THE WISH
it was about to be 12:30 pm. The sun was hell bent on showing its power. And since for the past 3 days it was cloudy and continuously raining, the radiance and the heat of the sun was somewhat augmented. Also the moisture factor was there. In delhi
Chanda was late to work. She worked as a domestic help in many houses in an apartment. The weather was sapping her energy. The weather as it is was bad and to add to it, chanda had a nasty cut in her forehead. It was there because last night her husband had thrown the plate at her after returning home, fully drunk. Whenever the sweat passed over that cut, it gave a hellish burning sensation. And she couldn’t even wipe off the sweat without grimacing. But more than the sweat and the cut, chanda was worried about her 3 year old son, lakhiya whom she was carrying on her lap.
Rain and children are like iron filings and magnets. It was raining since past few days and lakhiya was continuously playing in the rain. Chanda couldn’t take care of him as she was busy pushing domestic chores of others and her husband who worked as a construction worker didn’t cared for home. He used to return late at night, fully drunk. Used to abuse chanda, beat her up. Somedays he even tried to beat up lakhiya, but chanda defended lakhiya and in the process get even more beaten up. So it was useless to expect anything frm the husband. Chanda was pushing her household almost single handedly.
When chanda was off to work, lakhiya played excessively in the rain. And caught cold. Chanda couldn’t get medicines for lakhiya. The month was to end in 2 days and she had money to either buy food or medicine. She had asked for advance from many homes but none of them obliged. Chanda was hoping that she will buy medicines after she receives her pay. The non treated cold ended up in fever.
So toady chanda couldn’t leave lakhiya at home and had to take him along with herself to work. She had told him amny times not to touch anything in the home while she is doing work. Lakhiya was a small, silent and weak kid. And he had fever too. He just silently nodded.
Chanda went up 4 flights of stairs to reach her first home. The land lady was furious, “ why you are so late..??? you always keep asking for advance. Can’t you come on time..?? who will do all these work..?? tell me..?? and today you bring along your litter with you.. ask him not to touch anything.. if anything breaks I will deduct it from your pay.”
Chanda was silent. She silently removed her slippers and entered. She put down lakhiya. The land lady instatntly shrieked, “ ask the boy to remove the slippers. I don’t want him polluting our home.”
Chanda had carried lakhiya on her lap and hs slippers were not dirty but still she did what the lady asked.
She made lahiya sit against a wall and again repeated her instruction of not touchng anything. Lakhiya was silent. He was curiously watching so many new things around him.
The landlady was in bad mood today. I mean more bad than ususal. It was because of jack. Jack was her pet dog. Jack was unwell today. He was resting on the land lady’s bed. The landlay had given jack few biscuits to eat but jack dint even sniffed at them. And she was supposed to take jack to the vet today and today itself chanda was late.
The lady was very busy, moving from one room to another, getting her make up done, making phone call to the vet. One such time she saw that lakhiya was moving his fingers over the emulsion painted walls with innocent curiosity. The land lady held lakhiya’s hand and jerked the hand away from the wall and shrieked, “ hey you… don’t make scratches on the wall. Keep your hands off it.”
Lakhiya was taken aback. He again sat down silently. Chanda was cleaning up the kitchen.
Jack had not touched the biscuits. The land lady took the plate away from him and put it outside her room. Lakhiya was sitting next to the door of the room.
He saw the biscuits. They were dog biscuits but lakhiya dint know the difference. He wanted to see what are they. But he was scared of the land lady. Also he was scared of his mother. But he was a child after all. He couldn’t control his inquisitiveness. He looked around and saw that no one’s watching. He picked up a biscuit and was seeing the biscuit intently.
Just then the lady appeared out of her room. She was mad.
“ you scoundrel.. you slum dweller.. how dare you touch my jack’s biscuits.”
She held the arm by which lakhiya was holding the biscuit and slapped him tightly on his cheeks. Lakhiya was under fed, weak and down with fever. He couldn’t take the blow and fell down on the floor.
Chanda came running from the kitchen.
The lady turned towards her , “ see what your son was doing. You have taught him to steal. I see.. that why you brought him along today. He was eating my jack’s biscuits. Get out of the house you #$%^. Whatever is your this months salary come and collect it from saab this Sunday. He will show you thieves your real place. get out.. NOW…”
Chanda was speechless and angry on lakhiya too. She picked up lakhiya from the floor. Lakhiya was wailing. She too slapped him, “ I told you not to touch anything.. why did you do it..?? tell me..”
Lakhiya could hardly speak he said amidst sobs, “ I was just seeing it. I was not going to eat.” And continued sobbing.
The lady. “ ya ya.. just seeing it. I know very well what you people are. Had I not come in time your little scoundrel would have emptied the plate. Take your rascal and leave the house right now. Or I will call the security guards and make sure you don’t get work in any of the houses in our apartments. OUT I SAID”
Chanda knew it was pointless to argue. She knew very well that lakhiya won’t have eaten the biscuits but she laso knew that the land lady would never believe it.
She left the house carrying lakhiya on her lap. It was about 2 pm now. Clouds were gathering in the horizon.
Chanda reached home. Lakhiya’s fever was high now. His body was radiating heat. Chanda was putting wet clothes on his forehead to not let the fever to get to his head. Lakhiya was murmuring nonsense in his half concoius state.
“….. the paint is shiny… the fan is moving round and round…” suddenly he will start crying and say “ma, I was not eating it… I was just seeing it” then again he will go back to murmuring nonsense, “ jack will eat it…. He goes to doctor… the floor is so smooth… don’t touch the wall…”
Chanda was sitting with lakhiya in her lap. She was looking out of the window. Tears were rolling down her eyes. She was having her son in her lap, the son was ill and she couldn’t even get him medicines. Her husband dint cared. And she just lost a source of income. It means her monthly income will go down further.
Outside lightining was striking across the sky. Chanda was lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about how will she manage, where will she try finding work.
Suddenly she noticed that lakhiya had stopped murmuring and was very still. She changed the wet clothe from his forehead and put up another one after soaking in water. She noticed that lakhiya’s body was cold now. She thought fever had gone down.
She tried shaking him to wake him up, “ lakhiya.. get up sonny..”
Lakhiya was still. She tried again and when lakhiya still dint moved, with trembling heart she put two fingers in front of lakhiya’s nostrils.
He was not breathing. Chanda was stunned.. She wanted to yell but couldn’t find the voice. She wanted to cry but couldn’t find the tears. So she just sat in her dark room with her dead 3 year old son in her lap and made a simple wish, “ god. In his next birth make him a dog in rich people’s house rather than a child in poor family. Maybe then he wont die without medicines.”
Outside it started raining. Maybe god was crying on chanda's behalf.
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