The Birthday

It is my mother's birthday today. My mother has always been the gentlest creature I know. She has absolutely no complaints with life even when she has complaints with life. She does not complain when the local shopkeeper cheats her or her helper at home disappears the masala bowls in the kitchen. So I as her daughter have been very protective of her. In order to shield her I have developed a very cynical and suspicious approach to life. I forgive no one and nothing and can be very exacting at times. When I was about five years of age I would accompany my mom to the store where the storekeeper would Cock up their ears on seeing her and go,"Bhabhiji Aaj aap kaise ho?"(how are you doing today). When my mother would buy anything I would double check the expiry and the price of the item. I would count the change given back by the shopkeeper and that was how I learnt to count in my early days. One day when I was old enough I went to the store on my own. I had to buy a pen and a packet of turmeric powder. I went to the local store and asked for these items. The helper boy handed me a pen and a packet of the masala. I asked him what was the cost of the items.

He replied ,"Twenty rupees for the pen and sixty rupees for the powder." I said twenty rupees for the pen was too much and if he had any cheaper variety. He said at the moment he only kept those. I went back home and my mother asked me whether I had everything and I replied I had but I was unable to get the pens. My mother pinched my cheek and replied, "Try being nice the next time." So I went the very next day to the same store and the same shop boy asked me my order. I said I wanted the pen he showed me yesterday but could he please consider lowering the price a bit as it was a gift for my mother for her birthday and how she spoke highly of the store. The shop boy looked quizzically at the storekeeper who said,"Your mother is our regular customer. Take the pen as a gift from us. Also take this calendar. And tell your mother what a nice and polite girl you are." And so I came to learn a very important lesson in my life of how to be nice to people.