Being a Pharma Manager’s wife

Being a Pharma Manager’s wife (or for that matter, any Sales Manager’s wife) is not an easy task. Some knit-picks* from all of the critical remarks we wives might have:

* Disclaimer: Please take these points lightly with no further discussions/clarifications/pranks/nagging on any of these.

• Daily routine – What is that?

  We “used to” have a time-table type routine; a special routine for weekends. Then, we married you. And there goes the routine. Now, we get ourselves “used to” the routine that each day beholds for us. So we are always ready to get up at the hint of the dawn to help you pack, ready to make instant meals/snacks in case you turn up early, ready to wake up and serve you dinner post-midnight sometimes, and very much ready to pack our bags and go to a vacation if we get a surprise. <wink>.

• TP aka Tour Plan

  We are scared of giving you surprises. Coz each time we try to give you a surprise, we get surprised. Yeah, right. We should have discussed about our surprise first. So, it is always better to refer to THE TP and plan it one month in advance. Yes, I am still talking about the so-called ‘surprise’.

• When next? Where next? When are you coming back?

  These questions are always the ‘hot’ topics. I think these questions’ frequency surpass any other questions’ including “Have you had your food?”, “How are you feeling?”, and last but not the least, “Are you busy?” <chuckle>

• Multiple distance relationship.

  We don’t exactly come in the category of a long-distance relationship, because their workplace (read hospitals) is in the same city or perhaps just a few blocks away. But, since they have to visit the other cities’ workplaces too, we don’t get to live “with” him as well. The perk is that the newness in the relationship never ends. Famous saying is we get to love them only when we miss them. And we get to miss them a lot.

• How’s it matching???

  We are improving our skills on your clothing, “gradually”. We know exactly which dress you wore today, which you wore yesterday, which ones are for laundry, and which ones are for iron. But we still don’t know which pairs you want for tomorrow, which shirts suit which pants, which would you like to take to your tour, which ones’ zipper is defected, and which ones are failing to fit you now. Please cooperate with us on that. But yes, it is really thrilling to tell you which tie suits your shirt best.

• Closing days: The deciding factor.

  The month end, when you get to know how long can your next month’s shopping list be. We definitely pray to God a little extra during those days, if that could help.

• Shopping assistance.

  They make the best shopping companions. Oh no, not for their patience while we select, but for the negotiation powers they possess.

• Travel consultant.

  The buses and the trains and the flights and the hotel rooms would have definitely seen them more than their own houses. So they know the rarest gems of places, hotels, and a lot more provided they have worked there. Even for a new place, they have “contacts”.
  They can pack n number of clothes in a single back-pack in just one minute. Quite a task when you are just half an hour away from the bus/train you are boarding.

• Mini doctors themselves.

  “I have high fever, should I take antibiotics?”
  “Our son is throwing up, what should we do?”
  “I don’t find the medicine that the doctor prescribed. What are the other options?”
  “Do you remember which medicine we gave when our baby was last sick?”
  They have all the answers. It is best to consult them first. They are, after all, trusted and affordable health consultants and the best part is that they know exactly when to approach doctors.

• Poor their phones!!!

  There would definitely be at least one moment (if not more) when we would have envied your phone for being the attention-seeker. Most of the times, we would be in kitchen, answering the questions that you would be asking on phone to the person on the other end. Only after a few seconds through the conversation, we would realize you are talking on phone. And you would still be talking unaware of the silly thing that just happened. We, sometimes, HATE your phones but at the same time, feel sorry for that poor little thing, which, if it were possible, would have screamed of your atrocities and switched themselves off each time you try to receive or make a call. Our heartfelt sympathies to all the previous phones that you owned, and to all the future phones that you will be using. Also, (must mention) condolences to all those chargers as well.

Having said all these, we ourselves know how much we love them. We adore them for their spontaneity, understanding, management skills, and their willingness to make the most of their time when they are with us.  Kudos to all those hard-and-smart-working sales managers out there balancing work and life so passionately. Life wouldn’t be the same without you!!! :)