Pritam's Blog
A Not At All Obsessive-Compulsive Love Story
“I got a crush on someone,” I confessed to my girl.
She responded with a non-committal ‘Hummm’… Then added, “What’s new in that?”
“Well, it didn’t last long…”
“What’s new in that?” She repeated in the same tone.
“The reason is something new,” I paused.
“I am listening,” she obviously wasn’t the least bit interested in knowing.
“Well, I met her at the unisex washroom of our office,” I said. She lifted her eyes from the book she was reading.
“I mean I had just come out of the toilet and was about to wash my hands,” I continued. “Just when I turned on the tap at the basin, this girl came out of the other toilet. I was so taken aback by her beauty that the otherwise not courteous me decided to let her use the basin first… She smiled… and it was a beautiful smile, went ahead, put her hands under the open tap, and it was over within seconds. I mean she didn’t wash her hands properly… And I didn’t feel any attraction towards her anymore.”
My girl lost all her interest in my love story and went back to her book. Then she asked, “By the way, did you talk to your therapist regarding this?”
For those who don’t know, I have been seeing a therapist for the past one year. But that’s another story.
Anyway, I said, “It just happened today and I am not seeing the therapist until next weekend… But hey, it’s not like I am heartbroken or something. Why do you want me to share it with the therapist?”
“Well, it’s not about your stupid love story… But this Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of yours…it is getting serious,” she said.
Denying your problems doesn’t help in any way. So, I just smiled.
“You will probably realise that the only reason you love me is that I maintain good hygiene,” she said.
“Not at all. Love is an altogether different mechanism. You don’t need to like everything about a person to love them… In fact, you can dislike someone and yet love them. On the other hand, liking someone doesn’t mean we love them. And this liking someone, this dies the moment you discover something about them that you don’t like anyway. The same thing doesn’t happen when you love someone. I would love You even if You didn’t wash your hands,” I concluded.
“That is not the correct answer,” she said. “You, conveniently, ignored the fact that you need help…”
And we burst out laughing.
Anyway, I think I will tell my therapist about my OCD the next time I see him 🙂