Sorry Sir, You Just Missed

(57)

“Rafael, today what is special?”

“Well I met a girl, who was always  late.”

“But Rafael, in our school late comers are not allowed in class. So we try not to be late.”

“That’s good. But do you know, the consequences of late coming?” All nodded in the negative.

“Shall I say a story?”

“Yes please Rafael. It’s a pleasure to hear your stories.” All nodded.

“Thank you for the compliment Monica. But I would like to make a difference in your lives with these stories. You should become the perfect beings and do with the full knowledge of why you should do it so.” All nodded.

“Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Gretel. She was beautiful and very intelligent, but she had a problem. She never kept her timings. She was always late, but she had a knack to talk sweetly and her beauty too helped her a lot in pacifying the person who waited for her.”

“But Rafael, then its doom for the lesser mortals, who are not beautiful or people who are not good at talking.” All nodded.

“Well, we’ll see, Rebecca. So one day, her father, Chief surgeon of a specialist hospital asked her to bring a packet delivered to his home by a friend of his from America that very morning , exactly at 10 to his hospital and he specifically told better start early because we waited for this medicine and it cannot wait any longer. So banking on you, we are starting the surgery and I expect you be there exactly at 10, if you are late, you would be responsible, Gretel. So just get going.”

“Oh God, its life saving, that means, if she is not able to reach there, the patient would be dead?”

“Exactly, dead. Anyway, to reach the hospital was an hour's journey. So Gretel got ready by 8, thinking that she could reach there early by an hour to spare.” All nodded.

“She got into her car and started the ignition, but it didn’t start. She tried several times and nothing happened. She looked at her watch and she had an hour to spare, relieved, she called her mechanic and told her problem and asked him to come as fast as possible and the mechanic was a reliable person. He promised to reach within 10 minutes, but he too got delayed by half an hour. Gretel couldn’t control her anger.”

“Its natural, its no laughing matter to make others wait and that too at this critical situation.” All nodded

“Well, Gretel had to wait because she had no other go. The mechanic came all greased because his motorbike got a puncture, on the way.”

“Just imagine, Rafael, first Gretel’s car and secondly the mechanic’s bike.” All nodded.

“Yes Mark, that is what happens, when we make others wait, it would come back to us and make us wait when we really need to be there on time or before time. But the problems didn’t end there for Gretel, the problem of the car was rectified and she had half an hour to spare. She got to the road with relief and drove along with the traffic, no problem until she got stuck  in a red light, she waited and waited and nothing moved, after 5 minutes, she opened the window and asked the other vehicle driver why were they not allowed to go and the driver replied, “madam, there has been an accident, a cyclist has been hit and  there is a commotion there. So we will have to wait until emergency arrives.”

“Its really a nightmare.”

“yes, Ajay, It was indeed a nightmare, but what to do, Gretel has to go through all these, for she had already made others wait many a times. She couldn’t believe her luck. She was in the middle of the block and unable to budge. She waited, until the traffic was cleared. She sped to her destination and was stopped by a traffic police and was fined for speeding. Then she had to slow down a bit, but still she was a bit relieved that she could make it on time and she turned to the next street and found a blockade being erected by the police.”

“Great, that really has crossed the limit.”

“Yes, indeed it has, but what to do, that was the easiest route to reach the hospital. She honked and pleaded to them. But they were no people to be budged, they shouted at her, “Don’t horn, either wait until the minister’s car pass by or turn around, the choice is yours and they returned to their work. She had no choice, but to turn around and take the next best route.”  at that moment her father called, “where are you? I have posted a nurse in the reception, so give it to her, I am going to the theater and don’t be late as always, because this is a life and death situation. This man’s life is in your hands,  understood?” and the phone was disconnected.”

“Poor Gretel, just imagine, she is going to repeat the lateness again.”

“Hmm. That words was what jolted her. She knew then, why all these were happening to her. She decided then and there, never in her beautiful life, was she going to be late. She really begged God, please give her one more chance and let her reach her destination on time.”

“Was she able to reach on time, Rafael?”

“She just reached when a nurse came running to the foyer. She knew then and there that they were looking for her. She gave the packet and the nurse thanked her profusely, “you arrived just on time.” Saying so, the nurse nodded and fled.”

“Whew!!!! That was close.”

“Hmm… that’s right. Gretel sat there in the car unable to believe her luck. Tears freely flowed. She thanked God from her very being.”

“Just imagine, if she were not able to reach on time, she would have had a death in her hand and no one would ever forgive her for that, isn’t it Rafael?”

“Yes, Mathew, all these would not have come, if she had been punctual. When you do something, whatever the action may be, there creates a log book in our soul, this log book is what decides our fate, diverts our destiny. If you do something good, naturally, that good would come back to you, in the same manner, and much more dramatically, that receiving part would never be able to be forgotten. Do you know why?" All nodded in the negative.

"Because God is a punch line in Himself, and we, as His children would naturally has in us, but the best part is, getting it fulfilled, all the good we have given would be delivered at the right moment, at the right place, that is what we call the punch line - Delivery at the right moment at the right place.” All nodded.

“That would be a wonderful experience, isn’t it Rafael?”

“Yes, it is, but there is one thing you should know, to get something good, you should earn it, nothing happens, if you have not given any good to others. So in this case of Gretel, if you follow her path, if you are not punctual, nothing would happen to you at the right time and you would be always the late comer and do you want to hear the punch line of late comers?” All nodded.

“Sorry maam or sorry sir, you just missed.” Would you like to hear that?” All nodded in the negative.

“In short, what we do is what we get, right Rafael?”

“Yes, Mark, that’s right, your actions decides your future, so decide what your future should  hold and live your life with open hearts, will you?”

“Thank you Rafael, I would surely ensure to be punctual, that’s a promise, I don’t want any follow ups as that of Gretel.” All nodded

“Why don’t we continue this tomorrow?” All nodded.

...to be contd....(58)....

Until then... Take care.....Bye

Meena