A gentleman's wife

A husband and wife were not on speaking terms. For several months they had quarreled and quarreled. Finally they stopped talking to each other altogether. The husband, who was a school teacher, had a softer and better heart and wanted to put an end to their quarrel, but the wife did not. He tried in various ways, but everything failed.

One day he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please tell me in what ways I can please you. I will immediately do so."

The wife said, "Enough! I have had enough from you in my life. I don't want anything from you."

Then he said, "If you need any favour from me, I will be willing to do it for you."

She said, "I don't need any help from you or any favour from you. But if you want any favour from me, I shall grant it."

The husband said, "Even if it is a very difficult task, will you do it?

The wife said, "There is nothing that I cannot do for you."

So the husband became so happy, excited and delighted. He said, "That means our long standing quarrel has come to an end."

The wife said, "I think so."

Then the husband said, "Please do me a favour. Tomorrow I have to be at the school early, at six o'clock, because an examination is being held. I have to get up at five o'clock. So you won't forget, I am writing down my request on a piece of paper." He wrote, "Please wake me up at five o'clock." Then the husband and wife went to their respective rooms.

Early in the morning, at five o'clock, the wife wrote down on a piece of paper, "Gentleman, get up! It is five o'clock." She put the note in her husband's room. He didn't hear her come into the room, so he did not wake up.

Finally, at nine o'clock, he woke up. When he looked at the time, he felt sad and mad. He said to his wife, "How is it that you didn't call me?"

The wife said, "You wrote me a note asking me to wake you at five o'clock. I wrote you another note telling you to get up. It was an exchange of notes. The wife of a gentleman has to behave in a gentlemanly way. A gentleman does not make any noise when he enters into a room. He does everything very calmly and quietly. So calmly and quietly I put the note in your room. What more can you expect from a gentleman's wife?"

From:Sri Chinmoy,The sailor and the parrot, Agni Press, 1981
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/sp