The Best Forwarded Stories I have ever read;Hope you guys will like them
Little Meenu was spending her first day at home away from home. She was 6 a year old kid with her dark black unkempt hair running down her back.
Meenu had lost her father when she was a year old. After her father’s death Meenu’s world revolved around her mother. Her mother was her father, friend and everything. It was too much of a loss when her mother died in an accident.
It was her first day at ‘New Ray Hope’ - a home for orphans… She crawled on to her bed, pulling her pillow on to her lap. She sat their hugging it tight. All the others in the room were sleeping. She was the only one awake.
Meenu felt lonely, she wanted to run away from the dark room. Wherever she turned she saw darkness. Tears were streaming down her eyes and wetting the pillow. She cried and cried.
As if Mother Nature could not bear to see her child crying like this. A strong wind blew the curtains aside and now a new streak of light lightened the room. In the darkness, the ray of light brought a new ray of hope. Little Meenu walked up to the window and put her hands on the window pane. She slowly rested her head on her hand and looked at the stars.
“Ma, how come there are so many stars in the sky?”
“Meenu dear, all those who leave their abode on earth become stars by Gods side.” She remembered her mother telling her.
She suddenly smiled and wiped away her tears with her little hand, she pushed the curtains a aside so that the room would become a bit bright.
She slowly went up to her cupboard and took her notebook and pencil. She tiptoed to the door and opened it slowly… The door screeched in the darkness…
Meenu ran to her bed and lay their motionless… She was frightened, after some time she mustered courage and peeped out to see if anyone was there…
She took her book and pencil and sat at one corner of the corridor.
She started writing.
Deer God,
How ar youe. I bad. Why youe taik my mume? You have no mume. I feel afraied give me back mi mume. I no sleep. My bed big big big. No one sllep with me, no one tel me storie I feelied cold no one to hug me. Give me mi mume bacik. I give youe all mi choclate and doll. I give all. Pleaasie… I cry.. I no loieve you. Youe bad give my mume you good.
Little Meenu slept on the corridor crying… Her letter was all written with her tears.
Shantha was the care-taker. She had a soft corner for children. When she read Meenu’s letter she firmly decided that the next child anyone would adopt from their home would be Little Meenu.
She carried Meenu to her bed and laid her to sleep. She put the letter inside her pocket.
Rohith walked into the premises of ‘New Ray Hope’ disappointed. He had been there for nearly a month with the hope of finding a child. All the children were a bit grown up and had only traces of innocence. He wanted a child just out of the mother’s womb.
Mother Mary saw him and said,” Good Morning Rohith. Have you decided on the child you want to bring up?”
“Good Morning Mother. No Mother I am still searching for HER”, said Rohith
“Don’t be disappointed child. God has someone really special. If you have not found a child yet, it’s just god’s will.
Rohith was bought up in ‘New Ray Hope’. He knew the pain a child undergoes in the absence of a mother/father. So he decided to adopt a child.
He nodded with a little disappointment. Suddenly his attention was caught by a little girl climbing on to a tree. He rushed to the tree. He saw a little girl climbing a tree with something in her palms.
He called out,” Hey what are you doing? You will fall down. Get down.”
The command in his voice shook the child and she fell down on the ground with a thud. Thank God she was unhurt.
She got up and hurriedly looked into her palms… it was there. She was happy.
He looked at her sternly and said,” I told you that you would fall down.”
She looked at him with a smile and said,” That is why I fell.”
He looked at her shocked,” What? You fell because I said?”
She calmly said,” You know, God makes all our words come true. You said I would fall and I fell.”
Rohith was stunned, he was searching for words. They failed him. He finally went up to the child and dusted her clothes,” What is your name?”
“Meenu” she said with a giggle.
“Why did you climb the tree?”
“A row of ants carried this candy for their morning breakfast, but it fell down midway. I did not want them to go hungry so I thought I will put it into that hole for them.” She said showing him the candy, “Can you put it in that hole for me?”
Rohith was shaken with the child’s love. He could not deny her request.
He lifted her so that she herself would put it into the hole. She had a broad smile on her face, “Thank you.”
He did not have the heart to put her down. He slowly carried her around. He wanted to start a conversation but did not know how…
“Do you always wear such good clothes…? He was mystified with her question. He looked at her and said,” Yes Meenu? Why do you ask such a question?”
