“Tell me what you know Jerry.”
“I don’t know much.”
“How can you be so calm and
peaceful all the time?”
“Nicole, we have a very limited time
left to live. Don’t you think we are losing those precious ticking
seconds from our lives as we sit and be burdened?”
“Yeah, you’re right”
“You have to relax and not burden
yourself much, things will be much simpler. There are 3 types of people- the rich,
the poor, and there is us- somewhere in between. But the problem is, the rich will
be unhappy as they will never be the richest, the poor will be unhappy because they
will never be rich, and us, who are somewhere in between, will never be happy
as we will fail miserably making everyone happy.”
“What do you mean?”
“This world is a very unfair
place to live in, especially for the humans. Their evolved brain gave them the
ability to think, plan and execute their ideas to make dreams into reality. But
they also used their ability for being selfish and narrow minded.”
“Yeah, that’s right. We are the
ones who can’t coexist, we are the ones cursing and blaming each other, we are
spreading like wild fire on this planet, and we are the only ones burdened with
the problems created by us. I don’t think it’s the same for the other species.”
“Yes. So the best way to have a
good life is by not getting disappointed if we fail in our responsibilities. Do what makes you happy and do what you feel is right as that is the key for a peaceful life. If you try to keep everyone
happy, that will be another epic failure, because it’s just not possible. It’s
not a bad thing to be poor. And it’s certainly not the best thing to be rich. The
rich can’t buy health and peace of mind; all they can buy are commodities which
will only give them temporary happiness. So once the commodities get exhausted
then what? They will feel the pinch.”
“Sometimes I just feel good to be
on my own without anyone bothering me. Maybe take a walk, spend some days alone
travelling, you know?” Nicole turned her head towards him, there was a sign of happiness on her face.
“Right, that is because you are
enjoying yourself- when there is nobody along with you, you don’t have to worry about making them happy. You can do what you feel like, and doing what
you feel like doing makes you happy.”
“Absolutely true Jerry” Nicole
pulled out the cigarette case out of her jacket pocket and flipped a cigarette in
her mouth. “Do you want one, Jerry?”
“Go ahead, I don’t smoke.”
“Ah, right, not good for your
health huh?”
“That’s not the reason Nicole, it’s
because I don’t quite enjoy smoking. I am not really bothered if it kills me
or not, but If I liked smoking I would just smoke and not be worried about dying. You know why?”
“Because we have all bought a one
way ticket to death?” Nicole answered.
“Yes. And if you worry about
dying then how will you ever enjoy while you are still alive. Think.” Jerry
looked away into the horizon. “You know Nicole, I was in a relationship once. It
was more like she was in love with me as I never quite understood what love meant until the day she died.”
“Oh my god, I am sorry about your loss”
“Don’t be. She taught me a lot. She
was the most selfless person I ever met. She didn’t worry about herself at all
and that’s the reason why she departed so young.”
“What was her name?”
“Jane. She was a spark in the
midst of pitch black darkness. She lifted everyone up along her way as much as she
could. She didn’t have a perfect home, her parents died when she and her
brother both were very young. Her brother was not that lucky in life as he was
born with deformed limbs. She used to take care of him and all the other
chores at home. She would take away the pain of everybody like sucking the pain
out like a magnet. And that killed her.”
“Oh my God!”
“That was the reason why she died.
She was working as a nurse at the hospital outside town, where all she would do
was heal people, suck their pain out and make them better. And she found me there
in the hospital when I got sick. I’d almost died, but she took care of me. I didn’t
know why she loved me so much. She said I made her feel special. I never quite
understood how I made her happy, because we never had sex even once.” Jerry joked
to ease out the tension.
“Not once?” she curled up the
cigarette butt and looked in disbelief at Jerry.
“It was more spiritual. She was
the one who took me in refuge when the storm hit my life. I was a wreck. They
chucked me out of the army when I got sick, no medical attention, no
compensation…nothing. They just let me die as if I was useless. I was broken,
but Jane put me back together. She loved me and got me better. Then one day
sickness took her. It had to be that way! She never took care of herself and she
never ate much but gave away most of her food to the orphanage. She never had money
for getting treated at the hospital and she kept her sickness a secret until I found
out. But it was too late by then.” Jerry’s face was stern but a drop of tear
rolled down his cheek, but he didn’t flinch.
“I am sorry that she had to die
so young.”
“Don’t be sorry Nicole. I think
it’s best for her. She lived a happy life and did what pleased her the most and departed a happy soul. She
never complained, because she was genuinely happy. And that is probably the answer to
your question.”
Nicole ruffled his hair and wiped
away his tear and they hugged.
