"...kal ka bhi 40 bacha hai na, lelena.."

 "...kal ka bhi 40 bacha hai na, lelena.."

["Take Rs. 40 pending from yesterday as well"]

...said the senior citizen sitting next to me while handing over some cash to the coconut vendor at the beach that morning. I raised an eyebrow while sipping on my coconut water.

A few days back I started having coconut water at the beach post my morning jogs. I go to the same vendor daily & I pay him Rs. 60 per coconut. So when I heard the other person is paying only Rs. 40, my ears sprang up.

Perhaps the senior here was his regular customer and hence he might be getting a discounted rate, I told myself. I planned to be a regular too, so maybe I should try and cut a deal with this guy too then, I figured.

So before leaving, when I handed him the money, I cheekily told him - "Now that I'm a regular customer as well, shall I also pay 40?"

The vendor seemed a bit confused and so I said, "Uncle paid 40, so it means your regular customers only pay 40 per coconut right?" The guy started smiling ear to ear and clarified "Sir, the rate is same for all. The uncle here keeps a running account with me and yesterday while he settled, he was Rs.40 short and hence he told me to take the 40 today". There was nothing I could say to that and so I smiled back and started walking towards the exit.

Learning:
1. Our ears often mislead our mind coz we hear

something (at times not knowing the background/context) and start analyzing/judging/deducing things. Sometimes such occurences have a potential to cause really big complications and misunderstandings.

2. Seeking clarification is so underrated. When you seek a clarification, it not only clears up any possible misunderstanding, but also reduces or eliminates the possibility of further heartburn or adverse feelings that one may end up enduring, assuming things/facts that never even existed.

As I walked a few steps away from the vendor, I heard him call back - "Sir, kal se mota malai wala nariyal aapke liye side me rakhunga" ["Sir, from tomorrow I'll reserve a good coconut with thick meat for you"], coz I tell him daily that I like coconuts with thick meat and he'd always say that they are difficult to come by these days.

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