A short Story |
Counselling is a tough job. When I asked a girl long ago, why she misbehaved this was her answer: "They accuse me of being jealous at as early as when I was eight months old. I was supposed to adjust to every fancies of my elder sister as she was elder said mom. I have to adjust to all the whims of my younger sister as she was younger. I would have to finish my homework to do my younger sister 's. Then I started fighting for my rights. Then they would yell at me. Still I would be the wrong doer. " The sobbing youngster inflicted pain in me. I permitted her to talk till she would be tired of talking. It is a technique I use to help the people to open up. "What adjustments did you make? " She fidgeted with the hanky in her hand and bit her lips to tell me:A lot, a lot.But one that sticks to my mind is this: I was gifted a red purse by a friend of my dad for drawing a beautiful landscape. I hung it on the wall besides the land scape. " She pulled out the picture and threw it in the fire and wanted me to hand over my red purse.Dad promised me another one which I never got."Rolling tears and trembling lips told me that the incident was too much for her but was not as big an issue as she took it for. I advised her to keep a diary of the events that disturbed her so that she could show them to me later. Years rolled by. I quit my job to take care of my family and remained a house-wife. My grandniece wanted a counselling badly and I sat in the chair before the counselor for about an hour when our turn came. When I was inside the counselor smiled at me :Do you remember me grandma? I am the one who was counselled by you in school days.That day I decided to become one like you. " I smiled and said :No dear. Your talent was catalysed by sibling jealousy. " |