Sandra had ended her long-term relationship with her boyfriend.

She was all of 22 when she had first met Ben. At that time, he was unemployed, and she had just
started her career as a corporate lawyer. As they spent time together, she noticed that though he
was shy and did not easily open up, his kind and empathetic personality made him stand out as an
individual. Ben was well-educated, smart and came from a good family background. She came to
love and care for him deeply, even though she often felt he was not equally invested in the
relationship. He would avoid going out with her and did not share much about his life. But he would
often tell her about the difficulty he had obtaining a job, owing to his poor performance in interviews
due to his introverted nature. Consequently, he faced challenges making ends meet and could barely
eke out a hand to mouth existence. So, out of her genuine love and compassion for him, she would
regularly transfer money to his account so he could meet his basic needs.

Their relationship was going smooth, until one day when she saw a text on his phone asking him to
come visit a club the next day, in a part of town infamous for all kinds of illegal activities. She found
the text odd, since Ben did not seem to be the sort who would frequent such clubs. Resolute in her
determination to find out the truth, she decided to secretly follow him to that place.

Next evening, Sandra tailed Ben to the parking lot of a posh casino. She saw him step out of his car,
carrying a briefcase, dressed in what looked like very expensive clothes. He entered the casino, she
followed him. The soft-spoken, charming Ben with whom she was hoping to build a future had
suddenly turned into a completely different person. He sat by a poker table, ordered drinks, and was
soon greeted by his equally well-dressed friends who seemed too loud and ostentatious to be
friends with “her” Ben. She saw him take out wads of crisp currency notes from his briefcase and
gamble it all away. She just could not believe her eyes.

Did Ben actually cheat her? She stood there in disbelief, observing him. Her heart was pounding
heavily, and she was completely shaken up. She was seething with rage but decided not to act at the
moment and headed home. The next few days went by in a daze. She was too furious and stunned
to talk to Ben about what she had seen. Days turned into weeks and Sandra stopped returning Ben’s
calls and messages.

Worried about what had happened with her, Ben landed up at Sandra’s house. There, finally, she
confronted him about the events of that day, and to her utter shock, he dropped his façade and
showed her his true colours. He yelled at her and behaved rudely. He accused her of being
excessively intrusive and not respecting his privacy. He told her she did not have any right to govern
his life or how he spent his money. He revealed that he was a gambling addict and had lost all the
money she had lent him to this addiction and if it came to choosing between her and gambling, his
choice would be the latter.

Upon hearing this, her world came crashing down. She felt betrayed, and her trust was shattered.
She felt cheated not only financially, but also emotionally. It was the proverbial straw that broke the
camel’s back. Ben stormed out of her house, and she cut off all communication with him.

After this incident, she found her behaviour towards other people changed. Once bitten, twice shy;
she did not trust people easily and always second-guessed her decisions. Her faith in the values of
honesty, generosity and compassion diminished and she started living the life of a recluse. Her
friends and family were worried for her. Even professionally, her performance deteriorated as she
had trouble focussing on work.
A few years pass, yet somehow a faint glimmer of hope and love for Ben is still alive in Sandra’s
heart. Through a common friend, she comes to know that he is in a dire state financially and has no
one to help him out. He is penniless and abandoned by his kith and kin. Her heart swells with pity
and she wants to help him but hesitates to act on her feelings. One day, she receives a phone call
from him. With a quivering voice, he expresses remorse for his poor, irresponsible behaviour. He
acknowledges his mistakes and is keen on making amends. He wants to show her that he is a
changed man and asks if they can meet to talk about what had transpired.

Now, she is in a quandary.

She decides to take some time off and pay a visit to her elder sister Susan who lives in a nearby
town. When she reaches, Susan is yet to return from office so Sandra starts playing with her kittens.
She notices that two of them are embroiled in conflict over food and one happens to bruise the
other. Silence follows. Retribution was expected. Instead, the injured kitten heads to their bed and
the other one follows suit. They both share the food in the bowl and happily go off to sleep.

This triggers something in her. She musters the courage and decides to confide in Susan. As Sandra
bears her heart out, tears continually stream down her cheeks. Susan understands how deeply Ben’s
betrayal had affected Sandra. She realises that this pent-up emotion is a manifestation of Sandra’s
unfulfilled love for Ben and decides to help her sister.

Susan narrates a tale to Sandra. The essence of the narration is to highlight the virtue of forgiveness.
When we pardon someone, and let go of old grudges and bitterness, we release negativity from
within us. It is an internal decision with manifold ramifications in the external world. It enables us to
express our love, compassion, and kindness to those who have hurt us and encourages them to do
the same. It helps us have healthier relationships with our loved ones by dismissing negativity and
giving love a chance to thrive.

After hearing this tale, Sandra looks visibly moved. She realises that her love for Ben overpowers the
resentment she had against him, and she decides to give him another chance. She expresses her
gratitude to Susan for showing her the right path and heads back home.

Sandra and Ben once again establish contact. Gradually, they work on resolving their problems and
endeavour to rekindle the bond. By virtue of her forgiveness and support, Ben is able to overcome
his addiction and successfully secures employment. By forgiving Ben, Sandra too gets a release from
the pessimism from within her. She feels happy and content once again and starts performing well
professionally.

Thus, by reflecting on their own behaviour and forgiving the other person’s follies, they are able to
salvage their relationship and develop a deeper, much stronger bond.