2019: Story 1: No One Can Know
So 2019 has started. And I decided to embark on a hattrick with yet another year of story-writing with my group of writers from across the world on the 12 Short Stories Writing Challenge. Here's the first story of this new calendar year.
“What makes you say so, Mr. Mukund?”
“I’ve been seeing it all these years. People want to attend these training programs only to lend weight to their resume or because they’re forced to by their superiors. No one is really interested in making a serious change.”
“Ok, people, time for the tea break,” called out Ruhi’s assistant just in time to defuse the awkward moment.
As the trainees filed out of the room, Mukund came up to Ruhi.
“Sorry if I sounded like a pessimist, but it’s a fact, you know. Of course, you’re young and filled with hopes of changing the world, so you’ll call me cynical.”
Something about his manner irritated the usually complacent Ruhi.
“How did you grow so wise, Mr. Mukund? Have you ever thought about why people act the way they do?”
“What’s there to think? All these years I’ve been seeing the way my employees make a mess of their lives with their stubborn refusal to change their habits. It’s just sheer laziness on their part, nothing else.”
“Ah, if only you’d really ask for their side of the story, Mr. Mukund, perhaps you’d learn a little more yourself.”
“I don’t think so, Ms. Ruhi. You just wait and see – after a few more years, you’ll quit this job and find yourself a better career where there’s no scope for such disappointment.”
Mukund walked away from the conversation, shaking his head at Ruhi’s foolish optimism. These youngsters knew nothing of life.
Later that night, Mukund tossed and turned in bed. He was finding it increasingly difficult to fall asleep these days. He tried to read, but the storyline wasn’t really interesting, so he put aside the book, and slunk out of the bedroom, careful not to wake his wife who was fast asleep. Lucky woman, he thought, wondering at how sleep claimed her as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Walking about the silent house, Mukund found his mind wandering back to the pitying look on Ruhi’s face when he’d given her a dose of his thoughts. What was that she’d said? “Have you ever thought about why people act the way they do?” As those words repeated themselves in his head, Mukund found that pitying look boring into his eyes. Well, he’d show her!
A faint plan took shape in his mind and Mukund rushed to his laptop.
He typed out a simple question.
“If there’s one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be?”
He sat staring at the question and a few minutes later, added a second one.
“What stops you from making that change?”
Warming to his plan, Mukund created a new email id. He composed an email introducing himself as a member of “Blue Swan Foundation” that was conducting a survey on how people deal with difficult issues in their lives. He asked, for their help in understanding the issue. Would they be kind enough to reply to these two simple questions, he asked.
1. “If there’s one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be?”
2. “What stops you from making that change?”
Mukund mailed this message to members of his extended family, his colleagues and a few friends. As he sat back, wondering how many of them would respond, he was thrilled to see the first reply.
It was someone from his office who worked in another department. All Mukund knew about her was that everyone called her “Latecomer” because she was always late to office.
The email read:
‘I wish I could find some way of getting to office on time. I’m tired of being late every day, and people laughing at me. But it’s not in my control. Even if I get ready early, there’s something or the other my mother-in-law wants me to do before leaving home. If only she hadn’t been paralysed below the waist, I wouldn’t need to be so stressed with work at home. Or maybe if we were richer, we could have hired a nurse to take care of her.”
**********
The next few days, Mukund kept checking his new email account, and slowly, the replies came trickling in.
‘The one thing I’d like to change is to make more people talk to me. I’m not a very confident guy, and no one cares for my opinion. Often, I try to make my point in a conversation, but soon, I find myself stammering, and my voice gets drowned out. No one cares about my problem,’ wrote one of Mukund’s cousins, whom they all teased for being shy.
‘I wish I could feel happy in my own company. But I’m scared to be alone, because then, all those memories come flooding back, and I can’t fight them. I wish I could go back and wipe away that horrible night I traveled alone in a cab and ended up getting raped. I’m looking for the right person who can help me forget my past. So I’m always going out with friends, and have had many relationships, but no one ever sticks around for long,’ wrote a young intern whom the men in Mukund’s office looked at lasciviously even while they gossiped about how promiscuous her behavior was.
‘I feel depressed because I notice people avoid my company. There’s nothing going right for me – I don’t earn much, and have to take care of my ailing parents, and my kid has a learning disability, so I have to hire a special education teacher for him,’ wrote one of Mukund’s old college friends, whom Mukund dismissed as being a loser with no drive.
‘My husband is addicted to alcohol and abuses me and the kids. Many mornings, I can’t even crawl out of bed. No one knows about this problem, because he manages to charm them all by his polite ways. I wish I could escape from this marriage, but I’m not educated enough to earn my own living. And how will I support my kids?’ asked one of Mukund’s relatives, whom everyone in the extended family dismissed as a poor housekeeper who couldn’t keep her home neat and everyone blamed for being lazy and lying in bed instead of doing some useful work.
