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| JUNE (SECOND) 2008 |
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| DELHI PRESS MAGAZINES : WOMAN'S ERA |
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WOMAN'S ERA /
FICTION
| A Precious Gift Of Love |
| She had been ignored and belittled for years, but one day, the tables turned on her tormentors. |
| By Protima Sharma |
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Neeta had been so busy correcting the exam papers that she didn’t realise that her tea time had come and gone, until her stomach reminded her about this by rumbling noisily.
She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge to see if she could find something to eat. She smiled when she saw the gulab jamuns left over from the previous night’s dinner.
Just as she was about to drop one succulent jamun into her waiting mouth, she was stopped short by her mother’s voice.
”Don’t eat that!” said Amma sharply. “I am saving those for Richa.”
“But, Amma, Richa had more than her fill last night,” protested Neeta.
“You know that Richa adores gulab jamuns,” Amma reminded her firmly.
“But so do I...”
Her mother stared at her in exasperation, “Why must you always be so difficult, Neeta? You are Richa’s elder sister. You have to learn to sometimes put her first.”
“But, for you all, she always comes first and I come last,” whispered Neeta in a hurt voice, before rushing out of the room with tears streaming down her face.
The next day, Neeta returned home early from school. She had felt unwell and had requested the Mother Superior for a day off.
She let herself into their beautifully decorated home that was very quiet that hot summer afternoon. She knew that this peace would not last long, for soon her kid sister, Richa, would be back home from college.
‘If only Richa and I could get along,’ thought Neeta wistfully. ‘If only she would stop ridiculing and humiliating me at every turn.’
All Neeta wanted was a little respect from her sister, but she knew that the day would probably never come...
Neeta decided to skip lunch. She gulped down some medicines and slipped into bed. Barely had her head touched the pillow, when she heard the doorbell ring.
She remembered then that it was Monday. Her mother would be at her bridge club and Appa was at work. So it was up to her to get up and answer the door.
Neeta had almost reached the main door when the ringing stopped suddenly and instead, she heard loud, impatient banging on the door.
‘That can only be Richa,’ thought Neeta, as she hurried to answer the door.
As soon as Neeta opened the door, Richa rushed in, flushed with anger. 2 of her friends followed her inside. Without so much as a glance at her elder sister, Richa kicked off her shoes and flung her college bag on the floor. Then, she turned towards Neeta.
“Couldn’t you hear the bell when I was ringing it?” she asked rudely.
Richa turned towards her friends and smiled a mean smile. “Friends, meet my sister Neeta who is not only dull and boring, but now, it looks like she is deaf as well.”
Richa’s friends burst out laughing and Neeta’s eyes filled with tears. Not wanting to cry in front of Richa and her friends, Neeta quickly left the room.
No sooner had she left than she heard one of Richa’s friends say, “You were so right, Richa. Your sister looks nothing like you. God, how embarrassing for you to have a sister who looks like her!”
Neeta reached her room, tears streaming down her face. She was surprised that she was crying, for she was by now, quite used to Richa’s mean comments. This happened almost every day.
‘Even Amma and Appa prefer Richa to me,’ thought Neeta sadly.
But she didn’t really blame them. Who could resist Richa? Richa was the star of the family. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, she was also extremely brilliant. It was only natural that their parents be so proud of her...
Neeta knew this but that didn’t make the pain of her own rejection any less. Reserved by nature, she had few friends.
In spite of being very hard-working, her marks had always been average at best. And her looks...
Neeta got up from her bed and slowly walked towards her dressing-table. She looked at her reflection and tried to be objective.
‘Am I really as ugly as Richa says I am?’ she asked herself.
As Neeta stood judging herself in front of the mirror, Richa strode into the room. “Will you please stop admiring yourself and make tea for my friends?” she asked sarcastically.
Though Neeta was still not feeling too well, she turned towards the kitchen to do her sister’s bidding because in spite of Richa’s constant rude behaviour, Neeta was sure of one thing: that she, Neeta, loved and admired her little sister. She hurriedly prepared tea and carried the tea tray to the dining room where her sister and her friends had been seated.
Neeta rolled out the last chapatti, then quickly strained the steaming hot tea into 4 cups.
Her mother called out to her from the dining room, “Neeta beta, is the tea ready or not? Hurry up or Appa will be late for work.”
“Just 5 more minutes, Amma,” Neeta called back as she started filling her father’s lunch box with the freshly made chapattis.
She knew that she was on time. This was her routine for every morning. She had been in charge of all the household work from a very young age, as her mother was usually too busy with her social life and welfare work.
As for Richa, she hated doing any work at home, as she considered it a sheer waste of her precious time.
Neeta was quite the opposite, as she loved cooking and worked hard to keep their home spick and span. In spite of all the chores she did each morning, she had never once been late for school.
