THE STALE CHEQUE

Hi friends, 

I loved my mother to the core of my heart. I never made her unhappy. Even at an old age, she kept her things in order. One day she found a cheque kept absentmindedly inside a book.  She gave it to me to deposit in her account in the bank. My father is no more. 

Years back he had purchased some shares in a company. Every year the company sent a dividend warrant. This cheque was also the dividend payment for that year. Unfortunately, the cheque was outdated by more than 6 months and it had become stale. 

It could not be deposited in the bank. The amount was negligible say about Rs.200/. I explained to her and suggested we could ignore the cheque. She was not convinced by my explanation and asked me to go to the company and get a new cheque. 

For years she had not handled any money and she could not guess its value. The company was far away and to go in person, the cost of petrol would be more than the value of the cheque, apart from physical inconvenience and the time involved. 

To contact over the phone was a tedious affair as I had to contact the call centre, select their nine options, and get the person concerned online would take half of my life. When I explained the difficulties to my mother, she asked me to go by bus. 

She had not seen the outside world for years. Firstly, it was a long time since I had travelled by bus. Secondly, I had to walk a KM to reach the bus stop, wait for 30 mts to get a bus, travel for 30 mts to reach the destination, and walk another KM to reach the company. 

I thought it was not worthwhile going to the company for a paltry amount. However, I did not want to explain to her the difficulties involved in going to the company. She had a lot of love for me, and she would not compel me to do the job. However, I had to think from her angle. 

Her husband had invested and the dividend was the return on his hard-earned money. She felt as though it belonged to her husband. She did not want to forgo even if it was a small amount. That was her sentimental feeling which I should respect. It might look meaningless. 

She might look stupid, adamant and unreasonable. She might be firm in her stand. She might be interested in getting her job done at any cost. She might not be able to visualize things from a broader perspective. She might be uneducated and lacked critical evaluation of things. 

In spite of all these shortcomings, she was my mother. It was her wish. She was ignorant. She had some beliefs. I should make her happy irrespective of my likes and dislikes. Without any protest, I got a new cheque from the company and deposited it in her account.

COMMENTS

Gowri Ramkumar	10:05 AM (1 minute ago)
to me

Hi Mama,

Such an obedient son!  Even though it was a paltry amount you honoured her wishes and brought her happiness.  

I think this episode speaks more about you as a son - than paati as a mother.

Very proud and honoured to have been born into a family where integrity, implicit obedience and immense respect are part and parcel of everyday life!

Lots of love,

Gowri