The Doubting Tom.

When you meet somebody, you get to talk about things of interest. It might be yours or his. Many will calmly listen to your view point and will not show agreement or disagreement.

Some vehemently, counter the points made by you. The odd ones demand substantiating proof for every word you use. This is a difficult person to handle and satisfy with your arguments. He is Mr. Doubting Tom.

If you happen to stand behind him in a railway ticket booking counter, the conversation with the ticketer might go like this:

The ticket states 'I am wait-listed' and you say it will surely get confirmed. How sure you are?

The ticketer replies, “Normally, up to this number tickets get confirmed. You need not worry sir”

Mr. Tom has questions. He wants to know what will happen if I am not lucky?

Exasperated the ticketer says, “You can cancel your un-confirmed ticket, sir”

Next time, you chance upon him in an electronics goods shop- the conversation between him and the salesman will be most likely, like this:

Here the guarantee card says that the defective components will be replaced. Now my question is whether the replacement will be with a newer component or with a used component from another device?

The salesman mumbles that the replacement will be with a newer component.

Not satisfied with the answer, Mr. Tom asks, how are you so sure, you will not be personally present at that time of replacing the component in my device?

The tongue tied salesman quietly withdraws to serve another customer.

Another unplanned encounter happens in a fruit market. As usual Mr. Tom has probing questions and remembering your earlier encounters, you instantly decide to side with the vendor on whatever questions Mr. Tom might pose.

The vendor says, this basket of fruit is fresh and tastes superb. Tom jumps into the fray, asking how the vendor can certify the taste. Did he actually taste one from the basket shown to him?

Vendor’s meek reply did not satisfy him. Changing his choice Mr. Tom wanted to know the cost of another variety of fruit. Bitten shy by the earlier sting, the vendor says, “Sir this fruit is supposed to taste equally good”

Mr. Tom asked, why the vendor did not say that this basket of fruit also is from a fresh supply. The vendor cursed himself for not having added that statement to this basket of fruit also.

For an unknown reason, Mr. Tom decided to buy a different kind of fruit at the asking rate itself, without haggling. This surprised the vendor as well as you.

The anger in “you” has been waiting to vent out on Mr. Tom. The moment the cash was exchanged and the fruit basket changed hands, the volcano of anger burst out.

You stopped the vendor from pocketing the money and asked him,” How do you know that this currency notes are genuine?”

You asked Mr. Tom, “Why are buying this basket of fruit without tasting one and how do you know this is a fresh stock?”

The vendor afraid of loosing business stares at you.  Mr. Tom, taken aback by well directed questions thought he has met his match.

Mr. Doubting Tom walks away; the vendor readies himself to attend on another, yet-to-come customer. You simply go about visiting other stalls in search of the kind of fruits you came to buy.

A fleeting thought occurs and you wonder “Why did I not do it earlier at the ticket counter or in the electronics goods shop itself?”