Here’s how I solved it.
I had a long day at work today.
Managing accounts of the entire family is a ‘task’.
Trust me, I really ‘needed’ a dopamine kick.
I wanted an ICE CREAMMM!
I took my brother’s login and tried completing an order for two flavours through a food app.
Moments later, my brother texted:
“What did you order for Rs. 1314/-? :D”
Me: Taken aback, “WTF?!”
I checked, and I saw some extra orders on top of what I ordered.
Shocked, I checked for any cancellation option.
It read, “After a minute, cancellation amount is the total order amount”.
In a panic, I tried swiping back, but the next screen read:
“Your order has been cancelled. Total Cancellation amount is Rs. 1314/-.”
Shocked, and dejected, I didn’t know what just happened.
Perhaps, saved items from two separate logins got clubbed.
Maybe. I didn’t know.
I was blank.
Yet, I stood there having lost the ice cream, and the money.
Well, that was only the painful part.
What happened next was agitating.
A few minutes later, to overcome my sadness, I decided to make myself some Fresh-Lime Soda.
I went up to the fridge and got the soda and the lemon.
‘Trying not to think of the ice cream, I squeezed the lemon, dashed in some black salt, and mint leaves, and finally poured in the soda.
After the first sip, I felt I could afford some sugar to lift my mood up.
It didn’t dawn on me that sugar will now create the fizz.
Lost in thoughts, I got a spoon full of sugar and tossed it in.
I hated myself that very second,.
Fizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!
The mint leaves and CO2 were out of the glass now, and I was left with half a glass of water, a spoon of sugar, and some salt at the bottom.
I wish I could explain how agitated I was by now.
I sat there, numb, and silent for a minute.
It took a moment before I could start ‘thinking’ again.
I smiled, and said to myself:
“Never mind, have some plain soda instead.”
I took out another bottle, took a few sips, and then there it clicked.
“What just happened was Painful.
Agitating, on top of that.
How about Solving it now?
That’s a good writing prompt – PAS (Pain, Agitate, Solution).
The incident would be of some use, at least.”
So, here I am sitting, writing, editing this story completing the final stage (Solution) of the PAS challenge – ‘Making something meaningful out of the given situation’.
Sometimes, THAT is the best solution.
See, P.A.S. is a common sequence in storytelling.
Life is suffering, and solving it is our yearning.
Our lives move through that sequence.
If you only take notice of these moments, you’ll find several short stories in your daily life.
It doesn’t always have to be an adventurous story.
It only has to be relatable.
What do ‘you’ think?
Share your thoughts below.