One sunny day, Hasan was doing his regular work in his kiosk by the side of a busy street in the city centre. Suddenly, he saw his old good friend coming out of a luxurious car to go inside an executive office building.

Impulsively, Hasan called out to him in excitement, “Hey Hamza, you work here?”

Hamza looked towards Hasan’s direction and ignored him, as if he didn’t even know who Hasan was and walked away swiftly. Hasan felt embarrassed in front of the people around him and started his work again.

Upon coming out of the office later that day, Hamza saw that there was no one around Hasan and very few people on the street, so he approached Hasan’s kiosk.

“I am sorry, Hasan, but you know sometimes we have to maintain our appearance according to our status. I am the MD of a big company, and the way you cried out my name in front of my junior staff and all those poor people, was quite embarrassing for me. Please don’t call out to me like that again. I know we were friends in childhood, so call my assistant if you need any help,” Hamza said coldly and turned to go.

“Listen, Hamza, relations are not based on the status of people, and not every poor persson is seeking help; sometimes they just want to talk like any other person or get some emotional support,” Hasan explained.

“Oh! You will never understand. Leave it,” saying this Hamza left from there.

Hasan felt insulted and thought Hamza’s reaction was the result of his success which he was able to achieve because he could study, while Hasan had to leave studies after the sudden demise of his father and earn to support his family.

Later that night when Hasan lay down, he kept thinking about Hamza’s behaviour. He didn’t remember when he fell asleep. The next day, as usual, Hasan got busy with his work and completely forgot about the incident with Hamza.

A few days later, Hasan while busy doing his usual work, a car stopped by his kiosk and the driver got out to buy something.

Upon seeing Hasan, the man smiled and asked excitedly, “Hello, is that you Hasan?”

Hasan looked at that person with a confused expression. The man, wearing a fine suit, then introduced himself as Osman, his class fellow from college.

“Oh! Yeah, I remember you!” Hasan replied smiling.

“Imagine meeting you after all these years! How have you been? What wonderful carefree days we had back in college,” Osman said and they started chatting.

They talked about a lot of things and then Hasan revealed that his father passed away and he had to leave his studies and now he runs this small shop for a living.

This made Osman clearly sad and he invited Hasan to come with him to his house and they would sit together and catch up while having dinner also. Since it was evening and Hasan was about to close his kiosk, he agreed. After closing for the day, Hasan went to Osman’s house in his nice car.

Over dinner at Osman’s house, the two friends laughed and chatted like old times. Later, Osman noticed that Hasan fell silent suddenly. Upon being asked several times by Osman what the matter was, Hasan finally revealed about the incident which took place between him and Hamza a few days back, and how he was hurt by Hamza’s rude behaviour.

“That incident taught me that successful people are heartless and arrogant, they don’t value true friendship or relations. They measure everything according to a person’s wealth,” Hasan said in dismay.

Osman sighed and replied, “I understand Hasan, indeed Hamza hurt your feelings badly, but, trust me, everyone is different. See I am a successful person, do you think I am like him?”

“Not at all, that seems strange to me. I initially thought you would also treat me in the same manner,” Hasan responded, his voice tinged with both confusion and relief.

Osman smiled warmly, “You know, success doesn’t change who you are; it amplifies it. If someone is kind, they’ll likely be even kinder after success. If they’re self-centred, well, that shows too.”

Hasan nodded slowly, pondering over Osman’s words. Osman then made Hasan an offer that would change his life.

“Hasan, I run a successful business, and I’m always looking for trustworthy and hardworking people. Would you like to come and work with me? I believe in you, and I think together we can achieve great things,” Osman offered.

Hasan’s eyes widened with surprise and gratitude. “Osman, I don’t know what to say. This is ... it’s like a dream come true.”

“Then let’s make that dream a reality,” Osman replied, shaking Hasan’s hand firmly.

From that day onwards, Hasan’s life took a dramatic turn. He started working with Osman, learning the ropes of the business, and soon his dedication and hard work paid off. He closed his kiosk and got a managerial position at Osman’s office. Hasan now knew that success wasn’t just about wealth or status, but about the richness of relationships and the strength to stay true to oneself.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 29th, 2024