Prompt: The Questions I’m Afraid to Answer
There are two kinds of questions in life.
Safe ones.
“What time is it?”
“Did you eat?”
“Chai or coffee?”
Easy. Civilised. Respectable.
And then there are the dangerous questions.
The ones where the truth will either start a fight, hurt someone’s feelings, or expose you completely.
So obviously…
We lie. Gracefully. Confidently. With eye contact.
My trainer:
“Did you finish 20 reps?”
I, who stopped at 10 after he turned around:
“Yes.”
Sir, I completed them emotionally. Muscles are a mindset.
My nutritionist:
“Are you getting enough protein?”
Me: “Yes, absolutely. Eggs. Paneer. Very clean.”
What I did not disclose: Egg biryani. Paneer pakoda. Protein… but with crunch. Technically correct. Best kind of correct.
Friend:
“Do you think I’ve put on weight?”
This question has destroyed civilisations. Instead of saying, “Darling, gravity is working overtime,” I go, “No, no! It’s just this dress. Very misleading.” Blame the fabric. Always blame the fabric. Friendship saved.
Phone at 11:58 p.m:
“Time to sleep?”
Me: “Yes.”
Also me: Scrolling reels like it’s a government job.
But the worst questions?
They don’t come from people. They come from inside. At very suspicious times. Like during a walk. Or while washing my hair. Or when life is finally quiet.
Brain suddenly goes (no, not Shakira! Shakira! But that too, yes)
“So… are you actually happy with this… or just tolerating it?”
Excuse me? Who asked you?
Or:
“Why are you still available to people who show up only when they need something?”
Rude. Unnecessary. Accurate.
Or the most irritating one:
“If you know better… why aren’t you doing better?”
Because sometimes delusion is comfortable, okay? Growth is admin work. I’ve realised something, though. The small lies? Harmless. Funny. Survival skills. Fake reps. Protein pakodas. Diplomatic compliments. Fine.
But the big questions? The life ones? Those refuse to be ignored.
They sit there. Arms crossed. Waiting. And eventually you have to look back and go, “Okay, fine. I get it. You win.”
Annoying.
But also… usually right. Which is very inconvenient.
