(Short Story) Happiness in Small Things

 

(Short Story)
Happiness in Small Things
By Saran Rai

Every morning, when I inject insulin, I remember my late wife. The reason for remembering her is the insulin pen — the same pen she used for a year to take her insulin shots.
After her passing, I couldn’t throw that pen away; I kept it safely.

My wife had died of kidney failure caused by diabetes. I too have had diabetes for many years, so fearing that my kidneys might also fail, I began using the same pen she had used.

Old age—no matter how much effort you make—makes you start forgetting small things.
Yesterday, after taking insulin, I put the pen in the fridge without its cap.
This morning, while injecting, I noticed the cap was missing. I searched the whole room—no cap.

That pen, bought ten years ago for 1,200 rupees! Now I would have to buy another one.
Thinking I might find the cap somewhere, I went outside, intending to check the pile of garbage my daughter-in-law had swept and thrown away.

Right at the doorstep, I saw the cap lying there. While sweeping, my daughter-in-law must have thought it was just the cap of a useless pen and had thrown it out.

Instantly, happiness blossomed in my heart. It felt as though a lost life had returned.
Joy! Happiness!
How truly vast happiness can hide in such small and simple things!

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