***********
A few days later, Mukund walked into Ruhi’s office.
“What brings you here, Mr. Mukund? Some more stories of how people are bad and the world is full of weakness and unwilling to change? ”
Mukund tried to smile and failed.
“Aren’t you making the same mistake as me, Ms. Ruhi?”
“What! You admit to making a mistake? Did the sun rise in the west, today?”
Mukund laughed out loud. He told Ruhi about his email with the questions and the replies he’d got. She listened, and saw the change in his eyes. They appeared gentler now, and his jaw seemed just a little less clenched than the last time she’d met him.
“You know what finally got me to see things differently,’ he asked.
“Tell me.”
“It was this email,” said Mukund, passing a printout to Ruhi.
‘If there’s one thing I could change, it would be the person I married. He’s so depressing to be with, because he doesn’t see hope in anything or anyone. My husband is so full of himself that he doesn’t realize other people are not as lucky as him. He cannot look beyond people’s faults, and there are times when I think he feels cheated for having married an ordinary person like me. I’ve been thinking of getting away from him but I don’t think the law recognizes a broken heart as grounds for divorce?”
As Ruhi finished reading and looked up, she saw Mukund had tears in his eyes. Answering her unasked question, he said, “This came from my wife…”
“Oh….I don’t know what to say, Mr. Mukund!”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s been difficult, but I’ve realized now that I’m indeed a cynical old fool. I’ve come to ask you for help. Teach me how to change, at least for my wife’s sake.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Mr. Mukund. You must change, yes, but not for your wife. You must change for yourself.”
A year later, it was a smiling Mukund who stood ready outside a new office. ‘Blue Swan Foundation for Personality Development’ read the board. As his friends, family and colleagues cheered, calling out wishes to him, Mukund beckoned to his wife, and asked her to cut the ribbon to inaugurate this new venture. From a little away, Ruhi watched with a smile as a happy Mukund raised his hand to send a small salute her way. ‘No one can know how life will turn out’ she thought, filing this phrase away for use in her next training program.
Personally, I wasn't too happy with this story because I wrote it at literally the last minute without devoting time to building up the theme or editing/polishing the piece. I almost didn't post it to the 12 SS site, but then, couldn't digest the thought of quitting, so I put it up.
***********
Prompt: No one can know Word count: 1500 exactly
***********
“You won’t get far with this group, Ms. Ruhi,” drawled a deep voice. Ruhi turned to look at the speaker, taking in the streaks of grey in his hair and the mocking smile that played about an otherwise grim face. “What makes you say so, Mr. Mukund?”
“I’ve been seeing it all these years. People want to attend these training programs only to lend weight to their resume or because they’re forced to by their superiors. No one is really interested in making a serious change.”
“Ok, people, time for the tea break,” called out Ruhi’s assistant just in time to defuse the awkward moment.
As the trainees filed out of the room, Mukund came up to Ruhi.
“Sorry if I sounded like a pessimist, but it’s a fact, you know. Of course, you’re young and filled with hopes of changing the world, so you’ll call me cynical.”
Something about his manner irritated the usually complacent Ruhi.
“How did you grow so wise, Mr. Mukund? Have you ever thought about why people act the way they do?”
“What’s there to think? All these years I’ve been seeing the way my employees make a mess of their lives with their stubborn refusal to change their habits. It’s just sheer laziness on their part, nothing else.”
“Ah, if only you’d really ask for their side of the story, Mr. Mukund, perhaps you’d learn a little more yourself.”
“I don’t think so, Ms. Ruhi. You just wait and see – after a few more years, you’ll quit this job and find yourself a better career where there’s no scope for such disappointment.”
Mukund walked away from the conversation, shaking his head at Ruhi’s foolish optimism. These youngsters knew nothing of life.
**********
Later that night, Mukund tossed and turned in bed. He was finding it increasingly difficult to fall asleep these days. He tried to read, but the storyline wasn’t really interesting, so he put aside the book, and slunk out of the bedroom, careful not to wake his wife who was fast asleep. Lucky woman, he thought, wondering at how sleep claimed her as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Walking about the silent house, Mukund found his mind wandering back to the pitying look on Ruhi’s face when he’d given her a dose of his thoughts. What was that she’d said? “Have you ever thought about why people act the way they do?” As those words repeated themselves in his head, Mukund found that pitying look boring into his eyes. Well, he’d show her!
A faint plan took shape in his mind and Mukund rushed to his laptop.
He typed out a simple question.
“If there’s one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be?”
He sat staring at the question and a few minutes later, added a second one.
“What stops you from making that change?”
Warming to his plan, Mukund created a new email id. He composed an email introducing himself as a member of “Blue Swan Foundation” that was conducting a survey on how people deal with difficult issues in their lives. He asked, for their help in understanding the issue. Would they be kind enough to reply to these two simple questions, he asked.
1. “If there’s one thing in your life that you could change, what would it be?”
