Malborough Man

"She didnt want the type of boy who looked like he enjoyed having tea with the aunties, she wanted the Malborough Man with a Phd." This line from a book I'm reading (Inheritence of Loss - Kiran Desai) made me laugh out loud - only because this is exactly what I thought ages 16-27. From the grand vantage point of 36 (omigod -am practically an Old Aged Pensioner) I say this to all the girlies thinking along the similar vein -- its the boy who doesnt mind having tea with one damn aunty after another and the occasional mother-in-law thrown in and who can endure such torture with a general bonhomie who's going to make the better husband. The Malborough man wont be caught dead fielding your inane relatives' endless drivel...PhD or no PhD.

What Malborough Men With PhD's Wont Do:-

1. They will NOT smile encouragingly while aunties ask them whether they know so-and-so because so-and-so comes from the same state in India as them - along with a million other people.

2. They will NOT pleasantly change the subject when mad aunties demand to know how much they earn - nett.

3. They will NOT nod understandingly while aunties rattle off a litany of woes/maladies/aches and pains afflicting them.

4. They will NOT brush aside with good humour any assertions that the university they graduated from is nothing compared to Mrs XYZ's son who went to a far better university.

5. They will NOT stoically accept aunties descending upon your home at any given time and making plans to stay for the weekend and then demanding they be chauffered to all their old sick friends' houses within the 100km radius of your house.

For these fundamental reasons the boy who likes having tea with your aunties is the better bet in the long run - coz believe me there's no getting away from them aunties! Give the Malborough Man with the PhD a wide berth - its only going to end in tears.