Thursday, Fifteen Past Seven

With the country and the world in the grasp of a pandemic, with news of new cases every day and night, with guidelines and advisories being issued by all government and health authorities and with the genuine fear of Swiggy swinging and switching off, I too decided to get the essentials to last a week or two. At least I can make Maggi and khichdi, I thought. My other two flat-mates can definitely make better stuff to eat, I'll pick up for the three of us.

Having got my hands on an N95 a couple of days back, and with the OT getting over early today, I decided to go to Qmart- the supermarket nearby. By the time I finished payment, I had three big, heavy bags of essentials with me! Used the sanitizer in my bag and took out my phone to book an Uber. Just then I got a message from work, so I booked it for the hospital. 

1 minute away...

Hmm, but I can't carry all this stuff to the hospital. So I quickly cancelled the cab and booked again for home. Ok, I’ll make a quick stop there and head back.

Ah, it's the same cab coming, cool, 1 minute...

I somehow managed to lug everything down the stairs and the cab was waiting.

I opened the door with the only two free fingers, but the driver quickly got off and took the bags from me...

Dijiye, main rakh deta hun.

Bald guy, middle aged.

Maine abhi aapka hi cab cancel kiya tha na?

Haan haan, he smiled

Accha, kya main isi mein ek stop add kar dun? Mujhe yeh drop karke kahin aur bhi jaana hai.

Haan, zaroor.

So I added my hospital to the ride.

We reached my home.

Main do minute mein aa rahi hun, aap yehin wait kijiye.

Aap kaise lekar jayengi, rukiye main help kar deta hun.

Nahi it's ok, I can manage, I protested.

Dijiye madam, koi baat nahi… he took the packets from me.

Arre, accha, chhote wale mujhe de dijiye, I went after him.

He carried them till the steps.

First floor hi hai, I can carry, I said, about to take the packets from him.

Chaliye madam, he started climbing.

I reached the door and rang the bell. As I waited for my roommate to open, he put the packets on the floor-

Aap andar rakh dijiyega, main neechey wait kar raha hun, aaram se aayiye, and left.

I kept the stuff quickly and left immediately, came back again to grab my charger as my phone was dying and got into the cab again.

Thank you bhaiyya, chaliye.

Thank you kis liye. Mujhe accha lagta hai, main yehi sochta hun ki agar main koi acchi cheez karta hun, kisi ki madad karta hun, toh mere family ke saath bhi accha hoga. Agar meri beti aise jaa rahi hoti, aur agar koi uski madad kar deta, toh mujhe bhi sunkar accha lagta.

Aapne bahut acchi baat kahi. 

Aaj kal ladkiyan ladkon se bahut acchi hain, he continued. Job karti hain, ghar ka kaam bhi dekhti hain. Main yeh nahi keh raha ki sab aise hote hain, but zyadatar ladke, ek job mil gaya, bass, aur kuch nahi karenge, bahut teer maar liya, he grinned. Kuch saman lane bolo toh nahi, maharaj game khel rahen hain ya kaam se thak gaye hain.

Nahi nahi, sab aise nahi hote, I laughed.

Meri aadat hai baat karne ki. Kal hi ek aunty mere cab mein baithi, chup chap thi, destination neurology centre tha, toh maine kuchh der baad puchha, aap neuro centre kisse milne jaa rahe hain. Unhone bataya khud ke liye. Husband paralyzed kuch saal pehle, dono betiyon ki shaadi ho gayi, well settled, I retired a year ago. Pehle toh I could afford all treatment. Now have to depend on my daughters to give me. Their husbands don't say anything, but ultimately it's their money.

Betiyan de rahi hain, lekin unse lena accha toh nahi lagta, maine kaha unse. Ab woh doosre ghar jaa chuki hain. But dekhiye, phir bhi de rahin hain, he said. 

Isiliye betiyon ko independent bhi hona chahiye. And why won't they give, of course they should give and take care of their parents. Yeh duty thode hi hai, I said. Yeh toh obviously karenge.

Ji, sahi baat hai. But shaadi ke baad toh unse lene mein accha nahi lagta.

Yeh koi baat nahi, meri bhi shaadi ho gayi hai, main do baar bhi nahi sochungi unki dekhbaal karne ke liye, and woh bhi nahi sochenge mujhe batane se pehle. If they have taken care of me for so many years, I can also do it. It's not a matter of duty or farz or obligation. They are my parents.

Aapne sahi kaha...meri bhi do betiyan hain, aur do bete. Bete toh bade shaitaan hain.

Mere taxi mein subah subah ladkiyan baithke ghar mein phone kartin hain- ma tabiyat kaisi hai, papa ne tablet liya kya, aaj Chhotu ne yeh kiya, kal kaam pe yeh hua, aaj maine breakfast mein yeh khaya, kal din bhar kya hua...

Ha ha! Ji meri bhi yehi story hai!

Par ek ladke ko kabhi nahi dekha hai, saalon ko ek baar bhi nahi suna maine ghar pe baat karte!

Ha ha!

Ma baap chinta mein rehte hain, jab bacche doosre shaher mein kaam pe jaate hain. Unki baate sunkar mujhe bhi lagta hai, ki bass mere bacche bhi mujhe aise hi call kiya kare. Itna hi chahiye! Kaafi hai…Ladke toh pata nahi, chhota wala saatvi class mein hai par bahut shaitan hai! Betiyaan shayad karengi!

And we reached.

Thank you bhaiyya!

Ok madam, take care, good night!

MS