She said with a light air,” My Mummy gets me good clothes on my birthday. All the other days she gets it from my neighbor. I wear their clothes.” He felt a little upset and asked,” When did you come here?”
“I came yesterday night. I will be leaving soon. My mummy will come to take me…” She said smiling. “Your mother…? How did you know?” he asked her perplexed.
She asked him to put her down, which he did with little hesitation. She caught his two fingers with her hand and pulled him to her room.
She looked around stealthily for some time. Then slowly pushed her pillow and put her hand inside the pillow cover and pulled out a piece of paper.
She thrust it into Rohith’s hand and said,” Read it…”
Rohith read it….
Dear Meenu,
I will send your mummy back to you. Your mummy will come back to you. Till that I want you to be smiling. Be a good girl, your mummy will come back to you,
Love GOD.
Rohith knew very well that someone had played a trick on the little child, but he did not know why…
Just then Shantha walked in… She looked at Rohith and smiled, but when she saw the letter in his hand a chill ran down her spine.
She put her hand on Meenu’s shoulder and said,” Meenu go down for your breakfast.” And Meenu ran away hopping like a little rabbit.
When she was out of sight Rohith looked at her and asked,” Did you write this letter? Why did you do this to a poor kid, every day she will be expecting her mother… She is going to get disappointed…”
“No she won’t.” said Shantha with a confident tone. “I have decided to adopt Meenu.” saying so she pulled out the letter that Meenu wrote. She handed it to Rohith.
Before Rohith could finish he had a tear drop writing itself in the same piece of paper.
He looked up at her and asked,” Will your husband agree to it this?
“I am a spinster. I had plans of marrying but not after I saw Meenu. If you spend one day with her you will realize that she is the most priceless gift that god can ever give to anyone. I don’t want to miss her.” saying so she walked out of the room.
Rohith walked down to the dining hall… He saw Meenu sitting at the end. She slowly mixed the curry with rice. How much can a little hand do? She then slowly put a handful into her mouth.
Rohith wanted to SPEND A DAY WITH HER. He went into the Mother’s room sought her permission.
Meenu finished her breakfast and was sitting in the corridor looking at the butterflies fluttering around a flower.
He walked up to her, kneeled down before her and said,” Meenu…” She looked at him smiling.
“I want to take you out… Will you come with me?”
She looked at him and said,” Will you get me a chocolate?”
He smiled and said,” I will get you many…”
She immediately held his hand. He carried her and walked up to his car. Put her in the front seat and drove off…
He drove her to his house, on the way he had too many questions to answer. He thought,” There are no seven wonders in this world for a child there are seventeen hundred!!!”
He took her to HER room and when she opened… Lo! There were toys all around. He left her playing with them.
He fed her with his own hands and played with her… He felt that the world was beautiful when she was beside him.
Time went on… it was evening. She was playing in HER room. The power went off. In a few seconds the generator went on. He walked into the room just to verify that everything was fine. As soon as he opened the door she clung to his legs.
He carried her to the hall. It took him some time to console her. He finally asked her,” What Meenu? Why do you fear darkness?”
She looked at him and said,” There is a girl in our home who cries everyday when the sun comes up. I am much better than her.”
Rohith could not help but smiling. There was so much truth in the child’s word. When there are men who are afraid of light… how could we blame a kid for fearing darkness?
Meenu slept on Rohith holding on to the collar of his shirt and a thumb in her mouth. Suddenly she woke up startled and said, “Mani, Mani is alone. I need to go back to him.” She got up and pulled him to the door.
Rohith could not understand anything he looked at her and asked,” Who is Mani?”
“He is my friend. He is a small puppy. Come dada lets go.” The way she called him made his heart skip a beat. He decided… MEENU IS MINE. I WILL NEVER LEAVE HER.
He got into his car, called up Mother and asked her the address from where Meenu was brought. He had lot of confusion in finding his way out. Suddenly Meenu pulled his shirt close to him and dozed off on his shoulder.
Finally he reached the little hut. When the car jerked Meenu woke up startled… She looked out of the window and saw her home - sweet home.
