The Deadly Sins

By Paarth Gupta

Paarth, oooouch!” Let’s rewind.

The year 2020, was full of surprises, which brought about many changes. Hmm, some were good and some weren’t so good. The pandemic restricted us, from being in propinquity with each other. We were stuck in our own cocoons. Even the maid, wasn’t allowed to enter our home. This increased my mother’s workload; as a result, she was exhausted all the time. To add fuel to the fire, she started complaining about pain in her feet. I was an easy target for her, to vent out her anger. Oh boy! I needed to take immediate action, to do away with the wrath. I started brainstorming, about ways to help her. After racking my brain, I finally came up with a solution. Massage, it was. I gave her a demo, and she went bonkers. She kept availing the service frequently, and was fully recharged after every massage. Soon, the second sin took over her, Greed! Her greed knew no bounds, and she started fooling me, by availing free massages, with absolutely no guilt. I realized that I was being cheated! I then, decided to come up with another plan. I wrote a contract stating the details regarding the various kinds of massages, I offered. It also contained the terms and conditions. When I handed it to my mom, her jaw dropped. I forced her to sign the contract and abide with all the terms and conditions. Here’s a copy of the contract –

By signing this, you agree to –

• Become a lifetime member of “PG Massages”.

• The amount will be paid in cash, with no refunds.

• Payment to be made on time.

• The prices may change anytime, depending on the masseuse’s mood.

Date Signature

Here are the various massages provided by me:

1. Ultra Magma: 10 minutes massage with dim lights (₹ 12)

2. Mega Magma: 10 minutes massage along with a story (₹ 10)

3. Roller Massage: 5 minutes massage, exclusively for feet

(₹ 4)

1. Holiday Special: Ultra Magma at a discounted rate.

(₹ 10)

If my father knew about this, another sin would soon pop up, Envy. After being deceived for centuries, I now make sure that I receive money on time, and also charge late fees. The pandemic gave me a new opportunity, and helped me create a flourishing business. Ergo, I learnt about the deadly sins. We need to be careful, before the deadly sins take over us.

By Paarth Gupta