A Fly on the wall

Would you like to be a 'fly in the ointment' ? A 'bee in the bonnet'? A 'snake in the grass'? A 'wolf in sheep's clothing'? I'm sure not. Neither have I ever desired to join the animal ilk.

But of late I am being driven by an unknown compulsion to be a fly on the wall. Hang on ! It has nothing to do with being an animal-o-phile in general or a fly-o-phile in particular. Nor does it have anything to do with a 'karma' dependent human -animal reincarnation. Hold on ! It also has nothing to do with any Freudian voyeuristic compulsions. Why then was a happy human suddenly gripped by a desire to be a fly on the wall.

Well it all started like this. In the last month or so I was working busy as a bee in the office, in the happy expectation of being promoted on account of good work done.But one fine day as I entered my office 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed', I was told that a junior colleague had been promoted in my stead. How had this unhappy state of affairs come about, I anxiously inquired.I was told that ameeting had been held by the board constituting the who's who of our organization and the decision taken. Something had gone wrong! But how ? And where ? Was it my work? Or was it a consideration extraneous to the official set-up?How could I find out? Simple. By being a fly on the wall.

With the passage of time the compulsion slowly faded but only to raise its insistent head at important times in my life.When my beloved jade glass went missing. When my interview for a coveted job was being rated. When my doctors put their heads together in the examination room to diagnose a small lump in my back as I waited outside and slowly climbed the walls in my anxiety. When my seven month-old son was hurt and was being operated under general anesthesia . Oh how I wished at times like these that I was a fly on the wall and privy to all that was happening inside closed doors.

However, many of my friends feel that being privy to existential. Secrets would take the zing out of life. That it is the inaccessibility of the shadowy depths of the world that add excitement and interest to life. And to be a fly on the wall would take away that extra something from life. Yes I suppose secret goings-on not only titillate human interest but also set the adrenalin pumping

Contributed by: Rachy Singh