Choice of a Lifetime

He was an honest man. He neither lied nor cheated anyone. That was his ideal. As a result, he wasn’t the wealthiest. Once, he was presented with a choice at his work: he could lie and make a contract to go in favor of one of the parties, or he could stay honest and give it to the right party. If he could favor a particular party, then he would be rewarded, under the table of course. But he didn't like that. His colleagues encouraged him to take the offer. His wife also encouraged him to take it up. She could think only of what would happen if they were to receive such an amount. They can afford to buy a huge mansion and they can send their little daughter to a great private school in time. She started to imagine how their life would change for the better. She didn't care about any other implications.

He was struggling to make up his mind. What if he lies and the contract goes to the most demanding side? Surely it wouldn’t be much of a loss to anyone, except the poor another party. He had known from his colleagues, that they are barely coming up and they desperately looking for a big contract like this to have their heads over the water. It was time to make a decision. He thought about the money, his life, his wife, and his daughter and then he finally made a decision.

He came home empty-handed that day. His wife shouted at him angrily, “You cannot even take care of yourself, let alone the three of us. I will make sure your daughter never calls you her Dad”. Saying that she left him, taking their barely-year-old daughter along. Then at work, the other party threatened to kill his family as he didn’t do the favor they had asked. He felt that he messed up his life. But, he didn't do anything wrong. He kept thinking again and again but couldn't figure out what to do. He didn't know how to get his family and life back, and he didn't want to give up his ideals either. His only thought was "Why can't a man live a honest life in this world?" Later that week, he took his own life.

A few years later, a guest show was running on the television of a huge mansion. A beautiful woman was watching the show. The guest was a well-known builder who was famous in the city for his iconic architectural styles. He was explaining how he climbed up the ranks so quickly, it all started five years ago when we were offered that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it wasn’t for that one single contract, his entire family would’ve committed suicide. They were struggling for even one meal a day and they were in a lot of debt. That contract had changed their lives for the better. It helped them both financially and mentally. There onwards, he kept getting better projects one after the other and made a lot of money. He didn't just keep the money for himself, instead he gave back to the society. Now, many are living a decent life because of him. Many families are getting 3 meals a day because of this one man.

Tears started rolling down her eyes. She went to her bedroom, opened her briefcase, and took out an old picture. A little girl came running and hugged her tight.

She asked, clutching her mother tightly, “Who’s that man, mommy?”

“Honey, that man is your daddy!”