He got out of the car, opened the door for Meenu to get down. She looked around with tears in her eyes… her eyes were searching for her little friend. All the while she was holding on to Rohith’s pant. She looked at the corner of her hut and saw a small thing moving. A tiny pair of eyes looked at her and then it came running to her. Her joy knew no bounds. She carried him in her hands and wiped all the dirt off him with her dress.
She kissed him, fondled him. Rohith was looking at her with a smile.
He thought, “I love you Meenu, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. She is not an Orphan by choices of her own but by the choices of others. I can’t let this happen. Not to the one I love. “
She came running to Rohith. He carried her and Mani into his car. They drove off back home.
All night he saw her play with Mani, He heard her talk. She was laughing, she was bubbling with joy, and she was full of life. Everything in his house seemed to be blessed with the touch of her little hand. And now he believed that joy and happiness came in small packages.
Finally she fell asleep, holding on to his ears with a finger in her mouth. She felt cold and she pushed herself close to him for the warmth of his love and affection. He put his hand around her, carried her and put her on his chest. He held her close so that she would not feel cold.
He looked at her and said,” You taught me how to love, but not how to stop. I can’t lose you Meenu. I LOVE YOU with all my heart and soul. It is really hard for me to accept the fact that you were someone else’s and you will be someone else’s. I have spent less than a day with you, but I just feel that it is only now that I have started living. You have just been with me like the dew on the blades of grass. The dew can leave the grass with no trace of it having been there; but, only the blade of grass knows how painful it is to lose the dew.”
He could no longer bear it. He put Meenu down on his bed walked up to the phone and called ‘New Ray Hope’.
“Yes tell me Rohith…” said Shantha.
Rohith was perplexed,” How did you know that? Okay. Whatever it is… I need Meenu. I can’t give her to anyone. I will do anything for her. Just tell me how much…”
“Rohith, wait… I knew you would never leave Meenu. I just wanted you to spend a day with her after which I was sure you could never leave her. I was expecting your call. All children deserve someone to love them, but, children like Meenu deserve more love. SHE IS YOURS… If Meenu agrees to be with you, we do not have any problem. There are many more children who deserve a home. I will take one of them as mine. Sleep peacefully. Good Night Rohith.”
Rohith was dumbstruck. He could only say,” Err… Thank you. Good Night Shantha.”
He spent all night wondering what Meenu would say. He fell asleep on the sofa. When he woke he was surprised to see Meenu sleeping on him. He carried her on his shoulder and prepared milk for her.
He then put her on their bed and sat there looking at her. After some time she woke up she looked at him. He wished her good morning and gave her the cup of milk. She pushed the glass of milk aside, hugged him and said,” Dada will you sending me back to that home? I don’t want to leave you. I want you. I won’t ask you chocolates, I won’t ask you toys. Please don’t send me away. When you were not by my side yesterday night I felt like crying. Please don’t send me away.” She kissed him hard and held him close.
He did not know which word could explain her how much he loved her. If he said I LOVE YOU will she understand…? A tear ran down his cheeks and he said,” Your mine Meenu, you don’t have to go anywhere. I don’t want to miss you”
“Ma, how come there are so many stars in the sky?”
“Meenu dear, all those who leave their abode on earth become stars by Gods side.” She remembered her mother telling her.
She suddenly smiled and wiped away her tears with her little hand, she pushed the curtains a aside so that the room would become a bit bright.
She slowly went up to her cupboard and took her notebook and pencil. She tiptoed to the door and opened it slowly… The door screeched in the darkness…
Meenu ran to her bed and lay their motionless… She was frightened, after some time she mustered courage and peeped out to see if anyone was there…
She took her book and pencil and sat at one corner of the corridor.
She started writing.
Deer God,
How ar youe. I bad. Why youe taik my mume? You have no mume. I feel afraied give me back mi mume. I no sleep. My bed big big big. No one sllep with me, no one tel me storie I feelied cold no one to hug me. Give me mi mume bacik. I give youe all mi choclate and doll. I give all. Pleaasie… I cry.. I no loieve you. Youe bad give my mume you good.
Little Meenu slept on the corridor crying… Her letter was all written with her tears.
Shantha was the care-taker. She had a soft corner for children. When she read Meenu’s letter she firmly decided that the next child anyone would adopt from their home would be Little Meenu.
She carried Meenu to her bed and laid her to sleep. She put the letter inside her pocket.
