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Strange are the twists and turns of life. A doctor, who had built a clinic, was being dispossessed of it by his sister, informed Gayathri. Life had a pleasant surprise for her though, says Bina, in the regular column, exclusively in Different Truths.
I was at our family doctor’s clinic waiting for my turn. I saw a beautiful and graceful lady sitting ahead of me. Our eyes met and I smiled at her. In a moment we could connect. There was something about her, that I wanted to communicate. There were many patients waiting and I knew the wait was going to be long.
I asked her name and she said, “Gayathri.” She looked familiar as if I had seen her somewhere before. I realised both of us had been going to the same doctor for thirty years.
“Bina, can you believe this? The hospital which was being run by him since 40 years is being taken over by his sister,” she said.
“What? Oh! That’s sad news Gayathri. But, why all of a sudden?” I asked her.
“Their mother passed away a month back. Her mother had willed it to his sister. She wants to sell it,” said Gayathri.
“How cruel is that! I can’t believe this. It took him years to build it up. He has been our family doctor for decades, I don’t like to see him go. Can’t his sister wait for some years before she takes this harsh decision.”
When he realised he had to wind up everything, he asked for time. But she was eager to sell it. He said he couldn’t find an alternate place. In Mumbai where the property prices are soaring, it’s not easy. The next thing she did was, she filed a case. He was shocked. He couldn’t believe his sister, whom he carried wherever they went and took care of as a child, was fighting over their property.
Now, it’s sub-judice, the court will decide,” said Gayathri.
She looked upset too.
Then she said something which touched me. “There are three wants which never can be satisfied: that of the rich, who wants something more; that of the sick, who wants something different; and that of the traveller, who says, ‘Anywhere but here’.”
I thought how right she was.
Gayathri, some people become greedy and to accumulate wealth they will even walk over people. It is sad, parents struggle and make wealth, the siblings fight over it and in the end go to court.
I thought she was a beautiful person when she said “When will people realise humanity is greater than money? How true is that?”
She said her husband was a doctor too. He served the poor free of charge. For the others, he charged very little. Then we heard her name being called and she went inside the room, bidding goodbye. We never saw each other after that. But, some people we meet in our life have a story to tell that leave a lasting impact.
Many months later I heard this fairy tale story about Gayathri. I was relating this story when my friend said she was her neighbour years back. Gayathri and her husband were tenants staying in a Bungalow for the last thirty years.
The landlord lived abroad, never asked them for an increase in rent. They were paying Rs.300 since many years. Five years back he passed away. They planned to look for a new place but they were sad to leave their neighbours. They were shocked and surprised when they saw a mail in their letter box. They were informed by a relative, there was no heir to this property.
Now, Gayathri owns that huge Bungalow, with a beautiful garden at a prime location.
Life throws surprises at people who have beauty, love, compassion, and goodness in their heart.
©Bina Pillai
Photos sourced from author and the internet.
#LyricalLife #Greed #GreedIntheFamily #NoValueOfRelationship #GoodnessOfHeart #TwistAndTurnOfLife #DifferentTruths
