When Life Gives Lemons, Make Lemonade

Naina and her two sisters watched without batting an eyelid as the boiled egg rolled on the plate of their little brother before he took a bite of the succulent white exterior revealing a soft yellow yolk. 

“The egg is only for your brother. He needs it to grow up strong. We can’t afford it for you all. Stop staring now!” Their mother rebuked.

While her sisters picked up an argument with their mom, Naina picked up the bowl of runny daal on her plate and said to herself, 

“This daal will make me strong” she gulped it down at one go. 

Naina’s father had admitted her to a rustic government school. She told her father that she longed to go to the school with the huge yellow building and an iron gate where students wore red and black checked uniforms. Every year he kept on promising to fulfil this dream of hers the coming year. But that ‘next year’ never came. She slowly realized that it was beyond his father’s capacity to send her to that reputed private school. She was upset but she consoled herself. 

“Buildings and uniforms don’t matter… books matter… which are the same in all schools …let me devour them”

When Naina was around twenty, her parents began to search for a marriage alliance. But whoever came to see Naina, rejected her right away due to her dusky complexion. The abundant melamine in her skin became a roadblock to her marriage. This trend continued over a few years. Her younger sisters and classmates got married one by one in the meantime. She completed her graduation. One fine day an alliance came from a neighborhood family. The boy was fond of her from childhood but he was less educated and financially unstable. But beggars are not choosers so she was married off to him. People pitied her fate. But Naina thought,

“No problem. I have a degree. I will pursue a job”

A new hurdle awaited her. Her in-laws turned out to be old-fashioned. The idea of their daughter-in-law going out to work was baffling to them. They strictly prohibited her from doing so. They were the kind who would struggle but not budge from their crude ideas. Naina was sad but she found a way. 

“I can do something from home itself…”

She started a small business of making and selling pickles and papads from home. Her husband helped with delivery. Soon, her little business grew and her in-laws were unable to object since their daughter-in-law hardly went out of the house and yet extra money poured in. It was a win-win situation. 

Life seemed good but not for long. Naina yearned for a baby but wasn’t able to conceive. They consulted many doctors but to no avail. Naina became the victim again and was termed as barren. One day, she made a strong decision. 

“I will adopt a baby”

Her idea was termed ridiculous by all. Everyone protested except her husband. Going against everyone’s will, they adopted a little baby girl. She felt complete. The feeling was mutual. She got a child and an orphan baby got a mother. Her happiness knew no bounds. 

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At the gate of another world, Naina stood in line for entry into heaven or hell according to her karma. When Naina’s turn came, God checked her book of life. 

“Hmm… your whole life was full of challenges. But your happiness and satisfaction quotient is pretty high. I’m confused…”

Naina said “My life has been a roller coaster ride. I faced discrimination in childhood. My brother got special privileges from my parents. But he carried the burden of their expectations all his life. It was tough for him too.”

“I was unable to attend the schools and colleges I desired but that strengthened my determination and made me work hard at my studies”

“My fair skinned sisters were married off in a jiffy to the kind of people for whom physical appearance was a priority. They never got a chance even to complete their studies! To my husband, my complexion didn’t matter. I mattered.”

“My restrictions after marriage made me think bigger and better. I became an entrepreneur. It was a boon in disguise.”

“I was unable to conceive but I consider my adopted sweet little girl to be the best thing that happened to me. We both filled the voids in each other’s hearts. There couldn’t have been a better deed than this.”

“If one thinks deeply, roller coasters are also fun. There are always two sides of a coin. I have a lifetime of experience to prove it. Resilience is the key.”

God smiled. 

“I’m proud that you are my creation. I need more like you. My job of managing the people of this world will become easy. “

“Life gave you lemons and you made lemonades out of it. If I send you to hell then you might make heaven out of it! I can’t risk it. “

“So, my dear Naina…. Heaven it is for you!”

Naina bowed.

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Photo by JULIET FRÍAS on Unsplash