The Delayed Fall

Rahim and Jubin were walking alongside a tranquil pond when Rahim suddenly stumbled over a stone. He would have fallen into the water if Jubin hadn’t caught him by the arm.

“Thanks,” said Rahim, feeling grateful for his friend’s quick reflexes.

Although Rahim forgot the incident within a day or two, Jubin did not. He continued to tell all their acquaintances, “Do you know what happened the other day? Rahim was tumbling into a pond when I grabbed him and saved him from the fall.”

Rahim heard this story repeated by his friends time and again, growing increasingly annoyed with Jubin’s embellishment of the past.

One day, fed up with the constant retelling, Rahim invited Jubin and a few other friends to accompany him to the pond. Once they arrived, Rahim took a deep breath and deliberately fell into the water.

Emerging soaked, he turned to Jubin and said, “Look here, I am as wet as I would have been had you not pulled me back that day. Now, will you please stop telling everyone about it?”