Rohith walked into the premises of ‘New Ray Hope’ disappointed. He had been there for nearly a month with the hope of finding a child. All the children were a bit grown up and had only traces of innocence. He wanted a child just out of the mother’s womb.
Mother Mary saw him and said,” Good Morning Rohith. Have you decided on the child you want to bring up?”
“Good Morning Mother. No Mother I am still searching for HER”, said Rohith
“Don’t be disappointed child. God has someone really special. If you have not found a child yet, it’s just god’s will.
Rohith was bought up in ‘New Ray Hope’. He knew the pain a child undergoes in the absence of a mother/father. So he decided to adopt a child.
He nodded with a little disappointment. Suddenly his attention was caught by a little girl climbing on to a tree. He rushed to the tree. He saw a little girl climbing a tree with something in her palms.
He called out,” Hey what are you doing? You will fall down. Get down.”
The command in his voice shook the child and she fell down on the ground with a thud. Thank God she was unhurt.
She got up and hurriedly looked into her palms… it was there. She was happy.
He looked at her sternly and said,” I told you that you would fall down.”
She looked at him with a smile and said,” That is why I fell.”
He looked at her shocked,” What? You fell because I said?”
She calmly said,” You know, God makes all our words come true. You said I would fall and I fell.”
Rohith was stunned, he was searching for words. They failed him. He finally went up to the child and dusted her clothes,” What is your name?”
“Meenu” she said with a giggle.
“Why did you climb the tree?”
“A row of ants carried this candy for their morning breakfast, but it fell down midway. I did not want them to go hungry so I thought I will put it into that hole for them.” She said showing him the candy, “Can you put it in that hole for me?”
Rohith was shaken with the child’s love. He could not deny her request.
He lifted her so that she herself would put it into the hole. She had a broad smile on her face, “Thank you.”
He did not have the heart to put her down. He slowly carried her around. He wanted to start a conversation but did not know how…
“Do you always wear such good clothes…? He was mystified with her question. He looked at her and said,” Yes Meenu? Why do you ask such a question?”
She said with a light air,” My Mummy gets me good clothes on my birthday. All the other days she gets it from my neighbor. I wear their clothes.” He felt a little upset and asked,” When did you come here?”
“I came yesterday night. I will be leaving soon. My mummy will come to take me…” She said smiling. “Your mother…? How did you know?” he asked her perplexed.
She asked him to put her down, which he did with little hesitation. She caught his two fingers with her hand and pulled him to her room.
She looked around stealthily for some time. Then slowly pushed her pillow and put her hand inside the pillow cover and pulled out a piece of paper.
She thrust it into Rohith’s hand and said,” Read it…”
Rohith read it….
Dear Meenu,
I will send your mummy back to you. Your mummy will come back to you. Till that I want you to be smiling. Be a good girl, your mummy will come back to you,
Love GOD.
Rohith knew very well that someone had played a trick on the little child, but he did not know why…
Just then Shantha walked in… She looked at Rohith and smiled, but when she saw the letter in his hand a chill ran down her spine.
She put her hand on Meenu’s shoulder and said,” Meenu go down for your breakfast.” And Meenu ran away hopping like a little rabbit.
When she was out of sight Rohith looked at her and asked,” Did you write this letter? Why did you do this to a poor kid, every day she will be expecting her mother… She is going to get disappointed…”
“No she won’t.” said Shantha with a confident tone. “I have decided to adopt Meenu.” saying so she pulled out the letter that Meenu wrote. She handed it to Rohith.
Before Rohith could finish he had a tear drop writing itself in the same piece of paper.
He looked up at her and asked,” Will your husband agree to it this?
“I am a spinster. I had plans of marrying but not after I saw Meenu. If you spend one day with her you will realize that she is the most priceless gift that god can ever give to anyone. I don’t want to miss her.” saying so she walked out of the room.
Rohith walked down to the dining hall… He saw Meenu sitting at the end. She slowly mixed the curry with rice. How much can a little hand do? She then slowly put a handful into her mouth.
Rohith wanted to SPEND A DAY WITH HER. He went into the Mother’s room sought her permission.
Meenu finished her breakfast and was sitting in the corridor looking at the butterflies fluttering around a flower.
He walked up to her, kneeled down before her and said,” Meenu…” She looked at him smiling.
