Just a while ago, I happened to run over a chic on my way to Kothavalasa to pick up the UPS from the electrical repair shop. Along the way, there were children so I slowed down, honked and was slowly proceeding when a mother hen with her brood were right in the middle of the road. I slowed still more waiting for them to cross the road, but some of the small ones ran back to where they started from. Once clear I accelerated and to my dismay, one of the chicks decided to get back to its mother and bang... was pulp under my four-wheeler. The ladies of the two houses started shouting, I stopped reversed and got off the vehicle. I just listened till they ranted and then said a meek sorry. One of the ladies then blurted, "You'd run over our children too and say a sorry and get away with it?" It was then that I pointed at the children for whom I slowed down, her own children, and said, "It was for them that I slowed and aren't they fine? Did anything happen to them? Now you also want me to read the mind of chics now?" Anyway, since it was my mistake, unknowingly though, I took out a hundred rupee note and offered it to a youngster standing in front of the house. Immediately they all cooled down and were apologetic. "It is not about the money," he said. "Please don't take offense at the women's words. They are excited as usual," he added. The other women too were silent and smiled back. With that the whole thing was over. By this time a small crowd had gathered. Without wanting to make a mountain of a mole hill, I put the money in the youngsters pocket and got back to the vehicle. The youngster followed me and refused to take the money. I took the money back and said a sorry and thank you, before moving on.
I'm sure had I taken an attacking stance with them, they'd have never been quite. Worse still, if I had moved on without stopping. But since I accepted my mistake, they did not have anything to attack me with. Anyway, a lesson in humility!
No comments:
Post a Comment