THIS TOO SHALL PASS
I always thought reading was a solitary pleasure and so it’s an awfully rum thing when you stop to think about it, but my love of reading has brought me into contact with some really good people, who have remained in my life as cherished friends. Here I’m going to talk about one such, who unwittingly taught me one of Life’s most important lessons.
I remember this one time I was just lazing in the sunshine minding my own business on the beach at Koh Samet, an island in Thailand. I was reading a Jackie Collins, something I’d never usually be caught dead with, but I figured it was apt, light reading for the beach – and then I could leave the book behind at the hotel with no regrets.
Suddenly, water droplets splashed all over me and I shrieked and sat up. And that was my first look at K, who was shaking water all over me like some large, friendly puppy. Turned out he was an Australian, who was so shocked that someone was actually caught reading a Jackie Collins in public, that he couldn’t but help amble along to censure my reading tastes! I explained, he was appeased – and he sat down beside me to chat, quoting Shakespeare! My interest at that was so piqued, that I agreed to meet him for dinner later.
As I walked to our meeting point that evening, I caught sight of K before he saw me and so I could see he was engaged in friendly conversation with a couple of guys, even taking a swig of their beer.
“Already made friends on the island, I see”, I commented, as I caught up with him.
“What? Naw, I don’t know them at all, just met them while waiting for you”, he replied casually.
But, but…I sputtered. From afar, it had seemed to me quite a real conversation, not the usual hello-hi between strangers; besides, what was all that beer swigging about, then? “Oh, I just asked if I could taste Thai beer”, he replied, as guileless as a child.
And that was K in a nutshell! His innate warmth, caring and friendliness came across so reassuringly that they were enough to disarm even the most wary person. He answered every query with candour, no hemming and hawing. Where had this gem come from into my life? cynical me marvelled. How is it possible for anyone to love his fellow man so unconditionally? Did he not have a mean bone in his body?
As the night unravelled, so too did his story. He had been married before, he loved children and couldn’t wait to settle down and have a bunch with her, however, she said she wasn’t ready for motherhood yet. Fair enough; life was still good; he was in the Australian Navy and enjoyed every moment of it; but naturally, shared a great camaraderie with his colleagues. What’s not to like in him, as I’ve made amply clear already!
And then. The love of his life asked for a divorce! To marry his best friend, whom she’d fallen in love with! K was devastated. This was betrayal on two fronts. Being the kind of person he is, he wished them both luck and bowed out of their way, leaving the Navy as well, as he couldn’t bear to keep bumping into them on official do’s. Worse was to come. This woman, who told him she wasn’t ready for motherhood, was already pregnant with the other man’s child when she asked for the divorce! So, he not only let her go, he gave up the life he loved entirely, even to leaving his hometown. Despite having had a professional naval career, he went to the furtherest corners of Australia, picking up odd jobs as he went along: sheep farming, fence repairing, meat packing. Anything to keep his mind busy and to save enough to achieve his dream – of climbing Machu Pichu.
Of such stuff are films based on. In such a case, a person can follow one of two paths, I discovered. One, to be a selfish, vindictive son of a b—-, which is something I’m all too familiar with, having seen my ex! The other, I learnt from K. Be giving, be loving, even in the face of the most horrendous betrayal you can face. I asked him how he could be so forgiving.
“If I truly claimed to love her, then I should have only her interests at heart, even if that does not include me”, he said simply.
Since he’s an Aussie who knows his Shakespeare, let me end this with a very wise, profound quote from the Bard: ‘Love is not love, which alters when it alteration finds’.
Also, by the same author: https://thenewsporter.com/are-we-dead-yet-we-need-to-speak-up-against-injustice-and-not-just-stare-into-the-abyss/
The main/featured image by Peggychoucair from Pixabay has been used for illustrative purposes only
