Padhmini

By Dr Maitreyee Joshi

Padhmini is her name. She comes to my place as a new helper for my aging mother-in-law. It seldom happens that we find someone's behavior very natural with no pretenses. I smiled at the way she conducts herself, and chit-chats about this and that with my mother in law. She does not come along and jabber when I am home because she observes that I am in the hospital more often than at home these days, and she knows that I may get irritated if she bothers me too much.

The other day, I asked her, "You must be having kids, right?"

She replied, "Of course I have 2 kids, one in 9th and the other in 6th."

I asked, "Then, who is with them when you are here?"

"No one. They know everything. They come home, do their studies and eat their lunch and evening snacks and wait for me when I go back home by 7pm."

Then after 3 or 4 days and a few personal medical queries and prescriptions she quietly stood beside me and asked, "What does one do to get a divorce?"

I looked at her shocked. She said, "Don't worry. I am not going to cry. He hit me with a stone and now I think it's enough."

I explained, "See, you will need a lawyer and they will do the needful."

She nodded, "You ask them for the fees and I will decide whether I can afford it. I earn my living. I brought up my kids. I don't want anything more. One kind of happiness is not there in my life. Jaane do.. (Let it go). "

I kept gazing at her as she said, "There is so much more to be happy about. I want to be happy in every other way."

I finally smiled, life's lessons are best learnt from these very innocent people; so many times.

By Dr Maitreyee Joshi