THE MAID’S TALE

The residential building is slender and tall. Not very tall.  6 floors with one apartment in each. Looking at it, I would often wonder how if one more floor were added, the building could be blown down by a heavy gust of wind! However the architect had given it a nice finish and it looked great when illuminated at night. We live on floor 5 and Tara has been working for us as maid since the past few years. Not only for us: She works for the Roy family on the first floor besides for the Sen family on the 3^rd floor. My wife is a medical professional who works for a large hospital. She is Tara’s great patron. Tara has told us about herself: She was born in a remote village and had been married off at 15 to a mason who worked on projects in urban areas. He died leaving her in the family way. Her parents were too poor to support her.  The mason’s parents threw her out. Luckily she was adopted by a charitable institution for the nonce, and became a mother when she was hardly 16. She named her baby girl Rupa. After discharge from the charitable institution she was subsisting on work as a maid.

Tara discovered that her child was handicapped: She was dumb. Her mental development was very poor. She could be seen always smiling with a vacant look. Looking at her, people could mistakenly guess that she was normal. Tara would come to work at our place leaving her baby with a neighbour – an old woman - in the slum where she lived. When Rupa was about 9, the old lady passed away. Tara then started bringing Rupa with her to the places she worked in. Tara was a hard worker and   would not grumble if she were asked to do extra jobs on occasion. Always smiling – a feature her daughter had inherited – she won the hearts of all she came into contact with. My wife would often reward her with portions from choice dishes in our daily lunch or dinner fare. Rupa would be seated in some corner with a vacant look and would receive fruits or sweetmeats to eat. In fact all the three families - the Sens, the Roys, and us- had great affection and pity for her. Now let my wife continue this narrative:

Tara told me in confidence that the girl had come of age without knowing what it was all about. The mother had to attend to the daughter’s every need however private. I suggested to her as a doctor that there were medical means to stop what young women face every month. In fact I offered to pick up the cost for the procedure. Tara said she would consider my suggestion. She said to me “Rupa has grown up to be good looking.  Her build has already caused men to look at her as a woman though she is just 12.” She couldn’t control herself and shed tears bewailing her fate. She said “I’m afraid to leave Rupa alone.”  She added “I’m myself afraid to come to work here as men keep ogling me. There was an offer from a man, Thomas, who said he would marry me and also take care of Rupa. But I’m worldly wise and have rejected such offers. I suppose I’ve no alternative but to accept some such offer in due course. It may cause my having to leave work here with kindly people.”

Shortly afterwards Rupa took ill and Tara told me that she wished the girl would die. She was unable to walk with the mother and stayed home. In between her duties, Tara would visit her daughter. Rupa recovered fully under my care and with the medicines I provided. An aged slumlord and his wife now came to help Tara. With slumlord family helping, Rupa seemed happy and Tara was grateful. Tara suddenly realised that Rupa could be in the family way. She came to me, sobbed uncontrollably and said “I don’t know how it could’ve happened. Slumlord’s wife was keeping vigil. Now what do I do?”

I merely listened to her. I was willing to keep Tara on despite her daughter’s condition. But Mrs.Roy and Mrs.Sen said it would be shameful and they sacked her.  Mrs.Roy suggested that we all put together her pay for 6 months and give it to her as gratuity. I didn’t express my opinion. I was determined to keep Tara in service and she continued to work in our home. To help her cope with 2 salary payers having withdrawn, I increased her salary and also fed her and the daughter daily. However Rupa soon stopped coming to our building with her mother as certain people on their way had started openly jeering and cursing Rupa as a loose woman though she knew nothing of what had happened or what was happening. Thereafter Tara would come alone for work leaving Rupa in the care of the slumlord’s wife. The wives of Roy and Sen stopped mixing with us, but nothing would stop me from patronising Tara.

I got a specialist to examine Rupa. She said “Medical termination of the pregnancy at this stage would be dangerous as the baby is developed. It could happen that a C-section may be necessary as she wouldn’t respond to directions of the midwife at labour.”

I said “I’ll pay whatever it costs. You manage the delivery.”

In due course, Tara took Rupa to the maternity home well in advance, where Rupa gave birth to a bonny girl after a normal delivery. I was informed by the specialist that the baby appeared normal. A few months later Tara gave me this information: A lawyer had come to her and had given her Rs.100,000  saying that a soldier in the Indian army had wanted it to reach the dumb girl Rupa in the slum. No further details were revealed.

 I said “Perhaps he who has donated this money was conscience stricken at what he had done. You can hereafter live better. I’ll help you to get the maximum return on the money.”

“I thank you for all your help. What do I do with Rupa?”

“Find someone in the slum who is willing to marry her. Say you’ll run the family with your finances.”

A suitor was found – a handsome, very young, unemployed fellow who had been convicted of petty thievery. Once Tara gave me details, the man appeared overall to be a good fellow and I approved of it. The wedding took place soon afterwards. Following this, Tara gave up her job at our place saying she had to take care of the baby at home.  We hired a new maid and never saw Tara again.  

I ran into Mrs.Roy one evening and she talked to me in an uncharacteristically friendly way. She said “It seems Rupa is again pregnant after marriage. Did you know that Tara is also in the family way? Thomas, t he delivery man at Amazon told me. I know he had been after Tara once and I’m sure you should’ve known it too. It seems once she got money Tara has changed. I was right in saying we should sack her then. She surely knows secrets about the man or men who changed Rupa’s life.”

 I didn’t respond.

My wife has finished her narration and I’ll resume. I now saw a change in my wife’s thinking: She didn’t approve of Tara’s pregnancy and denounced her. Still she said “I’m sure she would’ve found someone who would care for her and Rupa.”   However, could I not, as a simple minded male,  imagine that the pregnancy of the duo could’ve been the result of labours of Rupa’s husband probably in ménage a trois?

END