The WhatsApp message from her brother was long, but she did not have the time to reply, "ttyl" was her cryptic response before she rushed out to work. It was an unusually busy day at work and she did not have the time to ponder over her personal matter. It was only on her way back home that she found time to call her brother, "send her here, we will work something out" she, Kavita, assured her brother before hanging up.
"Ma is coming over for a few days" she declared at the dinner table. There were excited murmers, the kids were happy, and so was her mother-in-law Amala. She got along well with Renu, Kavita's mom. Anang and Kavita worked hard and kept busy, and Amala hated to be alone at home especially in the evenings. She could not herself go out as she had to look after the kids after the domestic help left. Not that she disliked being with the kids, but it would be lot more pleasant to have someone her own age to talk to.
But a shock awaited her the next morning. "Mummy, you need to go away from this house while my mom is here" Kavita ordered. Amala was surprised, so was Anang. The words were harsh, not the tone. "Oh yes, a good opportunity to take some time off from the routine and spend a few days with my sister in Pune" there was a glint in her eyes as Kavita involved her in her plan. She was all set to help Kavita accomplish her mission.
Mummy left before Ma arrived. Anang was at the airport to drop one and pick up another, Renu was of course disappointed at not seeing her daughter at the airport to receive her, "too busy to be able to spare some time to receive her own mother" Anang just smiled shrugging his shoulders. It was only upon reaching home that she came to know Amala was away. "Oh, she had planned everything in advance or else she would have postponed" Anang was all apologies. The phone rang just then, "hey mom, good to have you here, with mummy gone, I was so worried about leaving the kids with the maid. Now I can relax, they are safe with you"
Renu had brought a lot of gifts with her, for the whole family. She soon got busy looking after her daughter's home and children. She enjoyed what she was doing but it also left her exhausted. Amala used to do everything around the house whenever Renu visited her daughter, this was the first time the duties fell on her shoulders.
Her daughter and son-in-law led busy lives so she also felt lonely. Kavita could only spare some time for her. Weekends were also busy because either they had some deadlines to meet or some shopping to be done. If not that, there were social visits they had to make. Not only was she left alone most of the time, she also had to help the children with their homework and projects. Not only had she to do a lot of physical work, but also most of the responsibilities of running the house had fallen on her. Being able to spend time with grandkids is different from looking after them. She had not anticipated that the task of managing the house would fall on her. She had enough help to manage the house and the kids in her own house while here there was only a part- time maid to help her.
Kavita's brother Shubh and bhabhi Krishna were prominent lawyers who used part of the house as office so though they were busy, they were in and out of the house all the time. Krishna was able to keep an eye on the kids and the kitchen. The kids were also grown up, but Renu constantly complained that she had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities as her daughter-in-law put her career before her home. Kavita knew that was not the case. Her bhabhi managed her life in such a way that she could manage the house and the children properly, along with her professional commitments. That apart, they had a cook, a full time servant, a part-time help AND a driver too. Renu's role was confined to making sure they did their jobs properly.
Here Kavita could not afford a staff like her brother, she had a maid and Amala looked after the house efficiently with her help. She never complained, in fact she enjoyed her role. It kept her busy and active. The house always looked warm and welcoming and the children well cared for.
Kavita's family was used to sumptuous surprises at dinner table. Amala was not as good a cook as Renu, but she took care of everyone's likes and dislikes and made wholesome meals accordingly. If she lacked slightly in culinary expertise, she compensated for it with her stories and anecdotes at dinner table.
Kavita pretended to be busy but observed her mother closely. Her brother had mentioned that she was perpetually unhappy at her place and often talked of moving to an old age home. When Kavita thought over the matter, she realised that nothing was wrong either with her mom, or with her bhabhi. She was unhappy only because she treated that house as her son's house, and not her own. She did not try to involve herself into its smooth running. Amala, on the other hand, had thrown herself completely into her son's house, looking after its every need, giving her daughter- in-law ample time to pursue her career. While she tried to keep a pleasant and happy home, Renu made the atmosphere of her house so tense, her family tried to remain as far as possiblele from her.
A few days later, when Kavita observed that Renu was totally exhausted, she decided to take leave from the office, thus decreasing her workload. She started spending more and more time with her mom but while looking after her home, she also kept reiterating how lost she was without her mother-in-law's help. The kids also kept remembering their grandmother. It was then that Renu realized the extent of Amala's involvement in running the house. "A woman never retires" she grumbled. "Yes ma, home is where the hearth is" "a woman can stop working if her health does not permit, but the onus of making the house into a home falls on the women of the house, and more people to share the responsibility, the easier it gets."
When Renu started insisting she wanted to return home as soon as Amala returned, Kavita called her mother-in-law. "Mission accomplished" she sounded triumphant. Amala took earliest flight home. And so did Renu.
"Mummy has started spending too much time on WhatsApp" Anang pointed out. Kavita and Amala gave each other a conspiratorial smile. Renu had started taking Amala's help in deciding the dinner menu, cooking special dishes for the family, involving herself completely in the family. And her family was happy because she was happy. A family get-together in Goa to celebrate Renu's birthday of course included Amala because her absence had made Renu realise the importance of her role, and made her wish for similar role for herself.
