She asked me to quiet down as she meant no harm. She opened the door and asked me to come in as well. The house was bigger from the inside, with a fire place, sofa sets; the atmosphere was a fusion of last night’s warmth and today’s cold fresh air. It smelt of wood because the whole house was made of it. She asked me to wait by the hall as she went into the kitchen, I hope she’s not getting a knife out of there, it’s funny why are my thoughts so deviated on being killed or attacked upon, sends me into a panic frenzy mode. I see the picture frames on the fire place, a lot of her husband and her daughter’s pictures; I should have known that such a titular name could go to an Army official. He had a lot of badges and merits on his shirt, while his daughter on the other hand looked pretty but never smiled in any of the pictures put for display.
“Mere photos ache hai ni?” (Aren’t my photos good?)
“Haan ji ache toh hai, ye apke…” (Yes ma’am they are nice, this is you’re…)
“Haan mere pati the, Col. Raj Veer Thakur” (Yes, he was my husband, Col. Raj Veer Thakur)
I could see the pride in her eyes, with her small body standing erect while saying her husband’s name.
Aur… (And…)
“Ab ye sab chodo, tumhe kaam chahiye tha ni? Mere ghar mein kaam karoge? Kuch zyada nahi hai, kapde dhona, saaf safayi, khana pakana, khetibadi. Kar sako ge? (Leave all that, you wanted to work right? Will you work in my house? It’s not much, washing clothes, cleaning the house, cooking, and a little farm work as well, can you do it?)
“Ji madam, khana pakana toh zara mushkil hai magar baki sab kuch mein kar sakta hoon” (Yes madam, cooking food is a little difficult but I can do the rest)
“Achi baat hai, mein khana pakana sikhadungi, aur mahine ke liye ek hazar milega, tankhua tumhara”, tum sharab toh nahi pite ho ni? (Good, I will teach you how to cook, and for every month you shall get a thousand rupees, that is your salary, you don’t drink do you?)
“Nahi madam, mein nahi pita” (No madam, I do not drink)
“Oho, toh mere pine se problem nahi hai na?” (Oho, so you don’t have a problem if I drink right?)
“Nahi madam” (No madam), I reply with a lot of awkwardness and confusion.
She gave me a tour of the house, the first was her room, she asked me not to come in there at all. There was another empty room with a lot of bags and furniture, and eventually it was my room. There was the kitchen beautifully decked up, with herbs by the window, and a back door leading to the back yard. The back yard was the best. A huge land of crops, trees, and a view of the hills, and in the center was a small little pool for the birds to drink water. It was a lush garden. She could see the awe in my face so she let it soak in. I had such a rough day and to end it with this kind of note was more than satisfactory.
She asked me to settle down and get ready for work as she was going to get Fanny.
To be Continued…
Links for the previous Parts.
The Little Thing 