The football match was about to start, and Aadi came rushing towards the dressing room to get ready for it. Just then, the opponent team members started passing nasty comments to distract him.
"Hey, you latecomer, you won’t be able to win over us," one boy commented.
"Go sit over there, and I’ll get you some crayons to draw, as crayons suit your hand more than a ball," another jeered.
"What a little wimp, Aadi, you don’t even have a mouth to speak," the boys went on and on until the coach arrived to call them out.
While leaving the room, Aadi gave a warm smile and raised a "All the best" thumbs up to all.
"Wow, what sportsmanship, Aadi!" announced the sports commentator.
After the match was over, team roles were announced for the next match. Taksh was declared as a goalkeeper.
Looking at Taksh’s sad face, Aadi immediately raised the request to exchange his role with Taksh. “Sir, let Taksh play as a player and me as a goalkeeper,” Aadi proposed. The coach agreed.
Taksh was happy to hear that but puzzled too, as he was getting a third shock in a row about Aadi’s calm and composed attitude towards everything.
Taksh questioned curiously, "What’s your secret of being calm and composed? There might be some inner strength within you? What is it?”
“Well, there is no secret. It’s just I can’t see anybody getting hurt or upset because of me, which I try to follow,” Aadi explained.
“Oh, I see. So that’s your inner secret strength,” Taksh concluded.
“If I had reacted by teasing back to them or complaining to the coach, they would have been emotionally hurt, and everything would have heated up. And if I had pushed the opponent back during the match, he would have been physically hurt,” Aadi calmly shared.
“Yes, thanks, that’s why you sacrificed! As you can’t see me upset,” Taksh thanked him and hugged him. “But how did you develop your inner strength?” Taksh questioned.
“Sadly, once upon a time, I too was cranky and fussy like other kids and used to get upset over small things,” Aadi shared with guilt.
“Seriously?” Taksh found it hard to believe. “You cranky and fussy?” he asked, puzzled.
“Then one day, while my mom was driving me home from school, I was all red-faced, yelling and pushing her because I was upset with the food she had packed for me. One of my kicks hit her hand, causing her to lose control of the steering wheel of the car. It banged into my building gate and slightly hit my dog Snoppy, who was waiting for me near the gate."
He paused for a breath. "This incident not only shocked and hurt me from inside but it hurt my two most loving people in the world. My Mom and my little Snoppy. They both were injured because of me. So from that day I decided to handle every situation calmly so that I don’t react or attack and then hurt people around me and wish that other people too adapt this secret strength." He concluded as they reached the bus stop.
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