It was Eid and little Rahim was eagerly waiting for his abbu to return from the market. His ammi had promised him sevaiyan which the child adored. He kept peeping outside the street hiding behind the door now and then. The elder one Rafiq was mending his toy. Rahim kept smiling at his elder brother whenever Rafiq’s eyes met his. He was happy that today he was going to wear new clothes that his ammi had made for him and go to the Masjid with his abbu.
Ameena and Rasool lived with their two sons in servant quarters behind the big mansion of Mr. Jagdish’s family. Ameena worked as their maid. Rasool had been laid off recently from the factory and was in search of job. Being Eid, she was permitted half a day leave to spend some time with her sons. Their small family lived happily even in misery. Mrs. Jagdish was good looking, but sharp tongued at times. The salary was meager, but they had a roof over them without the burden of rent. Moreover, Ameena loved the kids at their home – Anand and Arun; they were like her own boys. Arun always ran after her in the kitchen calling her ‘Amima.’ Today was a big day and she had to prepare extra kheer for them too.
She shouted ‘Rahim, come here beta’, but Rahim ran out calling “Abbu” seeing him enter the backyard. He kept nagging at his father’s hand that carried a bag. Rasool had bought the required grocery for today’s celebration. He entered the house with a sigh with little Rahim hopping around him. Rafiq’s eyes too were curious to know what was in the bag that abbu carried. Rasool opened the bag taking out a pair of new trousers for Rafiq along with new caps for both the boys, a sevaiyan packet for the kheer, a few vegetables, meat wrapped in a carry bag, and called out “Begum, oh begum I bought the things you asked for, check it once.”
Rafiq snatched the new trousers from his abbu’s hands and went inside to match it with his good old kurta, but Rahim stood there eyeing the sevaiyan packet perhaps wondering how it would look in the kheer, licking the corner of his lips with just the thought of it.
Ameena came out of the kitchen and saw the things scattered on the floor. ‘Oh-ho, why have you spread things like this; move Rahim’ and started to gather the vegetables and the sevaiyan packet.
‘So much work is pending, I just have half a day, come Rahim let me give you a shower.”
‘No ammi I will bathe with Rafiq bhaijaan.’
Rafiq had by then come out to show how he matched the new pair of trousers to his kurta. He seemed quite happy. Ameena stopped a minute to have a look at Rafiq and smiled. ‘Now go both of you have a bath.’
When she looked at Rasool he was very dejected. She sat beside him, ‘what happened ji?’ Looking up he asked his sons to go inside. The boys ran inside giggling and pushing each other. Lowering his eyes, he said ‘the pant alone cost so much that I couldn’t buy anything for you and the meat… day by day things are getting costly and I am yet to find a job to provide enough for you people.’
Ameena sat beside him and said, ‘Don’t worry on this auspicious day, Allah is merciful, just trust him. Surely he will take care of us. Now go get ready, the boys are eager to go out for the prayers.’ Rasool smiled faintly and left the room.
Ameena had prepared a delicious meal while the boys had gone with their abbu to pray. The haleem, biryani, and the special item sevaiyan kheer too was ready. Ameena heard Rahim entering and shouting ‘ammi is the kheer ready?’ The aroma wafted all around wishing him to gulp it in one go. He pestered Ameena to feed him straight away. Ameena quieted him saying ‘wait dear, I will give you, but before that I have to give this to Anand and Arun.’
Rafiq questioned, ‘Why to them ammi? They don’t celebrate Eid.’
Ameena smiled, ‘I know Rafiq, but do you know the significance of celebrating Eid?’ Both the boys blinked. ‘To share your happiness with your neighbors and friends; aren’t they your friends?’ explained Ameena.
Rahim wasn’t very happy with it still uttered a small ‘okay, but come soon ammi, I am hungry.’ Ameena smiled and patted Rahim’s cheek.
She hurried out with a hot bowl of kheer to Mr. Jagdish’s house. Mrs. Jagdish opened the back door and seeing her said ‘Oh good that you came early. The house is a mess and I have to teach the boys too. First you…’
Before Mrs. Jagdish finished Ameena hesitatingly said, ‘Madam, being Eid I made kheer, so thought will give this to Arun baba and Anand baba.’