“I want to take you out… Will you come with me?”
She looked at him and said,” Will you get me a chocolate?”
He smiled and said,” I will get you many…”
She immediately held his hand. He carried her and walked up to his car. Put her in the front seat and drove off…
He drove her to his house, on the way he had too many questions to answer. He thought,” There are no seven wonders in this world for a child there are seventeen hundred!!!”
He took her to HER room and when she opened… Lo! There were toys all around. He left her playing with them.
He fed her with his own hands and played with her… He felt that the world was beautiful when she was beside him.
Time went on… it was evening. She was playing in HER room. The power went off. In a few seconds the generator went on. He walked into the room just to verify that everything was fine. As soon as he opened the door she clung to his legs.
He carried her to the hall. It took him some time to console her. He finally asked her,” What Meenu? Why do you fear darkness?”
She looked at him and said,” There is a girl in our home who cries everyday when the sun comes up. I am much better than her.”
Rohith could not help but smiling. There was so much truth in the child’s word. When there are men who are afraid of light… how could we blame a kid for fearing darkness?
Meenu slept on Rohith holding on to the collar of his shirt and a thumb in her mouth. Suddenly she woke up startled and said, “Mani, Mani is alone. I need to go back to him.” She got up and pulled him to the door.
Rohith could not understand anything he looked at her and asked,” Who is Mani?”
“He is my friend. He is a small puppy. Come dada lets go.” The way she called him made his heart skip a beat. He decided… MEENU IS MINE. I WILL NEVER LEAVE HER.
He got into his car, called up Mother and asked her the address from where Meenu was brought. He had lot of confusion in finding his way out. Suddenly Meenu pulled his shirt close to him and dozed off on his shoulder.
Finally he reached the little hut. When the car jerked Meenu woke up startled… She looked out of the window and saw her home - sweet home.
He got out of the car, opened the door for Meenu to get down. She looked around with tears in her eyes… her eyes were searching for her little friend. All the while she was holding on to Rohith’s pant. She looked at the corner of her hut and saw a small thing moving. A tiny pair of eyes looked at her and then it came running to her. Her joy knew no bounds. She carried him in her hands and wiped all the dirt off him with her dress.
She kissed him, fondled him. Rohith was looking at her with a smile.
He thought, “I love you Meenu, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. She is not an Orphan by choices of her own but by the choices of others. I can’t let this happen. Not to the one I love. “
She came running to Rohith. He carried her and Mani into his car. They drove off back home.
All night he saw her play with Mani, He heard her talk. She was laughing, she was bubbling with joy, and she was full of life. Everything in his house seemed to be blessed with the touch of her little hand. And now he believed that joy and happiness came in small packages.
Finally she fell asleep, holding on to his ears with a finger in her mouth. She felt cold and she pushed herself close to him for the warmth of his love and affection. He put his hand around her, carried her and put her on his chest. He held her close so that she would not feel cold.
He looked at her and said,” You taught me how to love, but not how to stop. I can’t lose you Meenu. I LOVE YOU with all my heart and soul. It is really hard for me to accept the fact that you were someone else’s and you will be someone else’s. I have spent less than a day with you, but I just feel that it is only now that I have started living. You have just been with me like the dew on the blades of grass. The dew can leave the grass with no trace of it having been there; but, only the blade of grass knows how painful it is to lose the dew.”
He could no longer bear it. He put Meenu down on his bed walked up to the phone and called ‘New Ray Hope’.
“Yes tell me Rohith…” said Shantha.
Rohith was perplexed,” How did you know that? Okay. Whatever it is… I need Meenu. I can’t give her to anyone. I will do anything for her. Just tell me how much…”
“Rohith, wait… I knew you would never leave Meenu. I just wanted you to spend a day with her after which I was sure you could never leave her. I was expecting your call. All children deserve someone to love them, but, children like Meenu deserve more love. SHE IS YOURS… If Meenu agrees to be with you, we do not have any problem. There are many more children who deserve a home. I will take one of them as mine. Sleep peacefully. Good Night Rohith.”
Rohith was dumbstruck. He could only say,” Err… Thank you. Good Night Shantha.”
He spent all night wondering what Meenu would say. He fell asleep on the sofa. When he woke he was surprised to see Meenu sleeping on him. He carried her on his shoulder and prepared milk for her.