That day, she knew, a transport strike had been declared, but she was not worried, as her father had promised to drop her off to school in his office car.
Her cooking finally done, Neeta carried the teacups to the dining room. Richa too walked into the room that same instant, looking fresh and radiantly beautiful.
Their mother immediately got up and set tea and toast in front of Richa.
Richa groaned, “Not so many toasts, Amma. You don’t want me to get fat, now do you?” She looked at Neeta meaningfully.
Neeta ignored the barb and continued to eat. The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight with Richa and be late for school.
“So, are you well prepared for your entrance exam, Richa beti?” asked Appa between mouthfuls of toast.
“Of course, Appa. I am well prepared. You know that I have always wanted to be an architect and the only thing standing between me and my dream career is this exam,” said Richa.
“There is nothing to worry about, Richa, you will stand first, as usual,” said Amma, glowing with pride.
“I sure hope so, Amma,” said Richa, then yelped. “Oh my God, look at the time.” “Finish your toast, Richa, or you will feel hungry during your exam,” said Amma affectionately. “Sorry Mom, but no time.”
“So how are you going to the exam centre, Richa?” “asked Appa. “Are your friends going to pick you up?”
“No, Appa, I am going to take a cab.” “There’s a strike today. Didn’t you know that?” said Appa, looking worried.
Richa looked panic-stricken for a moment, then her lovely face broke into a charming smile, “Drop me off in your car, won’t you please, Appa?”
“Sure, beta, anything for you. You know that,” said Appa indulgently.
Neeta, who had been quietly listening to their conversation protested, “But Appa, you said you would drop me off to work.”
“So you will have to walk to work for one day! No big deal,” said Richa hotly. “It’s only a small job, for heaven’s sake.”
“Yes, Neeta beta, you will have to manage on your own. Or else Richa will be late for her exam,” said Amma.
Neeta looked at her father, hoping that at least he would stand up for her.
“Neeta, you know that Richa’s centre is in the opposite direction, and she has to get there on time,” said Appa.
Neeta bit her lips to hold back her tears, it was all so unfair!
If she walked to school, it would take her at least 45 minutes. She knew that. And she also knew that for the first time in 5 years she was going to be late for school.
Neeta smiled sweetly at the bank teller, before handing her the passbook. The teller, Pallavi, knew Neeta well by now and greeted her with a wide smile.
“Neeta, good to see you again,” she said, then added laughingly, “Must be the first of the month.”
Neeta smiled shyly. Yes, it was true. It was the first of the month, and Neeta was, as usual, here at the bank.
Every time she received her salary, she would drop in at the bank and deposit almost all of the money she earned.
Neeta was a simple girl with few needs. And as she had few friends, she had few opportunities to go out and spend money.
Pallavi quickly counted the money deposited by Neeta and returned the passbook.
“See you again next month.”
Neeta picked up her passbook. She smiled a quiet smile when she saw the amount she had managed to save.
It was all here, 5 years of hard work and hard-earned money was safely and carefully deposited in the bank. Neeta had one secret dream: to save enough money to buy herself a small car.
Then, she would no longer have to stand in long queues in the hot sun to catch the bus to school; instead, she would get to work in comfort and, more importantly, on time!
One evening, several weeks later, Neeta returned home to find their family doctor just leaving their house. Neeta knew him well, as he was not only their family doctor but also a good friend of Appa.
“Good evening, doctor uncle,” she greeted him but doctor uncle didn’t look his usual jovial self. In fact, he looked tense.
“Hullo, Neeta beta, back from work?”
“Here to see Appa or one of your other patients in the neighbourhood, Uncle?”
Doctor uncle looked undecided for a moment then cleared his throat, “Neeta, I think I should discuss your father’s health with you,” he said finally.
Neeta suddenly felt breathless with fear.
“Appa’s health? Uncle, is something wrong with Appa?” she managed to ask, her eyes stinging with tears.
“Now, now, beta, don’t panic,” said doctor Goel. “I had come here today to check your father’s blood pressure... he had come home complaining of chest pain. I have prescribed some medicines — see that he takes them. Ask him to rest and not worry so much...” Neeta thanked him and turned homewards.
Neeta went to her parents’ bedroom and found Appa lying in bed, looking tired and pale. Amma was hovering close by, looking scared.
“Appa, what happened?”
“Twenty years of hard work has gone down the drain today, beta, that’s what has happened,” said Appa, his voice heavy with pain and sadness.
“What do you mean, Appa?” asked Neeta in a frightened voice.
“I make one mistake in 20 years, and now they have gone and fired me...”
“I don’t understand, Appa! Who has fired you? What mistake?”
“We lost a big contract today, and now they are saying that the company needs new blood. An old workhorse like me is not good enough any more, you see,” said Appa dejectedly.
Neeta sighed with relief. Thank God, Appa was fine!
“Appa, it’s only a job. Surely you can find another?”