2. “What stops you from making that change?”
Mukund mailed this message to members of his extended family, his colleagues and a few friends. As he sat back, wondering how many of them would respond, he was thrilled to see the first reply.
It was someone from his office who worked in another department. All Mukund knew about her was that everyone called her “Latecomer” because she was always late to office.
The email read:
‘I wish I could find some way of getting to office on time. I’m tired of being late every day, and people laughing at me. But it’s not in my control. Even if I get ready early, there’s something or the other my mother-in-law wants me to do before leaving home. If only she hadn’t been paralysed below the waist, I wouldn’t need to be so stressed with work at home. Or maybe if we were richer, we could have hired a nurse to take care of her.”
**********
The next few days, Mukund kept checking his new email account, and slowly, the replies came trickling in.
‘The one thing I’d like to change is to make more people talk to me. I’m not a very confident guy, and no one cares for my opinion. Often, I try to make my point in a conversation, but soon, I find myself stammering, and my voice gets drowned out. No one cares about my problem,’ wrote one of Mukund’s cousins, whom they all teased for being shy.
‘I wish I could feel happy in my own company. But I’m scared to be alone, because then, all those memories come flooding back, and I can’t fight them. I wish I could go back and wipe away that horrible night I traveled alone in a cab and ended up getting raped. I’m looking for the right person who can help me forget my past. So I’m always going out with friends, and have had many relationships, but no one ever sticks around for long,’ wrote a young intern whom the men in Mukund’s office looked at lasciviously even while they gossiped about how promiscuous her behavior was.
‘I feel depressed because I notice people avoid my company. There’s nothing going right for me – I don’t earn much, and have to take care of my ailing parents, and my kid has a learning disability, so I have to hire a special education teacher for him,’ wrote one of Mukund’s old college friends, whom Mukund dismissed as being a loser with no drive.
‘My husband is addicted to alcohol and abuses me and the kids. Many mornings, I can’t even crawl out of bed. No one knows about this problem, because he manages to charm them all by his polite ways. I wish I could escape from this marriage, but I’m not educated enough to earn my own living. And how will I support my kids?’ asked one of Mukund’s relatives, whom everyone in the extended family dismissed as a poor housekeeper who couldn’t keep her home neat and everyone blamed for being lazy and lying in bed instead of doing some useful work.
***********
A few days later, Mukund walked into Ruhi’s office.
“What brings you here, Mr. Mukund? Some more stories of how people are bad and the world is full of weakness and unwilling to change? ”
Mukund tried to smile and failed.
“Aren’t you making the same mistake as me, Ms. Ruhi?”
“What! You admit to making a mistake? Did the sun rise in the west, today?”
Mukund laughed out loud. He told Ruhi about his email with the questions and the replies he’d got. She listened, and saw the change in his eyes. They appeared gentler now, and his jaw seemed just a little less clenched than the last time she’d met him.
“You know what finally got me to see things differently,’ he asked.
“Tell me.”
“It was this email,” said Mukund, passing a printout to Ruhi.
‘If there’s one thing I could change, it would be the person I married. He’s so depressing to be with, because he doesn’t see hope in anything or anyone. My husband is so full of himself that he doesn’t realize other people are not as lucky as him. He cannot look beyond people’s faults, and there are times when I think he feels cheated for having married an ordinary person like me. I’ve been thinking of getting away from him but I don’t think the law recognizes a broken heart as grounds for divorce?”
As Ruhi finished reading and looked up, she saw Mukund had tears in his eyes. Answering her unasked question, he said, “This came from my wife…”
“Oh….I don’t know what to say, Mr. Mukund!”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s been difficult, but I’ve realized now that I’m indeed a cynical old fool. I’ve come to ask you for help. Teach me how to change, at least for my wife’s sake.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Mr. Mukund. You must change, yes, but not for your wife. You must change for yourself.”
A year later, it was a smiling Mukund who stood ready outside a new office. ‘Blue Swan Foundation for Personality Development’ read the board. As his friends, family and colleagues cheered, calling out wishes to him, Mukund beckoned to his wife, and asked her to cut the ribbon to inaugurate this new venture. From a little away, Ruhi watched with a smile as a happy Mukund raised his hand to send a small salute her way. ‘No one can know how life will turn out’ she thought, filing this phrase away for use in her next training program.
Personally, I wasn't too happy with this story because I wrote it at literally the last minute without devoting time to building up the theme or editing/polishing the piece. I almost didn't post it to the 12 SS site, but then, couldn't digest the thought of quitting, so I put it up.
From the feedback of the other writers there, it looks like I did the right thing because so many of them say they felt uplifted by the 'message' in my story.
Yet again, I wonder - am I too harsh a critic of my own writing?
Yet again, there's a lesson for me to learn - you never know what small thing you do - even half-heartedly - can serve to inspire hope in someone else; so just keep doing your best and leave to God the rest!
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