‘Oh, is it? Keep it there’ pointed Mrs. Jagdish.
‘Will come back as soon as I feed my boys, they are waiting hungrily.’
‘Hmm, in how much time?’
‘Madam in 1 hour,’ Ameena replied.
‘Just do the dishes and go.’
Hearing her voice, Arun came out lisping ‘Amima, wot is in this box?’
Ameena bent down to Arun and lovingly caressed his cheek and said ‘sevaiyan beta.’
Before Anand joined Arun, Mrs. Jagdish called out ‘come here it is homework time, let Ameena finish her work.’
Ameena now had no other choice. She got up thinking of Rahim and started doing the dishes fast. His impatient face flashed in front of her eyes now and then. While she finished her work it was already 2. She asked Mrs. Jagdish’s permission and rushed to home.
At home Rafiq was alone and Rasool was found nowhere. Little Rahim was lying flat on the floor. ‘Why were you late ammi? Rahim kept asking for you. He cried a lot for the kheer and slept without eating.’ Rafiq seemed grumpy.
Ameena felt bad for her Rahim and gently waked him up, ‘come children, let’s have our lunch. Where is your abbu Rafiq?’
‘He came after you left and again went to meet his friend,’ replied Rafiq.
Hearing his mother’s voice, Rahim got up and followed her to the kitchen rubbing his eyes. Ameena laid their plates on the floor and placed the food-filled bowls in front, Rahim eagerly opened each bowl searching the kheer. Ameena filled the plates with biryani, a little haleem, and poured the kheer in small lotas. Rafiq started to relish his biryani whereas Rahim thirstily slurped the kheer as if he was having it for the first time. It wasn’t his fault, sevaiyan was made only on this day and he will have to wait one whole year to taste it again. Ameena had secured a little kheer in another bowl for her and her husband; the rest was for the kids. Rahim asked for more and now she had to take from their bowl with only one glass left, which she saved for Rasool.
At Mr. Jagdish’s place, Arun was eager to see what was in the bowl that his “Amima” had brought. While they sat for lunch at the dining table that bowl was not displayed. Arun asked for it, Mrs. Jagdish seemed to have a deaf ear for his plea.
Anand supported Arun, ‘maa it smelled delicious; can we taste it?’ Now Mrs. Jagdish lost her calm and said, ‘I have made such a good lunch better have it. Don’t ask what that maid has prepared. Don’t understand why you both want to taste that.’
‘But maa, Amima said it was seyy seyy,’ innocent Arun stuttered. sevaiyan, which you never make at home,’ completed Anand.
‘Shut up Anand. Let it be whatever. Don’t I make payasam for you? How many times have I told you she is just our maid not family.’ Mumbling to herself, ‘how to tell these boys that she is a Muslim lady and god only knows what and all she has added to it. I don’t understand why she keeps bringing such things.’
Turning to her boys, ‘it is not hygienic to have from such low people’s house understood. I will throw this out only then will you both stop asking for it.’ Mrs. Jagdish lost her temper, got up hastily and poured the bowl of kheer into the sink, opened the tap to send it quickly under the gutter, still the aroma stuck to their nose and the grease to the sink. Anand and Arun just stole glances and started having their food in silence.
It was dinner time and Rasool had just returned home and both sat outside watching Rafiq and Rahim play in the verandah. Suddenly they heard a noise of utensils falling in the kitchen. Ameena rushed to the kitchen, a cat was licking the kheer strewn all over the floor. The kheer bowl was rolling beside it. She tried to shoo the cat away, both Rafiq and Rahim came in rushing. She was sad that her husband couldn’t even taste the kheer she made today. Rahim was in shock.
Rafiq whispered to his little ears, ‘if only ammi hadn’t given them…’
‘I could have had more…,’ Rahim completed. Staring at the spilled kheer he smacked his lips remembering its sweetness with tears welling up. Sulky Rasool left the kitchen with Ameena scrubbing the grease off the mud floor; little did she know that the next day she had to rub the same grease off Mrs. Jagdish’s sink.
A little floor cleaner and some scrubbing may easily erase the stain on the floor, but what will remove the blemish from Mrs. Jagdish’s mind?
Subha Murali
Being Me-Likha 