Uncle Thomas has always been a darling. But I'll come to that. Let me talk a little about how Thomas Teabing proved to be
a dear. I had always been the proverbial black sheep of the Teabing family of doctors and scholars, and so going to college, was ruled out the moment I failed to clear high school. Contrary to my grand mom’s optimistic belief that I would pull out of the rut, I never did. Word spread like bushfire that David and Norma Teabing had raised a turkey. Dad realized, if I continued being the way I was, no self-respecting employer would give me a decent job. This is where Uncle Thomas made a grand entry with sunny promises of shifting me to London. He was planning to employ me, and yes, he was quite respected in London's social circles. Why was this man of eight and fifty, committing Hara-Kiri? I wish I had an answer to that. But then again, I have always been exceptionally dumb.
It was an Armstrong-ish giant leap for me, when I moved from Llanidloes to London, a
couple of
years back. I had been too used to a small town life, to the Cambrian, to the quaint smell of pine and horse carriages (yes, I had become sentimentally stupid about such things) and so, the Thames and the throbbing humanity that peopled its banks was nothing short of a cultural shock for me. Our destination was London's business district where Thomas Teabing had come up with this quixotic idea of setting up a restaurant that would serve global dishes. (Whatever that meant). I say it was a hopeless idea, since Teabing wanted me to be the sole manager of this place. What was this old man thinking? Was he drunk? Again, I didn't have an answer.
But let me tell you dear reader, a couple of years have passed since the Teabing family overcame its misery. Our venture, which Uncle Thomas named 'LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT' (even my IQ tells me, that is a worthless name) has grown by leaps and bounds. Thomas Teabing has handed me the reins, and the best part of it is that, being my own boss has made me realize that I can make independent decisions, which the Teabing clan never knew I could. Grow up people! Life has a lot to offer other than making you a doctor, a scholar, a pompous wimp or whatever...
We open at around seven in the morning, and although it is in the business district of this great city, our clients drop in from all corners. At noontime, when all the employees of LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT enjoy their lunches within the constraints of this building, I have all the freedom in the world to pack my lunch and take a walk towards the Thames. The Teabings at home never taught me to think. But the rustling leaves and the sights and sounds of the Thames set me thinking. Thinking about life...what could have been and what could be.
Declaring in public that I have become a lot smarter than before, might sound like an obvious hyperbole. But the truth is, the independence that self-employment has brought along with it, has freed me, from my humdrum Llanidloes life, from stagnation and ridicule. I make my own rules these days. There is no obnoxious boss to breath down my neck. There are no filthy posteriors that I might have to kiss. There is no nasty competition, although I hear global food (I have figured out what it is...I told you I was smarter) is coming about in a big way in London. There are no deadlines to be met.
There are wisecracks who might point out that I am not ambitious enough. I love whiling away my time on the banks of the Thames, listening to the river. But if that is so, trust me, mine is an isolated case. Self-employment gives an individual immense scope to grow. It is entirely up to the person, whether he wants to work twenty four seven, or chase fireflies in some lazy riverbank, when the sunshine glistens on the water.
If it were a couple of years ago, I would have fallen off my bed and probably broken my neck to hear that I had become a living evidence in the Teabing family, regarding what to do, if being a scholar or a doctor was nots forte. Not that my first cousins Jill, Tom and Harry, all followed my footsteps. Jill went to med school, and so did Tom. But Harry, like myself, broke the family tradition of being predictable, and set up his own law firm. His first client was the last person to be hanged in the Llanidloes Court. I laughed on hearing this, which brings me to reiterate, self-employment gives me mental space. Space to laugh and not worry about how I could have used the time better.