A LESSON IN HUMILITY
Preeto drifted off to sleep again
until she heard a muffled sniffling sound. She woke up with a start to find her
mother sitting in a chair by the window, crying! Preeto jumped-up from the bed
and ran to her mother’s side, “Mom for God’s sake, why are you crying, what
happened?” Her mother cried even harder and just kept shaking her head from
side to side, saying nothing. Preeto was truly alarmed now and she stroked her
mom’s hair and waited.
After about fifteen minutes
her mom was calmer and red-eyed red-nosed but calmer. She finally spoke, “That
maid, she tests my patience every-day. I have to keep repeating the same things
again and again but she just won’t listen. I have told her a million times to
not boil more than 3-4 potatoes for us but she just doesn’t get it. Today again
she boiled 10 potatoes and we will have to keep eating potatoes for a week. I
just got so angry because I have tried to change this habit of hers for almost
an year now. I just lost it today. I shouted at her and threw a utensil at the
sink and then I roughly grabbed her arm and threw her out of the house and I
feel angry and miserable at the same time. I wont be able to find another maid
like her. She has been with us for nine years. She looks after all our needs,
she does every little thing in the house. How will I manage without her. But
she made me so very angry today. But I should have controlled my temper! Oh God!
Help me! What am I going to do!” Preeto’s mom burst into tears all over again….
Preeto patiently let her mom
cry some more and then brought her a glass of water and said calmly, “Mom don’t
worry, we will find another maid.” She said a few more encouraging words and
vowed to help her mother with the household chores until another maid is found.
The morning progressed in a tense atmosphere. Preeto had to leave for work so
other than giving moral support she could not really do much to help her mom.
Her mother had refused help in washing utensils and after a sparse breakfast
and no packed lunch (the maid was the cook too), Preeto left for work.
Throughout the day, Preeto
could not get her mom’s tear-stained face out of her mind so she called up home
often and her mom assured her she was fine. When Preeto returned home, a tired
and depressed looking mother greeted her at the door. Preeto insisted that her
mom relax and ordered home-delivery of food from her favourite Chinese
restaurant. The bill was 500 rupees. She then asked her mother if she had searched for another maid. Her
mother’s search had yielded only a promise from one young girl who was to show
up for work the next day. Preeto was relieved but her mother continued to look
gloomy.
The next morning Preeto heard
her mom moving about at the crack of dawn and peeping out of the balcony again
and again. When Preeto finally left bed she found her mother washing utensils
at the sink. It was apparent that the girl who had promised to turn-up had
indeed not. Preeto considered taking a day off to help her mom but her mother
insisted it was not required. Preeto realized that just in a day, the household
had come to a stand-still. Her mom had managed the meals but other than that
nothing had been done. The house had not been swept, the clothes were unwashed,
the beds unmade, the bathrooms dirty….
It was now day 3 and Preeto’s
mom had a horror tale to narrate that evening. When Preeto returned home her
mom showed her hands that had become rough with two-days of utensil-washing and
meal-cooking. Her mom said, “I have spoken to no-less than 4 potential maids. I
have asked the neighbours and the guard to send someone and have even called
out to maids walking below the balcony. They are all either so busy that they
don’t have time in the morning or they are so new that they want you to pay
exorbitant amounts to supplement their income. They all talk as if they will be
doing you a great favour by working for you. They are asking for 500 rupees
each for utensils, sweeping and washing clothes. Then they will charge 300
rupees for cleaning each bathroom and 400 rupees for chopping vegetables; 400
rupees for dusting the house once a week. I have not even asked them to tell
their charge for cooking our meals. Oh God! Our old maid used to do all this
work and more for just 2500 rupees. I wish she would come back. She was so
good. She was a quiet worker, sincere, honest and never answered back. Despite
however justified I feel my anger was, I should not have lost my temper so
badly at her. It’s not her fault if I am going through menopause. I don’t
usually lose my temper but when I do occasionally, it’s in a bad way and this
time it was worse. But I also think, I have done so much for her in the last
nine years. I have compensated for the average salary by giving her blankets,
clothes, utensils, water heater, room heater, a cooking range and food and
large amounts of money on festivals. She was so poor when she had come to work
for us nine years ago and now she has enough to marry her daughter. I gave her
1000 rupees just recently as a gift for the wedding. How could she have
forgotten all that. She hasn’t put in an appearance for the last 3 days. I feel
so angry and miserable. I know I won’t be able to find another maid like her.
But my ego is stopping me from calling up the one phone number that can trace
her. What should I do.”
Preeto just couldn’t bear to
see her mom so miserable. She said, “Mom just have some patience, you will find
another maid and over time you will be able to train her just like you trained
our old maid.” Her mom didn’t say anything and after a while mumbled, “I will
have to eat humble-pie.”
The next morning as Preeto
slept, her mom called the number and her old maid landed at the doorstep, full
of righteous anger and suppressed misery. The maid didn’t say much but warned
in quiet tones, “Madam, I have only come because you called me. But I will not
be able to work for you if you lose your temper again. If you behave nicely, I
will work.” And after saying this she picked up the household chores from where
she had been made to leave them.
Preeto could later only
imagine how difficult it must have been for her mom to swallow her pride and
bow down to the iron will of a quiet but determined servant. This truly was a lesson
in humility for her strong-willed mother.
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