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Losing a Job

by Lakshmi Menon
(Bangalore, India)

Viju was working as a daily wage worker in a company for a small pay. His family consisted of his mother, wife, a son and a daughter. His father had left them when he was just five years old and his mother had taken a lot of trouble to raise him.

Though he had passed his graduation degree with good marks he didn't get a good job anywhere. Finally, he was happy for getting a job for a daily wage as an office assistant.

It was very difficult to manage his family with the small amount of pay he had received. Still, he continued his work without any complaints and thanked God for having given him that job.

One morning, when he was having his breakfast, his mother reminded him to get her regular medicine, which was just over, and he had to buy from the pharmacy and give her before going for work. He got her medicines and rushed to his office, by then he was already thirty minutes late.

When he reached the main junction there was a big crowd to cross the road and he too joined them. Suddenly he noticed that an old woman, a bit older than his mother, was struggling to cross the road and in that rush her spectacle had fallen down. No one took notice of it or came forward to help her.

Viju couldn't ignore her and although he was very late, he decided to help her. He picked up her spectacle which got damaged in the fall.
"Amma, here is your fallen spectacle, but unfortunately it is broken. Now how will you manage to walk home?" asked Viju, handing over the spectacle.
"Oh, God! How sad it is! I can't walk without a spectacle now. I can't see anything."
"Don't worry, amma. There is an optician on the other side of the road, I have seen the name. I will take you there, and we can ask them whether they can get it repaired."

The old woman's face widened with gratitude.
"Do you have time to come with me, son?"
Viju knew very well that he would be very late to the office and perhaps he may be forced to take leave today. That means he would lose one day's pay. Still, he replied, "It's okay, amma. I will come with you."

He didn't have the mind to leave her alone and rush to his office.

Both of them reached the optical shop and requested to get her spectacle repaired.
"The glass has already broken, and we can't repair it. You have to get a new pair of glass. If you order it today it will be ready after two days," said the optician.

The old lady agreed to order a new spectacle for herself and requested Viju to take her to her house. He couldn't say No for an answer and took her home.

It was a small one-bedroom house but kept it well, and she stayed all alone there. A maid came twice a day to help her with its upkeep.

The old woman had three sons, and they were in three different countries. Her connection with them was merely through a weekly phone call for about 5 minutes. Some weeks even that was not there. She has been staying in that house for the past ten years, and till now she had managed herself well.

Viju felt sorry for her. "What is the use of having children and raising them well?" he thought to himself.

---

When Viju reached his office, his officer was very angry for his irresponsible attitude towards his job. He was not ready to listen to Viju's version. He was dismissed on the spot.

Before returning home, Viju knocked at a number of places for a job. Nobody was ready to give him a job at that moment. He reached home with a disappointed mind.

"Don't worry. You haven't done anything wrong. All that you did was helping an old woman of your mother's age. God knows that and He won't ignore your kindness," consoled his wife.

The next day also he went out looking for a job and returned home without any hope.

He remembered that the next day he had to take the old woman to the optician to collect her spectacles.

He reached her house and accompanied her to the shop. On the way, she asked about his job, and he told her about losing his job.

After collecting her spectacles, he thought that she can go home alone now without his help. But she wanted him to go with her.

She went inside the kitchen and made two cups of tea and handed over one cup to him.
"Now since you lost your job what are you going to do?" she asked.
"I have given my application to some companies, and I'm hoping to get somewhere soon."
She asked him about his education, and his answer startled her.
"A B.com graduate with a first class?"
Viju gave her a vague smile.

Her next response flabbergasted him.
"You need not look for any other job now. You can join my supermarket in the city as a Junior Manager tomorrow itself. If you perform well, you will be promoted as Sr. Manager after six months. Is it okay with you?" She handed him a card.

Viju couldn't believe his ears. Was he dreaming? He wondered. He had been there once with his supervisor to buy some gift articles for his office. He had never thought that one day he would be joining there as Manager.

---

His mother, wife and children were excited to know the news.
"Kindness always pays back, son, even if it is a bit delayed," said his mother, who was proud of her son.