The Old Watch

Why do we need validation from outside to believe in ourselves?

- Indira Ramanidharan

Once I ran crying to my mum and complained, “My Math professor said that I am unfit for studying engineering.” My mum, with a neutral look, said to me, “Can you do me a favour?”

I was shocked! “How could you not give a damn as to what I said just now?” My mum replied with a smile on her face, “You will get the reply, when you do me this favour.”

Understanding that I had no other choice, with a long face I asked her, “What?”

She walked me to my grandpa's room, opened his neat decluttered cupboard and pulled out a broken watch. “Your grandpa is planning to sell this. Can you do it for him?” I was shocked. I asked her with a sarcastic smile, “So, you decided that it is not enough for one person to call me unfit, and you want the whole world to say so? The shopkeepers are going to laugh at me when I try selling this. Who on earth would be foolish enough to buy a watch which is old, broken and not working?”

My mom replied in a robotic tone, “You will find one! And remember, you cannot sell it for less than five thousand rupees.” She shut the door as she handed me my cycle keys and the watch.