He then put her on their bed and sat there looking at her. After some time she woke up she looked at him. He wished her good morning and gave her the cup of milk. She pushed the glass of milk aside, hugged him and said,” Dada will you sending me back to that home? I don’t want to leave you. I want you. I won’t ask you chocolates, I won’t ask you toys. Please don’t send me away. When you were not by my side yesterday night I felt like crying. Please don’t send me away.” She kissed him hard and held him close.
He did not know which word could explain her how much he loved her. If he said I LOVE YOU will she understand…? A tear ran down his cheeks and he said,” Your mine Meenu, you don’t have to go anywhere. I don’t want to miss you”
-----------------------------The End------------------------
Mom Can I borrow Rs 25?
A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.
A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find her 5-year old son waiting for her at the door.
SON: 'Mummy, may I ask you a question?'
MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.
SON: 'Mummy, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'If you must know, I make R 50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Mummy, may I please borrow R25?'
MUM: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the woman.
SON: 'Mummy, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the woman said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
MUM: 'If you must know, I make R 50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Mummy, may I please borrow R25?'
The mother was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door..
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that R25.00 and she really didn't ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door..
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down , and started to think:
Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that R25.00 and she really didn't ask for money very often.The woman went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
'Are you asleep, son?' She asked.
'No Mummy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.
'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the R25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.
'Mummy, I have R50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that R50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the woman. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the R25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you Mummy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his mother.
'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the mother grumbled.
'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.
'Mummy, I have R50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The mother was crushed. She put his arms around her little son, and she begged for his forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that R50 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
--------------------------------The End--------------------------------------------------------------------
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.
· Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!
· With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.·
· When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.
· I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.
· But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs.·
· Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.
· Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.·
· At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....·
· The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!·
· If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you. If you do, you just might save a marriage.·
· Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.
---------------------------The End----------------------------------------------------------------
A conversation between a Soldier and Software Engineer in Shatabdhi Train .........An interesting and a must read!
Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdhi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!! He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.
"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car. "You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized. "
"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.
"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside." Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naive ness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it." For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement.
"It is complex, very complex." "It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply. This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. " Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing." He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point. "Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"
The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things." "I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager." "Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "So your life is easy now." This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.
To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday." Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.
"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire" . The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. "I know sir.... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time. "There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive." "You are a...?" "I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."
"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes. The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight. "It was nice meeting you sir."
Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute. It was the least he felt he could do for the country.
PS:- The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.
Dear Delhi boy,
Namaskaram from the South of India, or as you may like to believe, the countries south of the Vindhyas. I came to your city 2 years ago with a brand new job and a bucketload of expectations. My friends and family here thought I was completely insane to choose Delhi over more female conducive cities like Bangalore or even Bombay. I am very sad to report that your reputation of being an ignorant, chauvinistic oaf with the intelligence levels of an autistic 3 year old on crack precedes you and it hurts me even more to admit to this rather accurate description. Your reputation has travelled far and wide, to countries outside South India as well. And believe me man, it is not a pretty situation. I understand that your stone faded, ripped jeans, your V-neck cleavage showing t-shirts that reveal to the world that you have infact inherited your mother’s voluptuous shaved Punjabi bosom, are what you think maketh a man, but it does not. It only maketh for a man who gets a pity license to share his girlfriend’s bra. I write to you as a woman who has been brought up in a society free of any discrimination towards women so thanks to you, my living in Delhi is as safe as Hugh Hefner’s playmate of the year living in Jeddah.
You meet me at a friend’s birthday, talk to me about nightclubs and your new SUV and when I look like I’m in desperate need of a barf bag, you think I have an attitude problem. I understand this completely. But let me remind you that I am from SOUTH INDIA and not SOUTH DELHI, so no ,I am not scrawny, I am not fair, I don’t have straight hair and my topics of conversation go beyond the Fendi I saw in last month’s Vogue. I am olive-skinned, have lower –back-length lustrous cascading tresses that sometimes make me look like I fell out Jim Morrison’s tour bus. Got a problem with that? Well just suck it up coz I was born into a society where a woman can whoop your Punjabi patoutie to pulp. While your mother pretends to be very progressive but still cows down to the whims of her husband every single time, mine on the other hand was born into a matriarchal home where every single possession is in the rightful name of the girl child. Could you ever, my hunky handsome, cash throwing pig, imagine this kind of power in your society? So stop telling me that women are not treated like trash where you come from. Just shut up and admit to it. It’s just easier that way. And lest we forget that we’ve managed to curtail the number of rape cases despite not having a female Chief Minister. Amma ‘s body composition generates way too much heat for her get out of her AC room anyway, so don’t even bring that up.
