I Lost But I Won

It was a rainy day and Arjun had to walk all the way to his office. Though he had the umbrella to protect him from severe drenching, it was tough because of the wind that accompanied the rain. There were no buses or autos for him to reach for it was 11oclock in the night. Since his was a shift based work, he had all such odd timings for office. He knew he was going to have a tough night at the office but little did he worry about the weather or the screeching sounds of wheels he heard. He had another half a kilometer to cover in order to reach the office. His pants under the knees were already wet. As he was struggling with the umbrella against the wind, a car stopped by him. “Mind a lift?” the guy at the wheel asked.  Arjun was confused whether accept the offer or not. “If you work for the same company mentioned in your bag, then I am also going there” the guy added. Happy was Arjun as he entered the car and occupied the front seat. To his surprise he had companions in the back seat. The sense of fear gushed through his blood. “May be I should have continued walking the remaining distance to office”, he thought. As his senses suggested, the car did take an unintended turn. “Where are you taking me?” he screamed, with prayers in his heart. The driver, who was in his late fifties, did not speak a word. “Keep calm sir, we aren’t abducting you. But we need you” said the man from behind. “Whatever it is, I have an important meeting at the office and I can’t afford to miss it. Now stop the car and I will walk” he ordered. None listened and the motion of the car never deteriorated. “Please I am getting the employee of the year award tomorrow and the clients are at my office today. Please let me go. It is my dream.” He was still worried, for his absence today will automatically promote Stephen for the award. Stephen was his arch rival but worked from a different place. He has hardly seen him but heard that he matched Arjun word by word. He had the same skills of Arjun and both of them received enough compliments for the prestigious award. In fact Arjun was qualified for the award and Stephen was extra-qualified for it. “Yes sir. We will do as you please. But did you note the other guy in the rear seat hasn’t spoken a word?” Just then Arjun realized the unusual silence of the other man. His head was leaning on the other man’s shoulders as if he was sleeping. “Ya. But what is wrong with him?” Arjun enquired. “Arjun, I don’t think you heard his cry few minutes before. This guy met with an accident and has a broken leg that needs medical attention. He is bleeding and may require blood. I thought that being A+ you could help.” Arjun was still hesitant to continue the journey. His heart longed for the award. Arjun’s absence today means that Stephen would be walking away with the award the next day. With all these thoughts mixed in his mind, a reluctant Arjun got down, as the car had reached the hospital. “God bless you my son” said the driver and he wheeled off. By now Arjun had made his mind for his Blood Donation. All the emergency arrangements were done and the patient had to undergo the surgery. The doctors had no pain in searching for the blood as long as they had Arjun, who was now a willing Arjun. The surgery was all success. And also the doctors had enough time for the operation as they needn’t have to search for the blood donor. Arjun spent the entire day in the hospital along with the patient and his relatives, who were all gratified at Arjun’s kindness.

The occasion where the winner was to be announced was scheduled at 5 in the evening. And Arjun, though realized that he may not win, got ready to attend the event. His team was surprised to see Arjun as they were still recovering from the shock of his abstinence from office the previous day. His colleagues rushed to enquire the same. Arjun calmly said “I had better works yesterday.” He didn’t disclose the events that took place. Finally the award was announced and it was Stephen as expected. Arjun was the first one to stand and applaud the winner.

He may have lost the award, but he won so many blessings from the other family. He felt much happier though he didn’t get the award. Little did he know that he received the blessings of the Lord too. The driver’s identity is still unknown. Guess Who was the chauffeur for “Arjun”?