“Hi Ankita, can we meet?”

“Sure Shashank, I was just about to call you to see if we can watch a movie. I am sure you would love this movie.

“Ankita, I don’t have time to go to a movie with you, but there is something really important that I need to talk to you. Can we meet please?”

“Ok done. Hope all is well?”

“Yeah. Let us meet at our usual Nandan café.”

—-40 minutes later —-

“Hey, sorry I am late Shashank. Tell me what did you wanted to talk about?”
“no problem at all Ankita. Sorry that I was abrupt and asked you to meet here. I wanted someone to talk to about something that has been bothering me.”

“Ok, I am all ears, what’s up? Hope you did not make any girl pregnant and you want my help to do something about the pregnancy?!”

“Shut up Idiot! Get your mind out of the gutter. It is always dirty with you. Can’t you, for once, think that there might be something very important other than sex and girls with me?”

“Oh. I am really sorry Shashank. That was insensitive of me. Ok wait, let me try, hmmm…….. sorry nope. I tried but could not think of any other emergency that you would want to talk to me!”

“Ankita!!! (smacks his head) I deserve this for thinking that you would have the maturity to help me out with such a serious matter.”

“ok ok don’t be such a crybaby. I am bringing my serious face. Now tell me. I am listening and I am serious. No more jokes.”

“You remember Palak right? I introduced her to you a few months back?”

“Oh yeah! The girl who can’t seem to take her eyes off you, the one who has been madly in love with you for wait…… almost 2 years now, are we talking about the same Palak?”

“Shhhhhh! Stop making a scene out of it! Yes. I am talking about that Palak only.”

“Well, tell me. Don’t tell me that you knocked her up, because that would be a huge bummer there is a 100% chance that she would murder you and get away with it if you did not reciprocate her love. She is a crazy lady Shashank and mostly she is crazy for you! Just stay away from her bro.”

“Well, that is what I called you to talk about. You know that I have been having problems in the relationships stream for a very long time and I don’t find good women these days?”

“Hey! I am a woman! Don’t you dare to say that there are no good women to date!”

“Well, then would you date me?”
“You?! Chi!! Yuck!!”

“Well, how about that? See this is what I meant when I said, there are no good women to date. That means good women who want to date me. Also, don’t consider yourself as a woman. No one does. Except for that doofus who keeps running behind you like a puppy!”

“Huh.. you are just jealous that he got lucky and you didn’t. Anyway, now back to Palak. What about her.”

“I have known since day one that she is madly in love with me but she just isn’t the one that I want. I mean, she is caring, loving (way too much actually) and as you rightly put it crazy about me and would kill anyone to be with me. I was wondering if I should ask her out on a date. I am scared to not hurt her because she definitely is not my type but since I was not so lucky in the ladies department, I thought of giving her a shot. What would you say? Can you help me how to do it so that even if it doesn’t work, she won’t be hurt?”

“Woah! Woah! Woah! Cool it, tiger! That is way too much information in such a short time! Before I could say anything. Answer me this. Are you sure about her? Do you like her? Or are you just settling for less?”

“I am not exactly sure about her. I have my doubts but I don’t want to miss out on a potential great relationship.”

“haha! Then don’t do it Shashank. You can either be the kid with the umbrella or not but you can’t be both.”

“What are you talking about? What does a kid with an umbrella have to do with all of this?”
“You just said right, other than that doofus nobody else thinks of me as a girl. Well before I said ok to that doofus, I was you. I also had my doubts and I was not sure whether to get into a relationship with him or not. Because he “is not the one I ever wanted nor my type” but I liked him. So when he proposed to me, I did not know what to do and I asked him for some time.

I could not be myself for a few days and it was frustrating. So to calm my nerves, I turned towards my best friends the “Tinkle books”. In that, there was a story of a boy that changed my perspective and I kept it as my moral compass, every time I had my doubts. I hope this story will help you too just like it did to me. So once upon a time, there was a village which faced famine due to the prolonged drought.

The village did not see any rains for almost 2 years and slowly all of their wells, rivers, ponds and lakes dried up. They tried everything they could but nothing worked. So one day, a Sadhu was passing by the village and saw their situation, he told one of the villagers to inform all the villagers to gather around the big banyan tree in the centre of the village by afternoon because he was going to make it rain.

The villager feeling happy rushed into the village to inform about his encounter with the Sadhu. By afternoon the entire village was gathered around the big banyan tree to see if the Sadhu could really make it rain. Amongst all of the villagers, there was a small boy who was standing in the crowd holding an umbrella.

The Sadhu saw this kid and asked him why he brought an umbrella with him. To that, the kid replied, “Well, I wanted to see the rain like anyone else but I did not want to get drenched in it or else my mom would scold me for getting drenched in the rain.” To that the Sadhu replied, “well done kid”. He then turned towards all the villagers and said, “Learn from this small child about the power of belief. All of you have gathered here to witness the rains. But this kid is the only one who believed it would rain.” And almost instantly as if the God was waiting for the Sadhu to finish his closing statement, it started pouring heavily. The entire village started running to look for a shelter so that they wouldn’t get drenched but in all that chaos, only the kid with the umbrella stood and enjoyed the rain. That is when I realized that we all are hopeful and want many things in life.

But we hope with a doubt in our heart thinking if it is true or if it is not the right thing or if it will work out. When you start something with such doubts in your heart, you are sure to see the same results. So, unless you bring an umbrella along with you in such situations, you will always be faced with failures and disappointments because,

“You” have the power to decide.

“Wow! That was a hell of a story. I didn’t know you believed in your love based on a “Tinkle” book story!? No wonder you are crazy and you both are made for each other. Thanks for the pep talk but this is not like the story or books. This is real life. I like her. I really do but I am not so sure if I love her. Also, everyone who knows me tells me that she is not the right one for me and I can do better. And at times I think they are right to some extent because she gets on my nerves and I feel too that she deserves better.

“Shashank, People will be right about things, as long as you let them.”

“Just don’t make any decisions based on other people’s beliefs.

That was the whole point of that story. The kid didn’t believe the villagers or the Sadhu. He just believed that it would rain. And the same goes for you. You have to believe whether it works out or not for you.”