The Day I Stopped Lying

I think i was in 4th standard (excuse me for my bad memory , but I feel better because I do not have much burden to carry)😁

I was a big Bollywood fan, I loved movies and used to stand in front of mirror for hours while trying to copy the actresses  (I know you all have done that, those were the days when we used to think we are the most beautiful person on this earth)  🙂

I was not very lucky in the sense that no one from my class stayed in my vicinity and I used to feel alone and sad, till one day (almost after an year ) when I accidentally bumped into a classmate and realised she lives just 500 mtrs away from my house. My happiness knew no boundaries then  and  every evening I used to visit her house and play for hours.

Why I am mentioning about this friend you will get to know in a while.. Just wait. 

Well too much background,  let’s come back to the main story.

I used to wear golden earrings, heart shaped with a pink stone in the middle and it was kind of a hoop earring. It was expensive going by our middle class standards .  My mom had advised on many occasion not to wear it on daily basis but kids you see…they don’t care (I can see my reflection in my daughter  )

So one day while playing dhakka mukki (yes yes this was a good time pass 😉 ) in the school, someone pushed me hard and I fell on the ground. I was unhurt but I immediately checked my earrings (because mom had advised that after every small interval to check whether it is there or not), and I found that it was GONE. My right earring fell some where and I did not know where as we were playing for so long and I had no idea when it came out .

As it is very obvious and you know me by now, this cry baby started crying. All classmates, few seniors and some concerned teachers started the treasure hunt but it was an unsuccessful mission.

Now every kid advised me not to tell the truth to my mom as I will be scolded badly. I like a lost warrior obeyed them. But I had never lied to mom before that, so what should be my plan of lying.

Now read on- how a 4th standard kid think so high of herself and her acting skill.

I very normally reached home, ate lunch and went to sleep. Got up in the evening and went in front of the mirror and pretending to comb my hair I shouted and with a shocked look, holding my right ear with my fingers and said MOM- I can’t see my earrings. Mom panicked and again the treasure hunt begun with this time my mom and elder brother as the new explorers. But earring ghar me ho to milega na  🙂

We all couldn’t find it. Mom scolded me a bit that how careless I had become but it was not as I had expected. I had expected some sort of slaps or beating or some more harsh words. (parents never fulfil our expectations you see , lolz)  🙂

Well that day went well and I happily went to school next day and boasted how successful I was in my first lying attempt and my mother couldn’t make out what had actually happened.

Came back home and everything was normal as mom and dad decided that it was okay, the only punishment was they will not get me any gold earring now. I too was fine but some where the guilt started to bother me.

In the evening, mother of the same friend (who was living in my neighbourhood and whom I met accidentally and who never paid any visit to my home before) out of nowhere came and offered her condolences on the loss of my earring. My mother was surprised that how this lady knew about the incident. She smilingly said (I remember her cunning and shrewd smile till today) – “Arre Binti told me that shalini lost that earring yesterday in school”

There is a saying -kaato to khoon nahi, and I understood the meaning that day. Damn mom gave me a look and turned towards that lady and said-“ bhabhi ji bacche hain galtiyan to karenge hi” (they are kids and they are bound to make mistakes)

That lady had tea and left and then I and my mom played the Tom and Jerry chase for good 15 mins when my mother suddenly fell on the bed due to lack of breath (she was asthmatic) and I came near her and held her legs tightly seeking forgiveness. I cried so much that day and only asked for her forgiveness.

Mother being a mother, she hugged me and said, “why did you lie, you could have told me the truth on your own same day . Your lie and the truth coming from some third person gave me more pain than the real loss of gold.”

I promised my mom that day that I will never lie to her, a practice which I still follow.

My mom knows about all my affairs, boyfriends, night outs, bad or good habits etc. Even on few occasion during my professional life when I lied to her, it was momentary, as I myself used to tell her everything next morning.

Till date my mom has all the first hand information about all the time I had lied to her in the past and  this is one habit I am silently trying to inculcate in my daughter as she carefully observes me telling everything to my mom daily.

Sometimes when my daughter tries to lie, I simply ask her- “are you trying to hide something or I am sure you are telling me the truth Geet”, and she immediately says sorry mommy and then goes on to narrate every detail she was trying to hide.

That friend, whose mom spilled the beans, is my close friend till date and we laugh on this incident now.

Once incident in life can be a good lesson for the lifetime.

Do you have any similar memories of childhood which taught you a lesson for lifetime?

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay