Maryam was an independent girl, living on her own in the city. She enjoyed her life and followed her passions. She had moved away for a good job opportunity, but living alone often made her miss the joyful moments she shared with her family, who lived in another city.

Maryam loved cooking and baking, and to share her happiness, she often gave the food she made to a few of her neighbours. One of them was Aunt Sarah, who lived right next door. Unaware of Aunt Sarah’s envious nature, Maryam shared almost everything with her — even her small achievements.

Aunt Sarah, on the other hand, couldn’t help comparing Maryam to her own daughter, Ramsha, who was around the same age, but not as skilled in cooking and didn’t have any achievements to her credit.

This jealousy was the reason Aunt Sarah always wasted or threw away the food Maryam gave her. One day, Maryam noticed pieces of pancakes that a cat was trying to grab from the dustbin outside Aunt Sarah’s house. She went closer and saw they were the same pancakes she had made the day before and shared with her neighbour. However, she just shook the thought off her mind, unable to believe that someone could waste food this way.

Days passed. One day, when Maryam received a promotion letter from her office, she decided to celebrate by trying a new recipe and giving it to her dear Aunt Sarah. She made white sauce pasta, packed it neatly in a plastic storage box and wrapped it in decorative paper. She wanted to offer it as a small treat to celebrate her promotion.

That evening, Maryam went to Aunt Sarah’s house with the pasta and shared her good news. Aunt Sarah hugged and congratulated her warmly. They had a nice conversation, and Maryam left happily. There was nothing in Aunt Sarah’s attitude to indicate she wasn’t happy for Maryam. But as usual, Aunt Sarah threw the box into the dustbin soon after Maryam left.

The next day, when Maryam was returning from the office, she noticed the corner of a plastic box peeking out of the dustbin near Aunt Sarah’s door. She went closer and realised it was the same box she had given her — the pasta still packed and untouched.

At that moment, Maryam realised she hadn’t been wrong about the pancakes either. Seeing this made her emotionally distressed and questions began to stir in her mind about why Aunt Sarah had thrown the food away. Without hesitation, Maryam knocked on Aunt Sarah’s door.

The moment Aunt Sarah opened it, Maryam burst out, “I just want to know why you throw away the food I give you! If you didn’t want to eat it, you could have told me earlier. Why waste it?

“Whatever I bring to you is out of love. It hurts to see you throw away the precious blessing of food without realising that millions of people are starving for even one meal a day. Many die of hunger, and countless others spend their days and nights with empty stomachs. Instead of being grateful to God Almighty for having food, you’ve chosen to waste it. Tell me, why?” Maryam said in a broken voice.

“Oh well, it’s because I don’t like your home-cooked food. And if you give it to me just to question me later about it, please don’t do it again,” Aunt Sarah said, showing no guilt on her face.

She then shut the door in Maryam’s face. Maryam felt deeply shaken and hurt, and couldn’t sleep well that night.

Days passed. One day, Aunt Sarah went out shopping. As she walked down the street, she saw a child eating something from a pile of garbage. It wasn’t the first time she had seen something like this, but that day, she felt moved. She stopped the child and asked him to wait. At that moment, she reflected on what Maryam had said to her.

She bought a sandwich and a juice box from a nearby bakery, and gave them to the child. The boy was overjoyed to see the fresh sandwich and juice.

Aunt Sarah then returned home and walked towards Maryam’s door. She stood there for a while, hesitant, then finally knocked. The door opened.

“I… I’m sorry, beta Maryam,” Aunt Sarah began. “I admit it was wrong to throw away the food you brought. And I also admit that I was jealous of you and your achievements. I wanted my daughter to be like you, but she’s not interested in doing anything productive. As a mother, I couldn’t control my feelings and became envious, so I threw away whatever you gave me,” she said softly, her voice filled with shame and regret.

Maryam smiled and hugged her.

“I didn’t mind your jealousy,” she said gently. “What hurt me was the wastage of food. I believe throwing food away is one of the worst things a person can do. No food should ever be wasted, because food is a blessing and we should always respect it. The world is already struggling with hunger; we must learn to value what we have and share it with others.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 15th, 2025