THE ART OF LYING

"It is in fact the easiest thing to do," Freddy stated, as he tried to explain his difficulty in understanding how a person could not lie.

Frederick Douglass or as commonly termed among his friends— Freddy, the Flawless,— has been rather a pioneer himself at lying; telling every bit of absurd thing without even raising a single brow. People seem to have believed everything he said to be the truth, whereas poor Joe here, being an utter failure in the "art of lying", as they put it, made a complete fool of himself everytime he tried to do it or it must better be said he never could say a word of lie. 

This huge fault in the humanly existence of Joe came in front of Freddy when for once he depended on him to tell the class teacher that "Freddy is sick and he shall not be able to attend the classes." The dim-witted fool had actually narrated the whole truth saying, "Freddy would not be attending the school as he is going with his friend, Diana, who in my opinion might be his girlfriend." If he was even willing to tell the story, he could have stopped in the first half of it; what was it necessary to go on ranting about the girlfriend part of it? The whole class laughed at Freddy for the rest of the week and Diana barely could show her face in the class and Freddy with a knitted brow greeted Joe, which was quite a fortune for him as Freddy was overly sensitive about Diana.

Then began the tutoring. But it would only have worked if the pupil maintained a hint of docility. In this Dark Age, wherefrom this Holy Spirit of Truth came into his life was still an unfortunate and unsolved mystery to Freddy. But it was no doubt that Freddy had a soft corner for his faulty friend. It was only because of Joe's solemn truth, that he was able to be with Diana in the first place, who would not have even known that he had been in love with him since he was just a mere twelve year old boy. Now after seven years they are together, that too only because of Joe. Thus Freddy was always ready to help Joe in every possible manner as possible.

Joseph Thomas Allen, as better known as Joe, the Just, has been a friend of Freddy ever since they were children. But presently it was Joe's turn to learn the "Art of Lying". It is not just to lie as much as you can, but sometimes, out of necessity, one must lie, otherwise they shall cause huge problems to persons even without knowing. 

"You see Joe, to lie to save ourselves is wrong, but to lie to save your friends and family is rather a charity," Freddy started with his class. And a class it was. He had managed to get a board and a chalk and drawn diagrams of two stick persons with a bubble in between them, written within it in capital letters the word—TRUTH, and then a broken heart at the bottom of it, representing the broken heart of Freddy, as Joe presumed with a suppressed smile, and at the very top, in capital letters, was written— THE ART OF LYING. It was quite artful for the student who would have run to the end of the world twice, than to ever touch a single colour. 

"Don't tell such things," said Diana, arguing about the intention of Freddy. "It is horrible to lie, Joe. You are good as you are. You don't have to lie. It is rather necessary for someone to tell the truth when others are lying." With the emphasis on the word "others", a pallor fell upon Freddy's mein. Joe smiled and Freddy stared back at him so swiftly as if a warth had befallen upon poor Joe. He meekly shied his head away and concentrated on the black board as if his life depended on it.

"But Di, I just tell the lies to be with you," said Freddy, in the most boyish manner he could manage with his gruff voice. 

"Aww...get a room," said Joe, quite frustrated as his newfound interest in the class about the art of deception was seeming to turn into a class of flirtation. "And how do I manage the counter-questions that are to follow as I tell such lies, as you say," said Joe, as if it was better to become a liar than to witness such an ordeal. 

"Good question, Joey," said Freddy, patting Joe on the shoulder. "Thus you must always tell lies which never have any scope for you to be crossed."

"But there is a constant worry about the question— WHY, Fred," added Diana. 

"It is indeed an important chapter in the art of lying."

"But why am I having to become a sinner for your sake?" asked Joe, throwing the first of the "why" in the midst of the conversation, finding an opportunity. "I mean, I do want to help you, but it can also be possible to tell the truth and do the same."

"Alright, you Holy Spirit of Truth! I am helping you so that you don't hurt someone's feelings in your innocence," using the air quotation marks on the last word. "Just like last week when you narrated my love life as if the plot of your upcoming novel, you did not realise the fact that you hurt Di. Everyone is making fun of her, asking questions, even making absurd theories about us." Freddy had turned visibly red. It was one thing to insult him, but to insult the love of his life. No! that was about it. Just for the sake of his old friendship was he tolerating Joe in the first place. 

Joe put his head down and meekly said, "Sorry Di," as Freddy puffed loudly enough for the rest of the neighborhood to hear. 

"It's okay, Dear. You know I would not be angry at you," said Diana, who esteemed Joe as a big brother and her dearest friend. "Let it be, Fred, he cannot do it. Not everyone is built to lie. It is not his fault that people are saying things. Is it not the fault of the ones saying it? And you should only be worried if what they say is not true. Is it?" And Di looked at Fred, beseechingly.

"It is true." Fred quickly embraced Diana as if he had returned home from a war.

"Life is better with only Truth," said Joe, as he danced his way out of the room, mostly relieved as even this time he managed to get out of the class on the Art of Lying without even having to tell a half-truth.