It had been a chilly and windy evening. After a long time apart, my friend and I finally met and spent hours talking. We were oblivious to the passage of time, and before we knew it, it was nearly ten o'clock in the evening. To get to our residence, we opted to use an auto ricksh. We hurriedly hopped into an auto rickshaw and made our way to our destination before it began to rain. Except for one, none of the auto rickshaws came to a halt for us.
We told the driver where we wanted to go when he inquired where we wanted to go. "Please get in!" He mentioned this without mentioning the fare. We thanked him and entered the building. We thanked him and proceeded inside.
Because it was really cold, I requested that the driver make a pit stop at any small restaurant or tea shop. We want a cup of steaming tea. The driver came to a halt near a tiny town.
We placed an order for tea and invited the driver to join us for a cup of tea. The driver was adamant. I persisted, but he gently declined once more.
"Are you not going to drink the tea from this company?" "said my friend.""
No Sir, I don't feel like having tea right now, "the driver said.
I inquired once more, "But why is that? It won't hurt to have a cup of tea."
"Thank you, sir," the driver responded, smiling, "but please accept my apologies."
"Are you against eating or drinking outside?" my pal inquired.
"No!" exclaimed the driver.
I was taken aback by his actions and requested my friend not to pressurize him.
We were at our destination in 15 minutes. The driver thanked us when we paid the fare.
I abruptly stopped him because I wanted to ask him why he was acting so strangely.
He paused for a time before responding, "Sir, my kid was killed in a car accident this afternoon. I won't be able to pay for his funeral since I don't have enough money. So I made a commitment to not drink anything until I had enough money to pay for my son's burial. That's why, when you offered tea, I declined. Please don't get me wrong."
We were equally devastated, so we offered him more money to pay for his son's funeral.
'He respectfully declined, 'and he said, "Sir, I appreciate your kindness. I'll have enough money in one or two hours if I get one or two more customers." He then exited the building.
His strength of character and integrity astounded us.
Much thanks to everyone for viewing through my story.