I poured milk into the container, added water in it, meshed ginger and Tulsi and added them, added sugar and chaipatti, and added a minute amount of masala in it.
I looked at my wife for whom I was making this tea. I smiled and looked again at my tea. I slowed down the speed of my induction and started thinking that how times change quickly.
It was not long ago when my wife was my girlfriend. It was not long ago when I used to live in my family’s bungalow. It was not long ago when there were helpers to do my all works. But my simple decision had changed everything. And that decision was to run away and get married to my girlfriend.
I thought they would accept her after my marriage but to my surprise, my family proved themselves as a fanatic and kicked me out too form our house.
I sometimes regret that I should be more focused on my studies back in school and college.
I promised my wife a good life but I made our lives hard. We settled in this 1RK house, away from the main city. In this one year of marriage, I understood all the hardship of life. I did household work, I did the job, and all the work that a married man should do.
We had big dreams and to fulfill them, we both started earning but I was fired 3 months ago.
When we both were working, I thought we would shift from here to a 1bhk house. But my wife always denied that idea and during these 3 months, I understood why she did that.
We were 6 families here, sharing one common bathroom, but still, we never fought and more especially they treated us as their children. I sensed a kind of security and love here, which I never felt at my home.
“Ahhhh!” I shouted.
Tea busted like a volcano and spilled all over the induction. I hurriedly switched off the induction and looked at the mess that I have created. My distracting behavior had increased from the past 3 months and caused many troubles to me. But thanks to my younger brother, who was sending monthly financial aid to me, to which I was able to cover all this. I poured tea into two cups, took out two stale roti from the hotpot, and entered into the room, which was separated from the kitchen only by a threshold.
My wife was peacefully sleeping on the floor- we would soon buy a bed but right now slept on the floor-I was happy to see her stressless face.
“Jasmin,” I whispered sitting on the floor, “wake up darling.”
She nodded, so I said again, “Jasmin,” I swung my finger on her cheeks, “wake up darling.”
This time she moved and pointed at her cheeks. I smiled and kissed there, then she pointed at her lips and I kissed there too. She stretched her hand for the hug and I hugged her tightly and rolled her upside down.
She woke up with laughing and excitement in her eyes. She kissed my lips and slap on my shoulder. She then sat to drink her tea.
“Sometimes my husband becomes very romantic,” she said rolling her roti.
While she dipped roti in the tea, I blushed looking at her. She was as during weekdays I did prank to wake her up. Sometimes I yelled her name in a loud voice, sometimes tickled her, sometimes yelled like I got hurt and sometimes I knocked continuously at our door. Playing music and dropping utensils were also ways of waking her up.
She finished her breakfast and said, “Get ready fast we need to go to supermart,” and then she took 1 hour to get ready. In that time I finished my all work.
She wore her favorite top and black jeans while I wore her chosen shirt and blue jeans. She decided to go to supermart by walking as it was only 3km away from our house.
We loved walking and that’s how we spend time together and talk a lot about other things.
I was holding her hand and checking the grocery list on my mobile when she said, “did you call your friends?”
I ignored her and then she kicked my foot and said, “I am asking you?”
“Why would I call my friends?” I said trying to ignore this conversation.
“For the job,” She said tightening the grip of my palm.
“They are not picking up my call,” I said in the lower voice.
“What?” She said.
“They are not picking up my CALLLLLL,” I said.
“I told you,” She said losing grip of my palm which I tighten quickly, “Your friends were with you because of your money and now, you need them, they are not even picking up your call. Bunch of idiots.”
“Why salt is not on the list?” I said reading the list from my mobile.
She stared at me, took a deep breath, and said, “Don’t try to change the topic.”
“What else I can do?” I said like a child.
She smiled and said, “We don’t need salt as you never pour it into the curry.”
I blushed and said, “ I am a noob not a pro like you.”
After walking for 20 more minutes and with clumsy palms, we have reached the supermart. We took trolly from outside, had our temperature checked, sanitized our hands, and had our security check, and then we into a crowded and full of cacophony supermart.
I open my mobile and we started taking listed items.
After 3 hours and full of, this packet of chilly, no that packet of dhaniya powder, look this companies product are available at a huge discount, no vegetables are costly here. This company’s atta is costly. Oh! Here is the medium-range atta. I need this chocolate; you’re not at all romantic. Checking 100 dresses and taking none. We had reached the counter.
I asked her to stand in a line and I went to search for the shortest line on the counter. I found a counter with only 2 people in the line; I stood there and called her from there. She came running with the trolly and stood beside me.
The person at the counter started billing the product of the person ahead of us and it was at that moment I got distracted. Jasmin quickly recognized it and asked me for the reason for my distraction. I pointed in that direction and when she looked there and her heart also melted.
There was an old lady standing, begging everyone for a rupee or two. Maybe her eldest child was ill or, maybe she was thrown out of her home by her children and their partner or, may be her husband was ill and she had to earn. There could be thousands of maybe and thousands of situations that forced her to do that.
My heartache increased when she stood in front of a car, opened both her palm and asked for the money. The car driver ignored her and moved from there. There were few generous people, who gave her 10 rupees but most people ignored her.
If I was living with my father, had all the luxury, I would have ignored her too. But right now, I could not ignore her even if I want to.
The line moved forward and we have reached the counter. Jasmin started putting the items on the counter and the counter girl started billing it with help of a bar code reader.
“Do you know about her?” I asked to counter girl.
She looked in the direction my finger was pointing.
“Oh! Amma,” she said, “she came regularly her, and she can barely speak. Our generous manager gives her vegetables at night.”
“There should be a very strong reason, otherwise who would like to beg at this age, that too in the sunny day.” She said printing out our bill.
I looked at the bill, took out the money, and paid the amount.
The bill was 1460 rs and gave her 1500rs. she returned me 40 rs and that’s the exact amount that we spent on ice cream whenever we come to supermart.
“I will not eat ice-cream today,” I said.
Jasmin looked at me and said, “ why?”
“I am not feeling like eating one,” I said.
“Okay,” Jasmin said.
“ I am not eating without him,” She said and waived to the ice cream counter boy.
“I know why are you feeling low.” She said, resting her head on my shoulder, “we will help that lady at our best.”
“ We are also helpless dear,” I kissed her head.
She took out 40 rupees and gave them to the lady. We left after giving her the money.
But in my mind, only one question stuck. Why we don’t help others? Why we ignore who asked for the help?
