You can read earlier parts here: Part 6. You will find links to the earlier posts in part 6.
“Sayed, I feel bored sitting at home the whole day. I want to go out somewhere.”
“Gayu… you know that it is not safe for you to step out without supervision.”
“Ok, so you take me out. Let’s go for a walk every evening when you are back from work. How does that sound?”
Gayatri was cheerful and enthusiastic unlike always.
“Ok My Lord! As you wish!!” Sayed said pulling Gayatri’s cheeks. He was very happy to see her so enthusiastic. He left for work soon after.
“Madam ji, your breakfast.” Kamla walked into Gayatri’s room with a tray. She has made fried eggs, bread toast and orange juice for her breakfast.
“Kamllaaaa…. Not again!!! I have told you so many times that I am sick of this breakfast. Can’t you cook something nice for me, like you cook for Sayed?” said Gayatri scrunching her nose.
“Madam ji, first you recover, then I will cook whatever you like. For now, you have to eat this otherwise Sahabji will scold me for not taking good care of you” Kamla said assertively.
While Gayatri was eating her breakfast and casually running through the newspaper, Kamla was observing Gayatri’s room. It wasn’t more than 2 weeks ago that this room was upside down. She shuddered at the thought of how she and Sayed had managed to control Gayatri that day. The room was not at its best at present. It looked gloomy and sad.
“Madamji, should I clean your room today? It’s been long that it was set in place.” Kamla proposed her thought to Gayatri
“Hm… yeah.. You are right, lets re-do this room all together. Let’s make it clean and fresh” Gayatri said enthusiastically.
Kamla smiled looking at Gayatri’s enthusiasm. She hadn’t seen it in years!
As soon as Gayatri finished eating, Kamla took away her dishes and came back with a broom, a duster and a bucket full of water.
“Madam ji, you go to the drawing room and watch TV for a while, I will clean it quickly. Then you can come and rest here.”
“Kamla, I want to do the cleaning too.” Declared Gayatri while tying her hair in a loose bun.
“Madamji, please allow me to do my work. You please relax and watch TV. If Sahabji gets to know that you were cleaning, I will lose my job
“You and you Sahabji, have made me a doll. I feel like trapped in a doll house” murmured Gayatri and raced through the spiral staircase to the drawing room.
Kamala started her job. She first pushed aside curtains and allowed the bright sunlight into the room. For some strange reason, Gayatri always drew the curtains to her room. Kamla had tried talking to her on that earlier but she had dismissed saying she is frightened that someone is watching over her. Kamla had never probed her further. She dusted the whole room, changed the bed sheet and placed a new, crisp one. She put matching pillow covers too. She arranged all the cosmetic items lying hay wire on the dressing table. She wiped all the walls, the entire floor, mirror, fan, tubelight … everything that she could lay her hands on. The room was sparkling clean now! Then she looked at the curtains and after thinking about for a min, she decided to change the curtains too. She pulled the bed out to open the storage of the bed. She knew a set of curtains and many other fabrics of the house were stored thereWhile she pulled the curtains out from the storage, a plastic bag fell out from the folds. Kamla made a mental note to pick it up later and put it back in its place when she was done with changing the curtains. She hurriedly pulled out the old curtains from the window and neatly placed the new one. The room looked clean and bright now. As a last touch to the room, she sprayed a nice floral room freshener. She knew it will work wonders on Gayatri’s mood.
She picked up the plastic bag that was lying on the floor and kept it on the bed. She wanted to place it back in the storage but her hands had become dirty and hence she didn’t touch the bed she had cleaned a moment ago. She picked up her broom and bucket full of dirty water and rushed down.
“Madamji, I am almost done, Just need to wipe the floor once and then you can rest in your room.” She called out to Gayatri while coming down the spiral staircase.
Kamla was a good lady. A very honest domestic help. She took very good care of Gayatri. She knew that more than medicines, what Gayatri needs is love and care. Sayed loved Gayatri, but his responsibilities at work barely gave him time to express his love for Gayatri, and then, lot of things had changed too, after that incident. Kamla tried to fill in that hollow space in Gayatri’s life as much as she could.
Kamla washed out the dirty water and rushed upstairs with a damp duster to mop the floor one last time. Kamla couldn’t believe what she saw in Gayatri’s room.
Gayatri had collapsed; she was half on the bed and half hanging from it, ready to fall down any moment. Her bed was full with newspaper cut outs. She held some in her right hand, tightly, very tightly and she was rubbing her temples with her left hand. At the same time, she was wailing “Please, don’t touch me. Let me go, please….help, someone help please, Sayed……” and she passed out.
Kamla rushed to help her. She realized it was another convulsion. She was baffled that all this happened in less than three minutes that she had taken to come back to the room with a damp duster. Why did it happen? How did it happen? She had no time to think about these things right now. She put Gayatri on the bed in a comfortable position and popped a SOS tablet in gayatri’s mouth. She immediately called the doctor. She also called Sayed and informed her about the convulsion. She gathered all the cut outs from the bed, placed them in the plastic bag and kept that bag away. She covered Gayatri with a quilt since she was trembling. She sprinkled some water on her face to try to get her back to senses, but in vain.
“Madam ji.. wake up madamji.. What happened?” Kamla was patting Gayatri lightly on her left check, partly out of concern and partly because she was now trained that during the convulsion she should not let Gayatri go unconscious.
Gayatri continued to tremble and murmur seomthing that didn’t make sense to Kamla. But Kamla kept pushing…
“Madam ji, don’t worry, nobody will hurt you. I am there with you madam ji… you are safe here…..”
To be continued……..
A Bit of Wisdom & A Bit of Play! 