A LESSON IN #HUMILITY

                        
 

                          A LESSON IN HUMILITY

Preeto woke up one morning to sounds of a roaring voice in the house. Her mom’s voice, from the kitchen, screaming at the maid again… Preeto ducked her head into the blanket and waited for the storm to pass. But the screaming continued, followed by the sound of something being thrown and then the loud bang of the front door shutting. Then silence….

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.

                     

            to know more about what happened check this post of mine

Dear reader, please remember your comments are eagerly awaited! And please spend a few seconds to take the poll on your right, its anonymous like the comment section!