having the courage to say sorry when we've fallen short.

 


The Birthday Card: A Sister's Lesson in Compassion

Tania and Subal grew up together in a small town. Tania was the elder sibling, with Subal nine years younger. From birth, Subal was deaf and couldn't speak, but Tania loved him dearly. She looked after him even more attentively than their mother did, always making sure he felt included and understood.

When Tania turned older, she travelled to Mumbai by plane for an important job interview. Before she left, her mother fussed over her constantly. "You're getting so thin. Please eat properly and on time," she said. "And ring me the moment you reach the hotel, won't you?"


Tania arrived at Mumbai airport and caught a taxi to her hotel. Halfway there, her mobile rang—it was her mother checking on her. "Almost there, Mum. I'm nearly at the hotel now," Tania reassured her. "I'll call you properly once I've checked in and freshened up, I promise."


After checking into her room and changing clothes, Tania settled on the bed with her laptop to check emails. She ordered dinner through room service and left the door unlocked so the staff could enter without disturbing her work.


A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. "Door's open! Come in!" Tania shouted, eyes still on her screen. The bell rang again. "I said come in!" she yelled, annoyed. Still nothing. Frustrated, Tania slammed her laptop shut and marched to the door.

She flung it open. "Can't you hear? I told you to come in!" she snapped at the young room service attendant. The boy remained calm and silent, entering quietly with her food and placing it on the table. He then handed her the bill for signing. 

"Pen?" Tania asked impatiently. No response. "PEN!" she shouted, gesturing with her hand. Only then did the boy understand and hand her one. After she'd signed, he calmly gestured to explain he was deaf and couldn't hear her shouting.


Before leaving, the boy handed Tania a handmade greeting card. Through gestures, he explained it had fallen from her handbag in the lift earlier. He'd noticed and picked it up to return it.


Tania's heart sank as she looked at the card. It was a birthday card—her birthday card—lovingly made by Subal with his own hands. That day was her birthday. He'd tucked it into her bag, but it had slipped out. The card was covered in his careful drawings and decorations.


Tania felt absolutely terrible. She'd just screamed at a deaf person for not hearing her, when her own beloved brother lived with the same condition every single day.


Just then, her phone rang—her mother. The moment Tania answered, she burst into tears. "The hotel boy... the hotel boy..." she sobbed.


"What? What did he do to you?" her mother asked, alarmed.


Through her tears, Tania explained everything—how she'd shouted at the deaf room service worker, how he'd kindly returned Subal's birthday card, how ashamed she felt. "I was so rude to him, Mum. He was just like Subal, and I treated him horribly."


Her mother's voice softened. "Calm down, darling. You didn't know."


"What's Subal doing?" Tania asked, wiping her eyes.


"He keeps asking whether you've seen his birthday card yet."


This made Tania cry even harder, the guilt washing over her in waves. 


"My dear," her mother said gently, "you didn't mean any harm. You made a mistake, that's all. The best thing you can do now is find that young man, apologise properly, and forgive yourself. Learn from this."


Tania took a deep breath and nodded, even though her mother couldn't see her. "You're right. I'll make this right."


The Lesson


This story reminds us that everyone faces challenges we can't see. Tania, who loved her deaf brother so deeply, forgot in one stressful moment to extend that same patience and kindness to a stranger. Sometimes our greatest lessons come from recognising ourselves in others—and having the courage to say sorry when we've fallen short.

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