Anita was in her thoughts, while her mother, sitting next to her was sleeping. They both were in a bus travelling back home to their village from Mumbai. That were their first visit to a big city.
“You need to be a bit early beta” – said the owner
“My teacher finished the class late, madam, that’s why I am late” – I said, the young nanny.
“what happened to your mother, why did she send you”
“she is busy, as tomorrow is 15th August – Independence Day celebration at her school”
The owner gave a hint of nodding head, a nod of bewilderment, of haughtiness, of question and of cynicism.
I understood each one of them as I was not young anymore and saw the world as it is. The naked world. All I replied the owner was with a smile, a smile of submission, of understanding and of helplessness.
I finished my evening baby-sitting job and went home.
A half folded sachet of Fair and lovely on the wooden block self-proclaiming as a dressing table set up on a wooden pillar that bifurcated the room into living room and kitchen, A mirror with few bindies ( for reuse) on it was painted with marron background and golden flowers, it hanged on a ail on that pillar above the dressing table, a comb with few hair in its teeth stared at me,
My father was sitting on the floor with the TV remote on his one hand and his lungi tip on another. He was cleaning it. My younger brother was watching TV, my mother was reading. I always wondered why my mother would read at the end of the day. She was 10th pass. For women to pass 10th at that time was a success story. She read books, magazines, newspapers that were available for free in a local library and at her school.
The four of us loved being at home. A home that had one room. The room was kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom for us.
My father, Iranna, worked as a peon at a Government school and my mother worked as a cook for mid-day meal at the same school. He earned 7,000 INR a month and she earned 3000 INR a month.
She was content and most importantly she was hopeful that her kids would bring in the fortune that her family deserves. My family had many things that a most so-called big families lacked. We were happy and content with what we had. Though rented, the family had a room to stay, My parents had a work to feed and educate their kids. My father was an easy-going father. He treated his job with great respect and was very grateful for the Headmaster for giving my mother a work at their school.
- Also Read The Yellow Bird
The bus that these two were in stopped at once at a bus station bringing Anita to the present world. Her mother got up and asked Anita if she wants anything to eat.
Anita got down to buy food.
Why did you get apples and juice– asked her concerned mother considering their price.
At least now, you stop worrying about money, these are just apples not diamonds – said Anita, sounding careless for the money spent on apple and juice.
They bus started and after few minutes, her mother went back to sleep and Anita back to her thoughts.
One day, after cleaning the kitchen I went to sleep and saw my mom sleeping. It was not common for me to see her sleeping for I always saw her reading before bedtime.
“did you eat, beta” – asked my concerned mother.
“hm” – I said, without hinting her my astonishment of seeing her awake, and continued,
“tell me one thing, what do you read”
“I read whatever I get for free”
“why” – I asked, without sounding questioning.
“hm” – she said for she understood the original question is what is the benefit? She continued,
“beta, one thing you keep in mind, the money that we don’t have now, the big house that we don’t have, the luxury that we don’t have, you wont remember anything, the only thing that you will remember is the time when you hoped that all those can be yours one day”
I understand, but one must be practical enough as well mother – I said in order to convey her that she does not have to bother about her daughter feeling sorry for being poor.
I know you are not worried about being poor, I really appreciate that, but we need to also constantly think about improving our situation and this happens only by working hard.
We have worked hard many times, we continue to, we have tried hard so many times for example the food on the cart business was going good, but, I like the way you are still hopeful that one day even we will improve our situation. I kind of like that confidence in you – I said, with my eyes full of glee looking at my mother. The eyes hinted conceiving a new energy full of hope, a hope of improving the situation, a hope of only studying and not parallel working, of wearing dresses I like, of riding a two-wheeler and more importantly a hope of hope.
Hope, after all, is the key. Keep the hope alive no matter what. With hope comes the fervour to work harder each time.
“yeah, but how is that connected to the question I asked, I asked why you read, what’s so interesting in those newspapers and magazines”
My mother realized she over thought what I was asking, I was casually asking her out of curiosity. She smiled without letting me know and said
“I feel informed and sense of alertness when I come to know what is happening around. There are many new things I get to know daily by reading. It is a daily dose of fun for me before she could continue further, she realized that I was asleep.
The wood that was sacrificing itself was in glee as if it was doing something sacred (it did in fact), kissing the not so clean aluminium vessel, the flames which were once red blushed and turned blue, to cook the daily special Sharnamma Kichdi, her indulgent busy eyes looked at it to inspect it perfectness. Her eyes, not her nose, detected the taste of the Kichdi, while her ears were listening to what her colleague was telling her. She was informing us about a game show.
- Also Read At The Airport Lounge
Anita, seeing her bus conductor asked what time the bus would reach her village and is it possible for him to alert her when it comes, just in case, she falls asleep. The bus conductor agreed.
Anita saw people in the bus, a bus that was making sound perhaps to tell others how many parts it has, most of the seats were occupied, she saw a women feeding her child, a roti that looked like she had bought it with her, the roti looked old and so did the cloth carrying it. The child was just eating it, no grumbles whatsoever, she saw hunger at its best. The driver, wiping his sweat with his checks designed handkerchief, he tucked it around his neck under his shirt collar, few rounds of red sacred thread on his left wrist that was holding the bus gear without reason, the steering was covered with few colours of plastic wire to get the driver his grip, his right footwear which on put on bench beneath his seat stared at the busy on duty left footwear with passion. The conductor seated at his seat and documenting the numbers in his book. She realized how people were busy in their work, she thought many of them may be doing their work with a hope to improve their situation. She realized why her mother always emphasized on keeping the hope alive may be that is what makes people keep going. She at once smiled and she did not even know why, she realized, had she noticed those scenes she would generally relate them to her situation and felt cursed to be poor. Now it was different, she felt positive.
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The bus conductor at once came running to Anita seat and stood looking at her mother.
Is next stop ours? – asked Anita, hiding her shudder of seeing him come to them in haste.
No madam, its few more hours to go – said the conductor without realizing that he had addressed Anita with an additional “madam” this time and he continued.
Is your mother not the one who participated in Kaun Banega Crorepati last week and won 1 crore?
Anita looked at her mother and proudly smiled. She was calm and smiling witnessing what is happening around, she just stayed where she was, her face, hands, just stood where they were, silent, unmoved. She was calm, without excitement. Her eyes at once blinked, a blink of existence, of dreams, of potential, of realization and more importantly of hope.
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This story is the 2nd prize winner of the #AprilWritingChallenge.
Read other winning & shortlisted entries from past contests here.
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