The Boy Who Forgot To Cry

"Seriously? Didn't you feel anything for your Bheem?" Sita asked her brother Madhav.

"It happened... that's okay," he replied very normally.

Yes, it had only been a couple of hours since his puppy Bheem passed away. While crossing the road, a truck hit him so hard that he died on the spot.

Bheem came into their home nine years ago. It was Madhav who brought him home after creating so many scenes in front of their parents. Finally, they agreed.

From that day, Bheem wasn't just a pet.

He became family.

Madhav took care of Bheem so well. He fed him, played with him, and never missed taking him for walks. Whenever Madhav returned from school, Bheem would come running and lick his legs. Whenever Madhav felt low, Bheem would simply sit beside him. Somehow, that was enough to comfort him.

They shared a bond that words could never explain.

That's why everyone expected Madhav to cry the most when Bheem died.

But...

He didn't.

He stood there quietly. He buried Bheem. He came back home. He washed his hands.

And he sat silently as if nothing had happened.

Sita couldn't understand it.

"Anna... are you okay?"

He remained silent.

She asked once again. Suddenly, he shouted at her and walked away.

That moment hit Sita so hard.

Isn't this the same boy who cried after losing his favourite toy as a child?

She slowly started thinking about Madhav.

As a kid, he was very vulnerable. He used to cry, laugh, and share everything.

One day, he came home crying because his teacher scolded him for getting low marks.

Before anyone could console him, his grandfather said, "Just for these marks you're crying? You are a boy. Boys are supposed to be strong."

Maybe everyone forgot those words.

But Madhav didn't.

The next time he got low marks...

He didn't cry. He simply walked away.

A few years later, he fell from his bicycle. His knees were bleeding. His eyes were full of tears.

Still... he didn't cry.

Years passed.

Life changed. He completed his studies. He got a job in an MNC. Now he is the provider of the family.

Whenever life became too much, Bheem was always there for him.

Now... Bheem was gone too.

At that moment, Sita realised something.

People often think being vulnerable is a lack of courage. Some even think crying makes a boy weak.

But who decided that?

A baby boy cries.

A little boy cries.

Then one day, someone tells him, "Boys don't cry."

Maybe that's where everything changes.

Maybe boys don't stop crying because they become strong.

Maybe they stop crying because they are afraid of being judged.

They are expected to protect everyone.

They are expected to earn for everyone.

They are expected to stay strong for everyone.

But...

Who provides emotional safety for the provider?

Tears don't belong to girls.

Strength doesn't belong to boys.

Emotions belong to humans.

Sita looked at Madhav once again.

For the first time, she didn't see a man without emotions.

She saw a little boy who had slowly learnt to hide his tears from the world.

Maybe boys can cry.

It's just that...

The world keeps teaching them not to.