Reason to Smile – Short Story with Moral Lesson
Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com
The image that appeared before me was an unconventional one. The defused light, the sonorous music, tinkling of glasses, the chit chat of ladies, and the pretentious smile all offered a nausea-tic feeling. I was in a depressed state. Coming to the party proved to be a futile attempt to meet the top-notch of the fashion industry to get assignments. Somehow, I dragged myself all alone from the party and reached at the railway station. I reclined my tired body in the comfort of AC chair-car of the express train.
“28, this is my seat. Please place the red suitcase on the bunk” The porter placed the huge suitcase with his thin hands. The tall wheatish- skinned, grey-haired gentleman paid him some extra bucks. The porter’s eyes glistened in gratitude. He thanked the old man and left the compartment. It was for the third time that the aged man tried to pull the zipper of his jacket.
“Execuse me please” a soft voice just distracted the old man. A sophisticated sari draped dusky lady, with a diamond necklace round her neck passed by the old man and sat beside me. I was feeling claustrophobic in the AC compartment. I puffed my inhaler twice. To my respite, the train just whistled. We three were all settled in the compartment.
I was just about to read my selection letter for the city beauty pageant that the train stopped at a station. The station seemed haunted. It was dark all over except from a dimly-lit lamp in the Station Master’s room. I could barely read the name of the station. A girl covered with head scarf boarded the compartment. The girl uttered in her broken English” Kindly put bag on roof.”
By roof, she must have meant the upper berth.
Train journeys can be really boring if you are alone. How long can you brood and dream or eat and drink. The lady beside me was playing Angry Bird on her iPad. The old man played an audio cassette in a walkman. Suddenly, he ejected the audio cassette. The reel had clinged to the walkman. He took out a ball pen and patiently smoothen the reel with the pen.
I quickly said “Uncle, my father used to detach reel from the cassette in the similar way”.
The lady glanced and said “Perhaps the next generation will never find a connection between the pen and a cassette.”
The old man nodded and took out a road map.
He said “Do you all know we will be crossing a huge tunnel soon.”
The lady said “Thankfully, it’s not daytime. I would have felt like crying then.”
So what makes you smile? asked the old man. I just passed a cursory glance. No, on a serious note, let’s all share our reason to smile. He pointed at me. I was not in a mood to speak, but reluctantly had to start as all were staring at me expectantly.
I am a fashion designer. Fame is my reason to smile. But in our industry, just thinking out of the box does not help to succeed, one has to have proper connections with the industry biggies. I don’t have one so I am being rejected in all the upcoming events. Fame brings money, success and smile.
The lady gave a mocking smile and said “I had fame, money, status everything. It is all destiny. Till yesterday, I used to think that money could bring smile to a face. But today I am bankrupt. When I was just twenty-one, I had married a middle-aged rich businessman. Though it was not a marriage of true mind, I had taken good care of him. Few days back he died of cardiac arrest. Last night his lawyer informed me that he has given all his assets to a charitable old age home. It is difficult for me to maintain the social stature which I have been used to for years. I am returning back to my home town after losing my happiness, wealth and smile.
“ Old age home that’s where I am going” said the old man.
“No, my son and daughter did not banish me from my home. It is my sole key to happiness. Self respect is my reason to smile. My daughter is well settled in the US. She pleaded to take me along with her. But it was my sole decision to spend my life independently in an old age home. I can live there as per my own terms. But I know my stern decision has shocked my daughter and hurt her a lot. But selfishness is a yet another human nature and I could not get rid of it.”
The lady with the head scarf heaved a sigh and said slowly; smile is a gift of god. Do you really need a reason to smile? Unconditional love makes me smile; sacrifice to bring smile to another’s face makes me smile. Every day I smile and thank god for bringing me to this beautiful world. We were all moved by her uncomplaining, contented nature about life.
It was already dawn. The train had reached the destination. We all bade adieu and was about to leave. It was drizzling outside. Suddenly a heavy breeze removed her headscarf. I was shocked to see, she had a cleft lip. Her lip was deformed and had a gap in between. It made her look ugly. It was a condition that restrained her from smiling. But yet she confided she does not need a specific reason to smile.
She instilled an air of optimism within the three of us. You can lead an uncomplaining life if you just adapt to the changing situations of life. I heaved a sigh of relief and regained the strengths of adapting to the difficult situation.
__END__
