Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Renee McDaniel for helping me in the process of editing and proofreading.

February 2016
Amit Herlekar

There was a loud but pleasant ringing of a large bell that reverberated eight times inside the Bridger Mansion. An old man came at the top of the stairs and saw Mrs. Haley at the bottom of the hall waiting solemnly to attend him.

“Good evening, sir,” she said, as he began descending the stairs. “Dinner is ready.”

“Ah, thank you, Mrs. Haley.” John Bridger said. “I believe you have come early today.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, smiling. “It’s your birthday. Many happy returns, sir. I have cooked dinner myself for you today.”

“How nice of you, Mrs. Haley; you are a very kind caretaker,” he said pleasantly surprised. “I don’t seem to recall that I was born today. Anyway, let’s have dinner together, shall we?”

Mrs. Haley was taken a little off guard. “But I thought your son and grandchildren would be coming -”

“No, no, they won’t show up. I know,” he interjected. “Come on now. Take a seat. Don’t worry about serving me. We’ll help ourselves.”

He was down stairs and she followed nervously after him towards the long dinner table. She helped him take a seat and took one herself at the far end.

“If you are that far away, you can’t hear me talk. Can you?” he said. The words were blown as loud whispers to her. “Come on. Sit right next to me. You are the only one listening to all my rants for the past…” He began to think very hard.

“Ten years, sir.” she completed his line for him.

“Oh, yes!” he said and then laughed.

They enjoyed the dinner. Bridger felt grateful for Mrs. Haley for spending the evening with him. He spent most of his life in loneliness. He knew it was useless to think about his situation because it would make him regret his past. He had always looked ahead instead of turning around. It was very difficult in the beginning but he realized that he will have to face life as it comes and embrace it wholeheartedly.

When they were having desserts Bridger said, “I want to tell you about a conversation with a dear friend of mine which kept me company throughout my life. Would you like to hear it?”

“I certainly like to, sir,” she replied with a pleasant nostalgia painted on her face.

“All right then,” he said.

John Bridger had some water, cleared his throat and began, “One day…”

*        *        *

On a hot summer evening, he barged into the living room and I followed him right away. He was terribly vexed about his family business. He went to his sister’s place in the evening and faced some heated arguments during dinner. It hurt his ego and most importantly, his self-respect. I know he is a strong man. But life turns you down sometimes. It’s not always a cakewalk. It can turn into a pile of mess. He settled down with his hand on his forehead. I stood in front of him waiting for these thoughts to come out.

“Why do we fall?” he asked.

I calmly said, “It’s in our nature. We can’t help it.”

“I mean, why do I have to be the victim of all this pain and suffering?”

“It’s life by design. You have to pay for what has happened.” I replied.

“But what have I done? I haven’t committed any crime!”

“That’s the problem with us. We confuse our muted voices in our minds for true knowledge. You think you know everything. But trust me, you don’t.”

“That’s unfair. This is insane!”

“You don’t get to decide what’s fair and what’s not. It’s beyond your control. You are not entitled to it. So don’t trouble your mind with it.”

“I know, but I have done nothing wrong.”

“That’s what you think. It’s only in your mind. You don’t have the faintest idea of what’s going on around you. You mistake your manifestations in your mind and accept them as truth. Because, you don’t know the reality, neither can you accept it. You are here because of the result of all the things you have committed or remotely done even by mistake.”

“That’s not fair. How do I know if I have offended something or someone accidentally? Perhaps it could be twist of fate.”

“Now who’s being unfair? You told me that you have done nothing wrong. Hmm? You spoke of knowledge and now you are talking about fate. That’s interesting.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“There is no such thing as unfair or unjust,” I said after a while. “One thing you have to understand is that there is no white without black. How will you ever experience joy if you do not know what sorrow is? There is no happiness without unhappiness. You are born to face difficulties and overcome them. This is how you will learn how to earn your happiness.”

“Why should I earn my happiness? It's my birthright to have it.” he retorted.

“Fine; go find it. You didn’t have to come to me.” I replied casually.

Let down, he sunk his head.

“Perhaps my birth is itself a mistake. I shouldn’t have been born.”

“Hmm… unfortunately, you are.” I said with a smile.

“You think this is funny? You don’t understand the trouble I am in. I don’t deserve this pain.”

“Then change it. You have a choice. Only you can control your fate.”

“Why? Why should I change it? What if I didn’t have to experience pain at all in the first place?”

“That’s one way to look at it. Ignorance, sometimes, is a virtue.”

He blankly stared out the window and said, “No. I mean, I don’t want to sense sorrow. You know, be immune to it.”

“Seriously? How ridiculous! How can you imagine living a life like that? Without sorrow? You’ve got to be kidding me! Then you don’t even qualify to be happy. I mean, where is the fun without it?” I said with a sigh. “Anyways, Trust me. It’s insanely boring. Think about it. Your life would have no purpose. Wake up, get ready, go to work, have lunch, work again, return home and finally go to bed. This is life with work - a purely mechanical one. On the other side, a life without work – you are a waste body. You are a creature born to have emotions. Expression is the language of emotions. You can laugh, cry; you can feel angry, bad, sick or disgusting. All felt and expressed by your own will. Right now at least we have something to chat about, don’t you think? (Well, this conversation is nonsense. I think it's getting funnier) I mean, what’s the purpose of life without them? They are the very reason we are born. They fill the blanks in your life.”

He took a deep breath, sunk his head in his hands and then looked up. There was excruciating pain in his eyes. I walked in his shoes all his life. I must say, he was beaten all the way. His marriage ended up in a bitter divorce where he lost everything. He wasn’t allowed to see his children. His family abandoned him out of shame. All the money he earned was gone. What was worse was he had lost the will to live. Yes, I saw him during those hard times. He was torn into shreds. I was forced into a corner and not allowed to talk. But I knew he could hear my whispers. And he really did. I saw him get up and wash his slate clean to start fresh. Well, it took some time for him to join hands with hope. Then it was courage that took the lead. I am proud to see what he is now.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“Finally, there is a start,” I said with genuine pleasure. “All right, you have two choices: One, complain about the difficulties and continue complaining on and on leading you nowhere. Two, take them as challenges and overcome them. With this, there is a flow of relief, satisfaction and ultimate joy resulting out of triumph. The choice is yours.”

        “Is there another way?” he said, being a little unsettled.

        “Then you should ask yourself: ‘Why am I here?’”

        “Hmm… tell me. Why am I here?”

“You are here to attain peace with yourself.” I said and vanished. I just hope the other guy doesn’t show up.

*        *        *

“Now tell me, Mrs. Haley,” said Bridger chuckling, “how many times have you heard this story?”

        “Never mind, sir,” Mrs. Haley replied. “I love it every time it falls on my ears.”

When she was about to leave for the day, out of overwhelming happiness she said, “Sir. Thank you for everything. Good night. I will see you in the morning.”

John Bridger nodded acknowledging her with a smile and went to bed.