Mine? The Mirage of Scarcity - #ATOZCHALLENGE – M (2026)

 

“You won’t be using this extra iron will you? Then I will keep it.” Kavita claimed ownership of the iron even before Anita could reply.

Anita and her husband Shyam were cleaning their home for Diwali. A lot of unnecessary and unused utensils that were stashed away were removed. And Kavita, their neighbour always developed a need for anything they didn’t want.

Later, over a cup of chai, they talked.

“She’s grown up in a frugal home, Anita.”

“Who?”

“Kavita, of course. Didn’t you find her acting strange?”

Anita raised her brows and nodded quickly in assent. “Yes, it did look a little over-the-top and unnecessary. She’s doing a job and getting a good salary. Then why this financial insecurity?”

“Like I said, her frugal life. Her mind is trained to fear scarcity. I am sure she must hoard a lot of unwanted things in her home out of the sheer fear of losing them.”

“That’s not a happy place, Shyam,” Anita concluded. “One should always express gratitude for what they have and trust in God to set things right.”

“True Anu, but not everyone is wired for such optimism. Doesn’t come easily to all.”

“Absolutely, Shyam. Instead of acknowledging her problem it was easier for her to tag me as a problem person. She’s been telling people I hoard things and refused to give her the iron. We eventually gave it to her, didn’t we?”

“Yes. Let’s look at the bigger picture. Her deflecting the blame on you normalizes her situation. She’s conditioned to be excessively careful. So, with you as the wrong person, her set beliefs get validated. She isn’t being overly insecure. You are being unreasonable.”

Anita didn’t know whether to sympathize with Kavita or just hope she acquires some sensibility.

 

A few days later…

“Anu Bhabhi, do you know what happened?”

“Things happen, Supriya. I’m not sure if I register everything that changes.” Chuckled Anita.

Supriya, the common house help who worked in most houses of the society had news for her today.

“Kavita bai of the fourth floor. A con artist disguised as a broker took 3 lakhs from her promising to double her money in a month. Seems like he ran away with her money. She’s been throwing a fit ever since.”

“What are you saying, Supriya? How do you know. Did Kavita tell you?”

“No, no. I don’t talk to her. You know how much I love purses. When I said I wanted to discard a used one to buy a new one, you know what she did? She asked me to give the old purse to her instead of discarding it. Imagine, a person paying me, is asking for a hand-me-down. I was totally taken aback. But I know her nature. If I outrightly refuse she will talk to ten other employers and tell them how big a spendthrift I am, discarding perfectly useful stuff. So, I smiled and agreed and told her that whenever I decide to discard, I will surely give it to her.”

Anita’s heart was a tangle of emotions. Her mind debated that Kavita was being unreasonable and inconsiderate towards others, but her heart made her realize this was her way of coping with pain. So, what was right, and what was not?

“Leave it bhabi,” Supriya interjected, as if reading her thoughts. “You can give her tonnes of good counsel, but she will continue to remain miserable. Forget that, she will hate you for your well-meaning two-cents. Don’t internalize her negativity, Let her keep thinking she is right. In time, the world will tell her how wrong she is.”

 Anita still went to check on Kavita. She lay there with her face hidden in her palms almost on the verge of tears.

“What’s gone is gone, Kavita. Leave it and look ahead. You’ll earn back this money. Trust in God and also in yourself.”

“The man returned my money.”

“W-what! That’s good. So why the hell are you upset?”

Anita waited impatiently for some clarity into her grief. Kavita sat in silence, bereft.

“He said he needed the money urgently for his mother’s heart surgery. She meant the world to him and this was the only way he had to arrange for urgent funds. But since he got it from another legitimate source, he didn’t need my money anymore. I asked him why he came back. He could have run away with the money. That when he told me something that moved me forever.”

Lost money can be regained, as much as your destiny permits. But a person once lost, will be gone forever. Thus financial security can be akin to a mirage. What you perceive may not always be true.

 “It made me think whether I was prepared to lose any of my relationships. I wasn’t. And when I thought about how much you and Shyam had done to help me in my lows, I knew this was one friendship I was not prepared to lose.”

Anita could not believe her ears. Kavita had actually chosen their friendship over her insecurity.

“Be assured of my support K. In your downtime, both Shyam and I will beam you up as best as we can. The only thing that could change that is the trust factor in our equation. Let’s make sure it stays where it is. Maa Lakshmi shows her disapproval in places where there is unfairness, even in intention.”

They both safely tucked away Kavita’s money and decided to bond over a warm cup of home-made chai.

“You still have your grandmother’s cup, Kavita. It’s strong alright, but it’s beginning to crack at the bottom.”

“I’d decided to work it for another year at least, but won’t do that now. You know, even Supriya refused to take it.”

Kavita took the cup and put it in the dustbin.

“My first step towards thinking differently begins with this one act. The 15-minute delivery app will get me a new one in the time it promises. Let the tea boil till then. Let my old notions burn away in the same fire.”