And your English. Good Lord, what in the world is up with that? I don’t want you to ‘explain me’ anything. It’s like you need to go to primary school all over again. And call them your parents, not your ‘peerents’ or what your cooler, more happening brethren call them—‘mere mom-dad’. Like what are they? Conjoined twins? Are they joined at the hip? Your South India counterparts may not have your looks, but are way more mentally stimulating, a quality that eludes you obviously, but has been the single most sexy factor for us Southie chicks since the age of five. I mean once again, who can blame you? You were brought up on Gurdas Mann and the heroic deeds of Devinder Singh Bhullar and the ever so fair concepts such as elections in Phugwada while we mere ‘black-colour waale’ mortals had to make do with Bharatnatyam classes, M.S Subhalakshmi and chess. Shame no? And yes, if by a slight chance, you do find my big dancer eyes attractive enough for you to prolong our conversations and meetings and if by an even slighter chance you fall in love with me and decide to marry me, you will have to wear a mundu and you will have to lie prostrate shirtless at the Guruvayurappan temple. A small price to pay for all the genuine independence I am giving up for you. And that’s the real thing, not what you see the Delhi girls at LSR and Stephen’s doing during their fake as hell protest marches coz ultimately they’re going home to a family who’re putting together money for Bobby beta’s bail coz he just ran over his girlfriend’s ex, by mistake of course.
I understand that I come from the land of ugly. I mean obviously Hema Malini, Sri Devi and Aishwarya Rai with their natural banal looks don’t even hold a candle to Priyanka Chopra after her two nose jobs and one lip reconstruction surgery. Not a chance in hell. But when you do come to ask for my hand, remember I am part Maharashtrian and part South Indian and NO, they are not the same thing. So please tell your family, not to drop racist bombs like “Arey woh sab toh ‘Sawth’ ke hi hote hai na?” And YOU—don’t walk up to mother in an attempt to make flattering conversation and say shit like “Aunty you don’t look like a South Indian You are so fair” In return she will verbally Texas chainsaw massacre your face so badly, your dead Dadi will haunt you the very same night, telling you how fleeing Pakistan was less traumatic. So don’t. Better still just don’t speak. Just glean and flex your muscles a little and keep smiling. Just whatever you do, don’t talk.
You may not like our food, but then we don’t like you, which is worse. We may not be even that into food, but then that’s coz we have other things to do with our lives, like crack IIT or become writers, journalists, activists and do things that we are very passionate about. The South Indian woman has a voice and boy can she yell. So if you want to Sambhar ‘Chawl’ your way into my life, then you got to toe the line. Be way more aware than what your are. Remember Delhi is not a country and we are not Black. If I ever hear you utter that name of that colour, I will Kalaripayattu your tongue out of your rear. Yes , that is the secret behind our awesome sex ratio. Just so you know.
For someone who is so confident of his physical abilities you really suck at luring an intelligent woman. Don’t send me text messages that say ‘happy guru purab’, you freakshow and if you want to be cute with your ever so charming (not) Punjabi advances, then don’t send texts that say “Dil laye gayee kudi Madrraaas di”! NO. It’s just not cool man. I may have have missed on a lot in this letter, but that’s ok because you’ll forget to read it and even if you do , you’ll get your cousin Jassi from Defence Callonny to translate it for you. And this letter can’t go on forever like the Punjabi male ego.
So long my love, and here’s two steps of gidda just for you, just to show that I can be traditional and will not accidently kick your sister while doing so.
Love, hugs, kisses aka ‘muah’ (only I shall ‘muah’, you please don’t do anything coz you tend to forget that these are my lips and not a piece of Tandoori Chicken from Kakke- Da- Dhabba)
Yours
Madrasan
(Only I can call myself that. If you EVER call me by this name, I will shove so many coconuts down your system that your little saver pack versions will begin to sprout coir.)
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