Housekeeper

“Don’t you even know how to sweep the floor? Hadn’t your mother taught you anything? How can you be so careless? You are so stupid.” These harsh words were just continuously echoing in her ears while she was mopping the floor. “You pig, you are so dirty. No one taught you how to clean the floor. Maybe it’s because you used to live in a slum? Who brought you up this way? You shit!” She was trying to ignore all this noise and concentrate on her work. But this voice was following her in each room wherever she was mopping the floor. It made her feel so poor that it was even hard to distinguish whether she was cleaning the floor with water from a bucket or with her tears! 

Sadly, it was her daily routine not just household but these taunts. Now it’s almost two years for her but she is not able to accept it. It’s too hard for her. Maybe it would have been easy for her if these words were not from this person. She was just arguing within her when she went to her bed-room.

Wait, it’s not bed-room its washroom, her bed-room. Yes, this is where she sleeps. She came into the room and got lost in her own thoughts. Maybe she was remembering her golden days or the days that lead her in this hell. Let’s see what she is thinking about!

Oh, she is smiling. It was her wedding day. In those days, it was normal to get the girls married when they became adults .She was just 19 and her parents had found a groom for her. The entire house was full of people celebrating that event, the house was decorated with lights. She was getting ready for her wedding. A few of her cousins, someone from the parlor, were just moving their hands around her face and hair ,setting her clothes to make her the most beautiful bride in the world, and her smile was increasing her glory similar to the sun-shine. After an hour’s effort, she was finally ready for her best day.

Someone came to the door saying the groom had arrived. Every girl in the room was teasing her with his name. But these words were landing her into a sea of blush and she just ran towards the window to have a look at her life partner.

Maybe he was also staring at her from the gate while others were welcoming him. How eternal that feeling would have been! They were going to tie themselves in an ever-lasting bond of love. One by one, there were scenes going in front of her eyes as she was able to recall her each wedding ritual, which they had performed.

Their marriage took an adventurous turn when she gave birth to her little one. Both of them had become parents just after one year of their marriage. You can imagine how difficult it would have been for them to become parents at such an early age. But these clueless guys had taken this challenge.

They had named their toddler, Amit. It was like a circus going on in their house with sounds like “He’s crying, may be he’s hungry”, ”Keep a look at him, he may get sick“, “Please don’t give him bath in such hot water”, “Hey, you woke him up again”, “How can you leave him alone. I was just away for 2 minutes.”, “Please see, how he’s doing”, “Don’t bring such toys for him, he may get hurt” and so on.

Their entire life was just revolving around Amit from taking care of his each and every need to make them highly educated. She had a little smile on her face when she was just dusting off her memories.

Suddenly her smile went off when she got into that page of life when they had happily sent their son abroad for higher studies by using their life-long savings that they had accumulated from their hard-work. They were left with nothing after that except their house. But still both of them were smiling as Amit was able to fulfill his dream. After all he was going abroad.

Nature was riding her own cycle and so did Amit. Everything changed between their heavenly bonds. From receiving his call every day to once a month and then a year time flied. They were missing their son. It would have been appreciated if he would have so!    

After 5 years, they received a call “I am coming home”. They were delighted as if they would have won the lottery. And to their surprise this time he came back home as well, but not alone. He was accompanied by his wife. It came to them as a shock but they accepted it assuming maybe he would have got time to inform us. She smirked remembering it.

Maybe it was the day that had brought all this pain in her life. What do you think why he would have come? For his parents, really? No. It was for their only thing that was having all their memories-their home which she had nurtured with her love and care. This revelation came as a big shock to her husband. He got a heart attack and died in the hospital. Her only support, the cause of her life, was taken away from her by someone whom she brought into this universe! She was filled with grief, blaming herself for giving birth to such a devil. She was not strong enough to fight with own blood and just signed the property papers to get rid of her son. She was left to wander from door to door in search of food to feed her stomach. But her destiny had some other plans for her. 

Amit, and his wife decided to not go abroad and live their life in this country only. They sold their ancestral house and bought a house in the city. They were living happily there when a beggar knocked at their door and asked for food. “I have been hungry for two days. Please give me some-thing to eat.” “No, we don't. Our housekeeper left yesterday only. We are looking for one.” Amit’s wife said, looking at the beggar with a smiling face. “Would you like to become one?” The beggar agreed, seeing their little son who was just asking Amit’s wife to play with her.

Yeah, you are thinking right. The beggar is none other than Amit’s mother and the woman who is taunting her is her own daughter-in-law.

The kid doesn't know whom he calls her maid is her own grandma but ironically it leaves us in thoughts why she agreed – to find shelter or to see Amit’s fate when his son will grow up. No one knows it except those teary eyes.