You Say You Hurt Me; But you Don't

Today, Sweetness is feeling very low, she is sobbing and crying, but, unable to reason as to why she is feeling this way.
Although she says it’s untrue, I know, it’s mostly because the way that I have treated her. I will explain it with a story.
Once there was a farmer, who found a treasure in his field. He was very happy and believed his miseries in life were finally over. He could have a big house, maids and all other comforts of life. But, soon he started to fear that, the moment he starts flaunting this treasure, his neighbours and relatives would take it away by hook or crook. So, he hid his treasure and was scared to flaunt it or use it. His miseries mounted, he had sleepless nights, but the fear always overwhelmed him. Never did he realize that with a bit of effort and planning, he could have very well used his treasure and lead a comfortable life. People would always try to get his treasure, but, he only would have to be careful and strong. Wouldn’t life be different for the farmer then?

Our story is something like this, I am the farmer and Sweetness is my treasure. I have hidden her away from most of the people I know, because, I am scared that she will be taken away from me. How stupid could I get!

As I write this, I remember an incident that happened 4 years ago. Sweetness and I had gone to a hill station on our first getaway. We had a lovely day, and after the sun set, we decided to return back home. I was driving; midway through our journey, we got held up in a traffic jam. It was pitch dark and headlights from the vehicles coming from the opposite direction were blinding me. At this stage, just out of no where, a herd of cattle came running into the traffic, and a huge bull hit my car! The impact was so severe that it cracked the windshield, dented the bonnet and caused several other minor damages. More than the damages, we were shocked and shaken. Sweetness did not know what hit us, she thought that I had hit a human! However, she still maintained her composure and did not utter a word; I can only imagine how shaken she was!

Once I realized that that bull was hardly hurt, I continued driving. However, the incident shook me badly and I was struggling to concentrate on driving. It was at this moment, Sweetness held my hand, touched my shoulders and said, “It’s okay, baby. It was not your fault; you could not see the bull. I know you are worried that the car is damaged, but the most important thing is that, we are okay. Drive slowly, until you feel better.”  These were the words of assurance, that I so longed for. No one had ever said “It’s okay” to me, whenever I was part of any incident or a minor mishap. It was always a blame game and fault finding session. Her words made me feel real good, loved and assured. That touch of sweetness I can still feel on my left hand, even after four years that have gone by. It is this touch that makes me confident and bold.

Sweetness, small little things by you have made a world of difference to me. This is just one among the thousands!

I love you baby, please don't cry, I feel horrible when you are sad... I love you my darling.

- Hoopoe