Windfall for the Forgetful
The husband was haughty, while the wife was forgetful. A day did not pass without the wife, Sati, committing some blunder, prompting her husband, Madhav, to rebuke her.
A Day Out
“I am going to Joshpur; I shall not be back before evening. Do not expect me for lunch,” Madhav informed Sati one morning before leaving home.
Later in the afternoon, Sati paid a visit to Lakshmi’s house, located a mile away. The two friends had not met in several months. Lakshmi’s husband was also away, and they quickly became engrossed in gossip. They shared an early dinner together.
Chitchat and Cooking
As the evening approached, Sati mentioned it was time for her to go home to cook dinner for her husband. “Let us chitchat for a little while longer. You can carry some food from my kitchen; there is enough left,” said Lakshmi.
The two friends sat down again, losing track of time.
A Disappointed Return
Madhav returned home in the early part of the night and felt disgusted to find the house locked. He strolled in front of it for a long time, occasionally checking the back door to see if Sati had left it open. However, Sati had been careful and locked both doors.
An Unlikely Encounter
A thief watched Madhav moving about suspiciously and concluded that Madhav was part of his brotherhood. He emerged from his hiding place and whispered to Madhav, “My friend, I know why you hesitate to act. It’s because you are alone. But I am here to cooperate. You keep guard, and I will open the lock to check for anything valuable inside.”
Madhav was about to grab the thief but, on second thought, decided to play it safe. “But do not escape with all the loot. You must give me half,” he said.
“I promise to do so,” replied the thief. Soon, he succeeded in opening the lock and entered Madhav’s bedroom, beginning to rummage through the boxes.
Caught in the Act
Madhav swiftly locked the room from outside. “You must burglarize my house with my cooperation, must you? Now, fellow, I will break your head if you break a single thing. Wait till morning,” Madhav shouted through the window.
The thief was stunned and pleaded with Madhav to be set free, but Madhav had no reason to oblige him.
A Surprising Turn of Events
Tired, Madhav fell asleep in another room. It was midnight when Sati realized how late it had gotten at her friend’s house. She hurried back home and was surprised to see the main door wide open. Looking inside, she found the bedroom locked.
“Woe to me! I locked the bedroom instead of the main door!” she scolded herself for her negligence. She promptly opened the bedroom door.
Like an arrow, the imprisoned thief dashed out. The noise woke Madhav, who, seeing a perplexed Sati, seethed with anger but only for a moment. His eyes soon fell on a bag left behind by the fleeing thief.
Fortune Discovered
The bag was filled with glittering gold mohurs. The thief had managed to pick it up from a tavern, stolen from a party of drunken officers of the king. He had assumed the bag contained ordinary coins. Had he known the bag held gold mohurs, he would not have attempted to burgle another house!
A Lucky Outcome
As soon as morning arrived, Madhav set off for the king’s court. The king was so pleased to receive the bag that he rewarded Madhav with the entire contents. “Had you not forgotten the time, the incident with the thief would not have occurred, and we could not have grown richer by a bagful of gold mohurs!” Madhav frequently reminded his wife. He was no longer the angry man he once was.