Be There Now, For Tomorrow It Might Be Too Late

You have your life. And your life is full of tight schedules, close deadlines, hard work. You have no time for trivialities. But someone needs you. What would you do?

Your best friend is going through a bad phase. And he says needs you. But you think otherwise. You reason out, "He's not going anywhere. Besides, this must be just another one of his usual woe-stories! He'll get over it... But if I lose this deal, I am going to lose a lot of money." And so, you call him and say, "Hey, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to you. I have a very important deal to discuss right now. I'll meet you in the evening." He sighs and hangs up.

Your maid calls to say your pet dog is sick. But you think, "Ha! After all he's only a dog! I can always get back to him once I finish my meeting with this client." You tell your maid to finish the chores, leave the key with the neighbour and go.

Your girlfriend calls you at the office to talk. But you are in the middle of a meeting with your client, discussing that million-dollar deal. You ask the receptionist to tell her to call back later.

It's 6:30. And you clinched the deal. You are on top of the world. You celebrate with a bottle of champagne with all your colleagues. At the end of it all, you call your best friend's place. His neighbor receives the call. You are surprised. She says, "Deepak, Tarun is in hospital... he attempted suicide, so everyone has rushed there. I am staying over here to attend calls. He is in Apex Hospital, ICU." Your mind is in a whirl. That was too much of a blow. You decide to go home, take some spare clothes and go to Apex, so you can stay over at the hospital.

You reach home, to find your doggie breathless. He's half dead. Tears well in your eyes. You rush to him and scoop him off the floor. You rush with him to the vet down the lane, forgetting to even lock the door.

The vet examines your dog. "I think it's too late," he sighs, "but I'll do my best."

"Please save him, Doc," you plead.

The doctor looks at you sympathetically. "Get him admitted. He needs drips," he says.

"Ok, Doc... but can I just visit my friend in the hospital and get back?"

The vet looks at you and smiles. "Sure, we'll take care of your..." he looks at your dog. "...Snowy," you finish tearfully.

The vet nods his head and says to his assistant, "Prepare bed number 17. Snowy's staying with us for a couple of days." Then he places a reassuring hand on your shoulder and says, "Don't worry, I'm here to take care of Snowy. I'll do everything I can. You go see your friend. But be sure to be back in a couple of hours. Your Snowy needs you too." You wipe your tears, squeeze the doctor's hand gratefully, murmur your thanks and leave.

Back home, you notice the light on the answering machine blinking red. You rush to it and press the 'Retrieve' button. Your girlfriend's voice crackles with static, "I called you at your office to say my gran expired. I'm goin' to Belgaum for the funeral... I needed to talk to you. I felt it might help. You were not there for me when I needed you... sigh... Don't be surprised if I don't mail you or call you for a few weeks. Bye."

You collapse on the sofa dejectedly. You light your cigarette and take a puff. You clinched a million-dollar deal this evening. But at the cost of everything else you had. You have no one to share your success with. You feel defeated. You burst into tears.

Author's Note

This is not just some odd story. This is taken from everyday life. And most of it is true. The message is clear - BE THERE FOR SOMEONE WHO NEEDS YOU. There is nothing in the world that can be more satisfying than extending a helping hand to someone in distress. Telling someone you care is not enough. You have to make an effort to validate that. The greatest thing in the world is being able to share someone's pain. And it doesn't need a million dollars to do that. All it takes is a kind heart. And not being there when you are needed can devastate you completely, weighing you down with guilt for the rest of your life.