The conversation

“Is it ok to trust someone Ma?” the little girl asked her mother.
“What made you ask this question?” the mother asked.
“I trusted my best friend Sukanya and gave her my favorite game. But she lost it!” said the little girl with sadness in her eyes.
The mother smiles. “That’s ok, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong. You trusted your friend. She lost your game because she is yet to learn how to keep others’ trust. But she will learn. So, be happy”.
The little girl looks up at her mother. Happy and contented she rushes towards the play ground.


Fifteen years later…

The little girl is now grown–up and have just started to work. One day after her work she comes home rather depressed. She goes into her room, throws her bag and plunges into the bed and the room’s darkness.

“that’s not usual!” her mother thinks. “She is always full of energy and lots of stories when she is back from her work!” – she enters her daughter’s room wondering what might have happened today.

“is there something bothering you today, honey” her mother sits down next her and slowly shuffles her daughter’s hair.
“Mama, u remember u told me one day long time back that its ok to trust others? And that I should be happy if I could do that?” she puts her head on her mother’s lap, her mother always smells so fresh to her.

“Yes, I do. But what makes you remember that suddenly? Anything happened”? her mother gets concerned now…her daughter is no more a 6 year old child!
“you know my friend from the collage? Udai?” she asks in a trailing voice.
“Yes, he was not getting any job for a long time, though he did brilliantly in studies. Are you talking about him?” her mother tries to hide her emotions with a calm voice.
“Yes. I gave his resume to my Boss and requested her to see if she could help. That was 6 months back. And you know, Udai actually got the job. I was so happy for him. He also came to me and thanked me so much…I was actually feeling embarrassed.” the daughter stops to take breathe.

Moments pass as if hours…her mother too scared to ask any questions, and the daughter too hurt to express her thoughts. At last she breaks silence.

“Today my boss called me at her office. She told me that Udai has been talking about me. All kinds of things…things which are not very good to hear, and which are not true. Others in the office has come and told this to my Boss. She wanted to know why is Udai doing this.” She stops again, perhaps to make herself believe what she was saying.
“I didn’t know what to say. I was so shocked. Then my boss gave me an advice – never to trust people unless and until I am absolutely sure!”

She sits up now on the bed and looks straight into her mother’s eyes. “I am confused. Was I wrong helping my friend, or it would be right if I don’t trust anyone henceforth?”


“Oh!” her mother thinks to her herself, visibly relaxed, but thoroughly pained seeing how much her daughter was hurt with the incident.

“Listen honey!” she hugs her dear daughter warmly as if trying to protect her from all the adversities of the out-side world. She is 21 years old, but her mother knew her daughter is still too naïve for the world.

“you are 21 years now. And you are working. You know I have always wanted you to take your own decisions and take full responsibilities of them. But let me tell you something from my own experience. We don’t live for the future or the past. We live only for the present and we dream for the future while living in the present. So, at the end of each day what we want is a nice peaceful sleep, so that our dreams for the future are always bright.” She gathers her thoughts together and continues “So, on any day if you find that you are unable to get a peaceful sleep or your dreams are breaking up, wake up and think what you have done that day. Is there something that you did that day which you knew in your heart you should not have done? A wrong act? A wrong decision?” she stops again for a moment.

“And that is what you should be worried about. Are you true to yourself? If yes, don’t worry what others say about you or what they think; because they are not the ones who are going to dream your dreams.”

The daughter looks at her mother for a long moment and gives her a bear hug. She makes up her mind – whatever happens she will never stop dreaming.