All for an Extra Bedroom

Few days ago when I had gone home, my cousin, had narrated to me a story called, "All for an Extra bedroom". It made me think how selfish we have become to lead our lives, that we end up either hurting our family and loved ones or losing everything in our life. I liked the story so much that I decided to include it here.

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There was once a family consisting of a father, a mother and a son. They were staying in a one-bedroom apartment. The son, not happy with the standard of living, decides to go to the U.S. to earn money; but slowly gets married and settles down there. In due course of time, he is blessed with 2 kids. One day, he receives a telegram that his parents have passed away. He was so busy with his work that he could not cremate his parents' bodies and perform the rituals. Somebody else, on behalf of him, had to do it all. As the days pass by, his wife loses interest to stay in the U.S. She leaves him and goes back to her family. His kids also leave him saying that they are old enough to live on their own.

Now, he is left with nothing except his hard earned money. Collecting all the savings he had, he decides to relocate to India. When he reaches India, he realizes that times have changed - real estate prices have gone up, living conditions have improved, many malls have come up and such other developments have taken place. So investing all his money, he was able to buy only a two-bedroom flat for himself.

As he sits in one corner of his newly purchased home, he realizes that, after all these years of hard work, savings, losing his parents, wife & kids, he could afford only an extra bedroom. The difference between him and his father's house was just "an extra bedroom".