She wasn’t keeping well for the past few days. The fever racked her body continuously at night. The paracetemol tablet, which the “akka” from the house with the garden had given, brought it down a bit. By morning, she was able to get up and go to work. There was an immense load of work, with five apartments and two independent houses to sweep, scrub, wash, dry and put away vessels. The garden house, as she called it would be the last one.
Everyday, by the time, she reached the house, she would be drained and on the verge of collapse. The lady would treat her to a strong coffee, unlike other homes where the coffee had diluted decoction and extra sugar. The lady would also give her portions of the morning’s breakfast and some motherly advice.
Back home, her two young daughters would have managed to clean the house and some bit of cooking. The girls, wearing old, worn clothes, went to a nearby government school which gave them free lunch. She would smile as they laid before her a meager fare.
The sumptuous feast enjoyed by the apartment tenants made her long for a tasty, nutritious meal. They paid well but offered her no part of their repast. The money she earned by cleaning their homes and vessels went in repaying the moneylender to whom she had pledged her jewellery during a financial crisis.
Today, as she dragged her body towards the apartment block, she felt miserable. She almost collapsed at the door. The lady gave her a stern look. “Your quota of holidays is over this month,” she said, but softened as she saw the pain in the sick woman’s eyes. “Alright, wash the vessels and go. There is a viral fever going around the town. Don’t pass it on to us!”
As she passed the sofa in the hall, her gaze fell on the photograph of a famous movie star on the last page of a newspaper. The star looked resplendent in shiny clothes and fabulous jewels adorning her slim figure. “What does it say, amma?” she asked the lady of the house who bent down to read the piece.
“Oh, she was running viral fever but still shot for some movie. This piece talks about how she left for the shoot leaving her little one at home and drove to the location though she was running temperature. Hmm, when you are rich, famous and beautiful, everything you do becomes news”. The maid silently moved to the kitchen sink, overloaded with dirty vessels, and began scrubbing them.
Done washing the entire pile, as she began drying them, she caught sight of her slender frame, almond-shaped eyes, full lips and lustrous locks. A veil of sorrow and emancipation overwhelmed her when she thought of the impending visit to the doctor and the expenses which would follow.
As she made her way out, she decided to ask for another strip of tablets from the akka in the garden house. The fee to be paid to the doctor could be used to buy some books for her little girls.