book lovers will come when they feel like it.

Your idea:
Yes, I think it's a good initiative.  Not all kids are lucky enough to have a family environment or parents who encourage reading. Some kids do have it in them and they need a push in the right direction, so yes I agree with that. Bringing story telling and "reading" as an activity in the classroom will encourage these kids to pick up a book.

Monetary value:
I don't know how to answer this question, really.

Schools/Parents should pay for activities:
Schools should pay. Parents should not, except if they want to for activities outside school. The costs should not be outrageous. Book fairs at schools are so ridiculously expensive, parents just buy flashy looking books for their brats to show off. That's the unfortunate reality.

Making it sustainable:
This will take time, efforts. It will not take a few years to change the scene, it will take decades to make reading a success with the masses. We have a long way to go. We need to read more so our kids will see it and learn. We need teachers to read more, books to be cheaper, writers to write more, and parents to take an interest in reading with their kids too. It takes the whole community, not just a few scattered activities in schools. We also need more libraries. We need to make reading fashionable, and not an escape for the lonely child to spend time at lunch.

Boring characters- interesting stories

Exercise for failing writers: Describe an ordinary character, which comes across as boring and mundane, in an interesting manner. 

Ans:

Mr. Barry leads an ordinary life. So ordinary in fact, that you would barely notice his existence even if he was your next-door neighbour. He has a typically forgettable face, no charming or disarming features to talk about, and no distinctive quality about his person or personality. Everything from his name to his shoes and umbrellas are extremely ordinary. He hardly has anything interesting to say, and he could care less about what exceptional things were going on around him. He doesn’t really see the need for any improvement in his ordinary house. It has an ordinary couch and sofa set, a very ordinary wooden table, an ordinary rug and an ordinary fireplace that is usually turned off. If you happen to peek into his house, and it is an extremely rare occurrence that you would care enough to do so, you’d see a perfectly ordinary kitchen with little to spare. His bedroom upstairs has a single bed, a dresser and a closet. There is nothing of any distinction or importance that might make you wonder about him in any way.

Each morning, he gets up at 7, takes his bath, dresses in greys or browns, and heads downstairs to have his breakfast. One hard-boiled egg and a single buttered slice of bread accompany his tea. He neatly cleans his place-mat and teacup before leaving for work. His car is a typical sedan you would see on any road, with the colour so faded that it’s essentially colorless. Not transparent, mind you, but just an unidentifiable colour, somewhere on the scale between grey and brown and specks of red. He drives carefully, and seems to enjoy blending in with the rest of the cars on the highway. His office is a plain and simple desk-chair-cubicle, and he has requested not to have any technological annoyance within his reach. If you care enough, you could read the sign overhead on the main street, and see that it is a Law firm. He spends his day reading catalogued archives of old cases and making notes in boring brown ledgers in his neat small handwriting. His lunch is a simple cucumber slice sandwich taken with mineral water. At the end of the day, he drives home listening to classical music on the radio. He turns on the porch light as he comes in, and every alternate day he waters his 8 pots of mundane creeping plants. Today is not the plant-watering day. He picks up the newspaper by his door, and chucks it directly into the recycle bin. He changes into his night clothes, prepares his usual supper of buttered bread, boiled vegetables, and canned meat chunks. From exactly 7pm to 9pm, Mr. Barry watches television. He likes to see some action on the sports channel, then on to the business news drawl, and finally he watches the weather report for the next day. He turns off the television, satisfied that nothing extraordinary about the world and its goings on has reached him in his ordinariness. He goes downstairs to switch off lights, checks the lock on his front door, climbs back upstairs and gets ready for bed. He is fast asleep around 10pm.

Mr. Barry would be quite unhappy to be noticed by you. He would also feel uncomfortable if you were found peeking into his living room, or trying to focus your binoculars into his bedroom windows. He prefers to be left alone while shopping for his usual groceries, and if any of you people come up to him to say hello, he’d rather avoid looking into your eyes and responding. He values personal privacy above all other things, and he is grateful that his is not invaded often.

People like Mr. Barry give authors a hard time trying to make their lives sound interesting. You cannot imagine him to be a wizard or a stranded alien from another planet (although that seems to be the case).  Perhaps you think he’s solving some important case at his workplace. No, nothing like that. Mr. Barry has made it a point to work only in tax or insurance related cases. If anything remotely unusual comes his way, he likes to pick up the file and leave it at his colleagues’ desk to work on. People in his office are grateful for having him. They can place all mundane and boring tasks on his desk, and he’s more than happy to work on them. The neighbours too would be grateful for having him live amongst them, if they ever noticed him, because he always takes out trash on time, waters his plants, shovels his driveway, does not have annoying kids screaming down the street, nor does he have a gossiping wife who is always hosting barbeques. The cashier at the grocery store is especially happy to have him as her customer. He usually buys the same stuff and gives exact change. He doesn’t bother taking the receipts, so she simply pulls it out and throws it in the bin under her counter. The mailman always sighs with relief when he comes across Mr. Barry’s postbox. There is never any post, so his task is easy.

Mr. Barry probably has never bothered anyone in his entire life, and I suppose one day he’d grow old and sick, and would die quietly. Although, I wonder if people will be bothered enough to come to his funeral when that happens. Sometimes, I often wonder if he is happy the way he is. When I peek into his living room during his TV watching time, I see him smile at random infomercials on the shopping tv, or nod at the official looking guy telling us about bad weather tomorrow. At times like these, I feel Mr. Barry has surrounded himself with the comfort and happiness that is enough for him. So, you see... if you peek inside, you might get bored. But if you ever get caught by Mr. Barry when you’re prowling around his mundane plants and pots under his porch light, well... that maybe an interesting story.