Maid in India.

She stood in the doorway leaning against the side a hand cocked on her hip. She would flung herself at her work with such velocity that it becomes necessary to put the glassware away, lest the crystals would inevitably crunch somewhere in the pile. Cant even ask her to be careful with my very precious crystals lest she might start off with her cv, in the sense, where all she has worked till date and that everywhere she has handled glassware with ease so I shouldn't have my lungs in my mouth even if she would be juggling with my favourite pieces.
I thought how different are we. I used to fancy her earthy language , rural aphorisms utterly unlike the prattle of the so called civilized chattering classes and we presume that we are so different….I am talking about my domestic help,without whom I am sure life would be different ,good or bad, cant say.
So typically a wife she is ,waits for her man to call up, something like a JLT (just like that)call which for sure we all wait for.when you dont get it your fingers itch and you give a call or maybe a missed call.
She was making real round and fluffy chapatis and I was trying hard to decide what veggies to be cooked to pair up with the chapattis ,there her phone sings, she mindlessly presses on the phone not bothering that her floury fingers would make her set little fair but not lovely. Sad to say her excitement was so short lived .I could just guess it right I smiled to myself and asked her ,what happened ,did he ask you WHAT IS IT,a gruff was it,she was embarrassed and just gave an affirmatve nod.
That happens ,those small sweet little snubs ,.i told her , all our husbands(generally) are like that.She felt nice,Saab bhi,she said. I was in some mood to talk,I asked her what does she think otherwise ….they I believe fancy that the other side is quite a colourful romantic thing …..something like what one sees in bollywood flings.I couldnt but smile.sahab roz aapke liye phool laata hai kya, aapke ghar mein hamesha phool hote hain,he makes the morning tea too,she asked me with that queer innocence on her face. I didn't disclose that, I actually buy the flowers.
My husband tries to do weird thngs these days,she said.whats it,I asked, thinkng and fearing he is seeing some other woman.He helps our girls dress up for school and plays with them,asks me if I need help also. Yesterday he didn't allow my girls to play in the mud and wants them to be always dressed up clean and prim,she sounded so exasperated as she talked.I appreciated and understood that her husbands going through some kind of a process of sanskritisation and trying to spend some time,like we say quality time, with the kids.My kanta bai couldnt stop complaining,and i had no heart to disrupt her litany of complaints as it kept flowing. He takes his dose of alcohol(once a while as she says)in a special cut glass that's specially high raised in the room,she said.The girls and I are not allowed to use it,it was getting difficult to supress my laugh hearing to her,but I wouldnt dare do that,her displeasure would be the last thing I could ask for. I acted so very patient and empathetic,as always(and i also knew she would leave in a hurry after this,leaving half of my work unfinished),but her tales and dramas of tragedy, misery, honesty gifts me a peek into her life and ways,and i can barter some time and labour for that .He calls me fat and wants me to go for morning walks,where do I have time madam, for walks and all.Mera aadmi toh paagal ho gaya hai,Sahab aapko kabhie moti nahin bolte honge,she had a typical pout as she told this. Thats actually nice, I thought, but she thinking that we never fight and disagree on anything,how true was that.I better not reveal.
As the chappatis got done she started her regular n religious crib as to why I simply never allow her to entertain my chappatis with her liberal doses of makhan. How can I manage eating dry chapatis and just one or two,really worries her,she has to spend some time giving her sermons everyday.The curries you make looks like its made for sick people, how can the curry taste good without lots of oil and masalas,on and on she would go on. She complains she has never got the job satisfation of her cooking at my place.Madam, you people eat so less still many of you are so very healthy but we eat so much still we don't gain much. Its just that this man in my house thinks I am fat and tells me not to eat so much for which I tell him I earn my bread so I can,she yapped confidently,financial independence really empowers a woman I thought.
Its like an unsolved puzzle game that she wanted to fix up,but i never helped her out much.I guess if its helping her out and enhancing her life styles and thought processes and reigns her from yelling at the top of her voice to her kids(she thinks i never shout at my child),then nothing like it.But true within some years I will surely miss her innocent and earthy flavours.