The law of averages

Anju is a great believer in the law of averages. Her favourite expression is “According to the law of averages...” She uses it on every possible occasion and a flattering number of times, she has been proved right.

Once, Meenu, a smart, focused and hard-working young friend encountered a problem. Even after she had gone at it doggedly (the process was a long-drawn, complicated one), the correct result evaded her. There was a tiny glitch somewhere that made all her calculations go awry. She flung her pencil down and threw up her arms in despair. “I give up,” she cried, frustration evident in her voice. Anju happened to hear of it.

It was time for me to intervene, she thought. “That is the easiest thing in the world. Tell me, how many attempts you made?” she enquired. “Two,” answered Meenu. “Don’t worry,” consoled Anju. “ You will succeed the third time,” she pronounced confidently. “You mean third time lucky?” Meenu asked with a touch of sarcasm.

“No,” replied Anju, oblivious of the dig. “The law of averages will work,” she said ignoring the girl’s sceptical look. “Anju akka is a good sort. I might as well humour her,” thought Meenu. With a deep sigh, she returned to her problem. And believe you me, she was proved right! Anju quite failed to mask her smugness. Not that she tried very hard!

Another time, Gopi, who aspired to be a gourmet cook, was bemoaning the fact that he couldn’t get a recipe quite right. Though it didn’t meet the lofty standards he set for himself, his hard-to-please family had declared it to be ‘tolerable’. (‘O.K.” ‘edible’, ‘passable’, ‘not exactly cordon bleu’ were the other grudging compliments from a very critical species!)

Anju went to his aid. “Don’t be dejected. You know failure is the stepping stone to success. What did Robert Bruce say? ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.’ Go on, follow his example,” she urged. “You need to give it three tries,” commented a cheeky sibling. Not that it ruffled Anju. So, the wanna-be cook set to work earnestly. The second attempt was an improved version but didn’t quite measure up as far as he was concerned.

But lo and behold! The third time, it turned out to be a gourmand’s delight! The beaming cook served it to the family. He gaped disbelievingly at the big empty bowl — the family had literally polished off the entire contents! — and the sated expression on the faces of the family. He directed a grateful glance at Anju. ‘I told you so’ was pasted all over her face.