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"What are you doing here?" he asks me, his eyes raking over my drenched body and widening. Instantly, he opens the door further, allowing me to slip inside and grab a towel from somewhere, handing it to me.
My sobs may have taken a backseat f...
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The moment I wake up, I somehow know something is about to go very wrong. I go about my morning routines with extra caution than necessary. And my intuition could be highly incorrect because today is supposed to be a good day. Neil is leaving for a business trip today and he probably won’t come back for a week.
A whole week of taking my time bathing and not rushing to get my clothes in case I wake him up. A whole week of freedom from stealthily calling Janki at night after dinner and talking really slow so Neil wouldn’t find out. A whole week of being able to eat snacks and binge-watch a random TV soap without incessant taunts from Neil.
It’s a good day.
And with that thought, I skip down the stairs and make my way to the kitchen. Neil is taking a shower, I don’t really give a fuck what my father-in-law is doing because we both steer clear of each other’s paths and don’t talk than absolutely necessary and Rajlakshmi has to be in the kitchen, pestering Bharat Kaka and the other employees.
The moment I enter the kitchen, Kaka meets my eyes and his shoulders instantly relax. Nandni, another one of our kitchen helpers visibly sighs and makes a face at Rajlakshmi’s back who’s trying to add salt to the dal while Ram tries to convince her not to.
“Didi,” Nandni whispers, coming to my side. “Please stop her. She’s been at this since morning. I genuinely think she’s losing her mind. She added extra sugar to sir’s tea but we managed to sneak her the normal tea before she could serve hers. And now she’s trying to add the third spoon of salt to the dal. Why is she doing this?”
It came as no surprise to me when one day I caught some of our employees whispering at midnight when I’d come down to get an icecream. Turns out, most employees don’t really like working at this house and especially don’t like their employer. Welcome to the team, guys.
And since then, they’ve come to me for refuge. “Let me handle it,” I assure her and head to Rajlakshmi’s way. “Mummy-ji,” I greet her sweetly and bend down to touch her feet. Like everyday, I contemplate grabbing her ankles and pulling her so she’ll go falling down but refrain. She’s not worth going to the prison for.
“Ah! Anaya! Thank God, you’re here!” she exclaims, and pats her chest like she’s relieved. What a joke, considering the moment I get an opportunity, I’m going to be the reason for their distress. I may be a little naïve but I’ve realised it’s very difficult to get out of this house. So instead, I’ve started gathering information from inside our house.
Eavesdropping on conversations, checking Neil’s laptop when he’s sometimes fast asleep to see what he’s up to, peeping into my father-in-law’s laptop when he’s working in his office and I go by to drop him some tea and quickly remembering his computer password, it’s all in my head. And my phone’s notes app.
“Yes, mummy-ji,” I say with a deceivingly soft voice. “Mein aagayi hu na ab. Sab thikane laga dungi,” I smirk. Nandni softly snickers besides me but Rajlakshmi doesn’t understand the innuendo behind my words. Because, of course she doesn’t. It’d require her having a brain to realise when someone’s speaking in riddles.
