A debt of gratitude…


A bagful of books! This is what the owner of a nearby library brought for me while closing it down. He told that me it was a loving gift for a regular and honest visitor and he had personally chosen the books. While leaving, he asked me to let him know about the book I like most. Thanking him for the gesture, I opened the heavy bag. Looking at the giant volume, I thought it would take me at least a year even to go through them.
As soon as I opened the bag, I came across some brand-new and some rickety books, a few in shambles! Oh, he had given me the books which people had donated to his library! So, it was third or the forth hand!!
I laid my hands on a half torn diary….I wouldn’t dare touch anyone’s personal diary, I opened it with a view to return it to the person to which it belonged. There was no name. As I moved on, I realised the diary of anonymous comprised only some figures. Someone had maintained an account of daily expenses. Just debit, credit and total, nothing more for years, how drab and boring…it seemed as if nothing happened in this person’s life! All I could conclude about this gentleman that he was penny-wise...
I didn’t bother anymore about returning this as I thought the person hadn’t lost much with the diary. It was evident that he was not born with a silver spoon. How did he manage to keep accounts of daily expenses without even missing a day? I was wondering. Surfing a few pages, I came across a few bigger expenses like television, refrigerator, wardrobes and a few furniture items and so on.
Nothing against his earnings but I couldn’t understand how did he manage to be so calculative. It was apparent that he was the only man bringing home the beckon. Flipping through some and dropping many, I arrived at the last page and there were some instructions.
He had addressed it to his son who was just going to take over… He had put the figure calculating inflation a decade down the line, urging son to make provisions for housing loan EMI. After calculations, he had written some instructions for his son.
Though you get an earning wife, meeting household expenses is your responsibility. He advised his son not to start life with debt and keep his books clear. Requesting him to buy his own car, he also said that would be after all necessary expenses are met. Lastly, he said, “You may live high on a hog or may barely make both ends meet, keeping your family financially secure is important. You cannot inherit any ancestral wealth as I have earned everything by the sweat of my brows and it will end with me. I have ensured that you have I leave no debts. All I can offer you is the sense of duty….”
It wasn’t mere a log-book, I felt as it was written by a person who had some subtle corners.
-KanChan    

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