“You don’t understand, Neeta, with our high standard of living...all those expensive parties we hosted, the holidays...” he looked at Amma and Amma looked away guiltily.
“I have saved nothing. Everything I have earned is all gone, spent. This house, our car, nothing belongs to us.”
Neeta thought for a moment, then said gently, “I still have a job, Appa. I have saved money, and what is mine is ours.”
Appa shook his head sadly, “You are a daughter, Neeta. How can we spend your earnings?”
“But, Appa,” said Neeta, “times have changed. Today there is really no difference between a son and a daughter.”
“No, Neeta, our society does not permit this,” said Appa firmly.
Neeta knew her father well. He was a strong-willed and stubborn man. There was nothing she could say that would make him change his mind or was there?
“Appa, we all know that sooner or later you are bound to find another job. So, let’s just say that, till then, I am keeping my earnings with you for safekeeping — like a bank. You see that, don’t you, Appa?”
Appa smiled slowly and looked relieved. Then his face crumbled with emotion ”Neeta, you poor child, all these years, we have always underestimated you, and here you are, the first to run to your Appa’s rescue.”
“It’s the least I can do, Appa,” said Neeta gently and saw that Amma was crying too.
Richa spent the better half of the next day pacing up and down the drawing room. She was a confident girl; very aware of her own abilities, but still... then the phone rang and she ran towards it eagerly.
“Hullo, this is Richa.” “Richa, really good news for you,” responded her Professor, Mrs Vohra. “You have topped the entrance exam — congratulations.”
Richa thanked her before hanging up, then, quite unable to contain her joy, called out loudly to her parents, “Amma, Appa, come here quickly.”
Amma and Appa walked into the room looking curious. “What is all this noise about Richa?” asked Amma.
Neeta too, hearing Richa’s shouts of joy, walked into the room.
Richa was feeling too good with life to notice her sister, so for once she refrained from making her usual mean comments.
“Tell us the news, Richa,” said Appa anxiously. “Amma! Appa! I have topped the entrance exams,” said Richa, jumping up and down with joy.
Amma’s face lit up with joy, then she looked sad as realisation struck. Appa too looked sad and embarrassed.
Neeta felt a surge of pride for what her sister had achieved. “Well done, Richa! I am so proud of you.”
But Richa looked away from her and turned towards her parents, “What’s wrong with you folks? Aren’t you happy with my results?”
A heavy, uncomfortable silence fell in the room. Finally, Appa spoke, “Richa beta, of course I am bursting with pride, but...” Appa’s voice choked with emotion and he couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Richa, love,” said Amma, her voice quavering, “what your Appa wants to say is that...”
Amma too fell silent and started weeping quietly. Appa finally managed to calm himself.
“Richa, you know what has happened this past week... under the present circumstances, I cannot afford to pay your hefty fees.”
“What do you mean you can’t pay?” asked Richa, looking shell-shocked. “Do something, take a loan, anything...”
“Richa, be practical,” said Appa sadly. “Who will give me a loan now that I don’t even have a job?”
“Appa, please Appa! Don’t let my dreams die,” screamed Richa, looking like the spoilt child that she really was.
Neeta who had been watching quietly, spoke up, “Richa... listen to me.”
Richa turned towards Neeta angrily. “You stay out of this. This is none of your business,” she shouted.
“Well, Richa,” continued Neeta in a strong voice, “I am making it my business.”
She quietly left the room and returned with her cheque book. “Tell me what your fee amount is and I will pay it.”
Richa looked shocked. “Y..o..u will pay my fees?” she stammered, in a small voice. Neeta nodded.
“But I don’t understand – why would you do that?”
“Because I am your elder sister, that’s why. I won’t let your dreams die,” said Neeta in an emotional voice.
Richa sat down heavily on the sofa and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “After the way I have tormented you all these years.”
Neeta went and sat down next to Richa, “That’s what elders are for, Richa, to guide and help the younger when they need help and guidance, and to forgive them when they go wrong.”
Richa looked up at Neeta with tears of remorse streaming down her face.
“Neeta didi,” she said, “please forgive me. I know now that beauty is just skin deep. It’s the inner beauty that counts...will you please forgive me?”
“Richa, there is nothing to forgive...” said Neeta.
Appa and Amma walked up to Neeta and Appa gently placed his hands on Neeta’s head as if to bless her.
“Neeta... you are a gem of a daughter, so big-hearted,” said Appa, and Amma added, “We are proud to have a daughter like you.”
“And I am lucky to have a sister like you,” said Richa, hugging Neeta tightly.
“I am only doing what is right,” said Neeta humbly, her face glowing with happiness.
She knew that her own dream of buying a car would have to wait for a while longer, but she didn’t mind.
‘I can always buy it later,’ thought Neeta. What was more important to her was that she now had the love of her whole family and the respect of her younger sister.
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