Plagued by a word

I was very annoyed. My shirts and pants were not being laundered well. I had walked into office with a wrinkled shirt and people who never ever wished me a ‘Good morning’ had suddenly gone “ Hey Happy Wrinkles”. My hands first rushed to my face to check for bodily wrinkles creeping in with age before sighing with relief at the more synthetic reference being made.

The laundry man stood at my door step.

‘ Look Dhobi Saab I pay you well and wait patiently for the delivery and you cannot just get me wrinkled pants and shirts “ I said my face reasonably grim

“ Saab, you seem to have become intolerant nowadays”  the Dhobi replied looking quite grim himself.

“ What ?” Wondering if I had heard right

“ Intolerant Saab. Highly intolerant.” The dhobi reiterated.

“ Wow ‘ I said forgetting my wrinkles for the moment “ Hi Fi English ! Wow “

“ What do you mean Saab by Wow and Hi Fi. Are you making some discriminatory statement ?” He said turning red

”Uh …err I am sorry If I sounded like that, but did you just say intolerant and discriminatory. I am happily surprised to see your language getting more …err stronger”

“ Sir I think you really are now annoying me and if you continue to do so I will have to return the electric razor you gave me 3 years back as a Diwali gift’

‘ Oh no no , sorry if I offended you, but why return the razor, you must have used it right, it must be not even working now, I mean sorry …what I meant was you don’t need to get too offended  just by some casual remarks”

The dhobi looked satisfied and calm. I was worried about looking for another Dhobi in the 10Sqkm area.

“ And you can continue to give me wrinkled shirts ok I don’t mind and no need to return my gifts, even the 1000bucks I gave you along with the razor”

The dhobi looked a bit nervous.

“Ok sir got to go . Have deliveries in many other houses. Will get late and people are getting intolerant these days “

I shut the door and returned to the living room muttering under my breath about the changing times. 

The wife was around and noted my disconcert.

“Dear what’s up. What’s bothering you?”

“ I just don’t understand the attitude of these laundry professionals. I need to feel sorry to point out 

mistakes in their job which they should be doing efficiently anyway”

“Dear don’t you think you have become a tad bit intolerant ?”

“What …!” That word again. What was it like? A word plague ?

I walked away in a huff and then spied into my son’s room.  The laptop was open.

“ You up to games again ?” I huffed and then puffed

“ Dad, yes. Finished my homework and was chilling”

“ But you have exams tomorrow and how dare you play games ?”

“ Dad but I am ready and the psychologist Nancy says it is good to play a game or watch a movie before the exams to relax the nerves”

“ Just beat it . And shut that game down and open your text books” I screamed

“ Uh ! You seem to have become really intolerant dad “

I did not stand around. I was perhaps dreaming . The word was chasing me around. Was it my imagination.

“ Dad” I jerked back to reality

“ Here take this” my son said handing out his old PS2 “ I don’t want it anymore . I am returning it “

“ What ??? . Anyway you don’t use it after you got the PS4 . So what’s this returning business?”

“ I don’t know dad, I am sad and want to return something which is not useful to me anymore . So thought of returning that to you”

The logic did not make any sense but then nothing seemed to on this day.

Back jumping into my favorite bean bag I switched on the TV. My favorite debate called the  “Newsecond “ was to start.

I was startled again when a jingle on TV chimed

“This programme is brought to you by Intolerant soap, it just does not tolerate dirt. You will love it”

This was really a bad dream for sure. The anchor had come on with his opening line now.

“ Welcome to Newsecond and we bring you this debate on whether we really have become an Intolerant society”

I just buried my head in the newspaper. I was tired and emotionally drained.

Switched off the TV and logged on to the internet on my IPad.

Search for Intolerant, I typed on google

The result thrown up

“Originated 1765, Missing since October

2015”