Money Keeping
P1 We were sitting outside a hospital where one of our relative was admitted in Emergency Ward. Until now we could not arrange our own boarding and that was the reason we were sitting under a tree in front of the hospital.
P2 My daughter and her two daughters were also with us. Both were playing with me and ultimately both demanded milk. I went to my wife and demanded some money from her so that I could purchase two bottle of Verka milk from the shop functioning in the hospital itself. She gave me some money and I took both the girls to the shop.
P3 When I returned and started talking to other people assembled there, Mr. Lee, the brother of a patient said, "I have noticed that you have got no money with you?"
P4 "Yes, I do not keep money with me. All money is kept by my wife. She manages all the cash in the house. I get just pocket money daily."
P5 Mr. Lee was surprised to know that I am the only breadwinner in the family, but I don’t keep money with me. But somehow he kept silence for some time. I wanted to know his reaction. "Is my way of functioning on the right path?"
P6 "Yes, you are a wise man. Now I could understand as to why you both are happy and are having good health. On the other hand I and my wife are not happy and we both are not having good health too. She remains sad and I also always remain in worries we have made our life hell. I have learnt a lesson from you." said Mr. Lee.
P7 I was surprised to note as to what lesson Mr. Lee had learnt from my answer. I feared that he would utter some adverse remarks on me. He would call me henpecked husbandor a slave before my wife. But he added, "In our house I am the man who earns for the family and therefore, I keep the whole cash with me. I feel that this is my right to keep cash with me. But today I have learnt that I had been wrong. I should have done the same as you. You are handing over all the cash to your wife and it means she administers the whole family affairs. She is proud of the fact that she is the custodian of all the money in the house. She is happy that her husband has got faith in her. She has got all the discretionary powers in the house and is not living like a slave who cannot purchase even simple clothes for herself. On the other hand, you are also happy that after handing over cash to your wife, you have got no worry to run the family. You are happy. This fact has made you healthy and worriless."
P8 I was surprised to hear what he had said. Until now, I had never thought of the things like this. Actually, I had always been weak in mathematics and therefore, I thought it was better to hand over all the cash to my wife and ultimately the present observation from a relative raised my position.
P9 Mr. Lee had admitted that all bad things in his house had been happening only because he had been keeping the cash with himself and his wife disagreed with this when she had got no pocket money with her.