Chapter 3

“Hi!” She entered Sachin’s modest cabin without any invitation or preamble. Sachin bit back an amused smile. He had been spared from attending interviews, thanks to his father and his passion for the old-age home. But he was sure that no one came for an interview dressed in casual three-fourths and t-shirt. She looked as if she had come there directly from her college.

She sat down on the opposite side of the table and handed a file to Sachin. He opened it and found a neatly arranged stack of papers showing her details and qualifications. She had been a scorer academically, he noted. A glance at her personal details showed her age to be 24. He could also make out that she came from a very well-to-do family. He checked her name again.

“So, Rhea… Your academic qualifications are very good. May I ask you why you wish to apply to work here?” He asked her in a curious tone.

“It feels satisfying to spend time with elders and care for them. I have always been social and love being around people. I think this is the best kind of job for me.” She said with a huge smile and Sachin found himself getting caught in her enthusiasm. This was how he wanted his staff to be.

“Okay. I don’t see any reason to reject your application.” He could swear she had tried to raise her fist but had restrained herself in the last minute. He bit back another amused smile.

“I will give you your profile and the list of responsibilities. But the main thing to remember is, the people here are aged. Please take good care of them with your words and actions too.” He said in a gentle yet firm tone and she nodded her head resolutely.

“I understand. You won’t find anything to complain about me, I assure you.”

“That’s great. Now your duties…” He stopped mid-sentence when she handed him a diary sheepishly.

“I am sorry. I have been waiting here since an hour and had the time to observe everyone and everything. These are the things that I would like to do. I hope you approve them.”

Sachin had to remind himself to close his mouth. Clearing his throat, he glanced at the diary and found neatly-written notes. She had mostly written about birthday celebrations, arranging for family day so that people who still had families could meet them at the old-age home and many other innovative ideas. He didn’t want to admit it but he was impressed.

“This is good. I don’t see why all these can’t be done here. Go ahead.” He said to her while handing over her diary.

“I knew you would approve.” She said with a bright smile and he chuckled.

“All right. When do you want to start?” He asked her and shook his head when she showed him another page of the diary.

“There are three birthdays in the coming week. I would like to contact their family members and call them here. I will arrange for the birthday celebration.” She said in an enthusiastic tone and he looked at her in wonder.

“How did you get the birthdays?”

“As I said, I have been waiting here since an hour and I took time to talk to the elders who were sitting outside at the park. I wrote down their names and birthdays, just in case, you know…” She said, trying to control her laughter.

“And if I had rejected you?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I would still have come on their birthdays and wished them.” She said simply and his stance somewhat softened. For all her over-enthusiasm and confidence, she seemed to be a good person with her heart at the right place.

“All right then. You can start working now if you want. If you are hungry, you can approach…”

“Kamal Aunty! She makes the best pulav in the world!” Rhea said and he again looked at her in wonder.

“When did you…?”

He shook his head and laughed out when she said.  “I was waiting at the reception and a really delicious smell was wafting through the kitchen at the corner. When Kamal Aunty came out to call everyone for lunch, I spoke to her for few minutes and she invited me too.”

It was clear. Rhea had arrived like a tornado in the old-age home. He looked forward to working with 

her.

As she left his cabin, he sat back with a satisfied sigh. He opened his drawer and took out Baba’s book. He started reading eagerly.

The Times Of My Life

2

About our families – well, there couldn’t be more different set of two families than ours. While our home rang with the notes of loud laughter, television shows and the din of utensils from the kitchen accompanied with continous chatter of human voices, eternal silence reigned in Vishnu’s home. At times, we could hear the news in tv in a low volume which would indicate that Vishnu’s father was at home.

I lived in a large family, my parents, my two uncles (younger brothers of my dad) and their wives and my grandfather. I enjoyed being the only kid in the house. My dad and his two brothers operated three stationery shops side-by-side. The ladies looked after the household chores while my grandfather spent the whole day either talking to his friends from the chawl or watching television. The ladies talked a lot, the men laughed a lot and made us laugh too with their delightful stories from the shop. Needless to say, my grandfather laughed the loudest, with his booming voice.

There were sounds from Vishnu’s house too – sounds of Vishnu arguing in a quivering yet loud voice and his father screaming at him. Sometimes we would hear a slap and the heartbreaking sound of Vishnu’s pathetic sobs. His father was a strict disciplinarian; we could infer this from the sounds coming from his house every day. We could never find out the reason for the daily arguments and subsequent beating sessions that Vishnu got. But it always irked my grandfather who would shake his head resolutely and say, ‘Someone should hit the man on his head sharply! Beating a young child so mercilessly! Someday, I will.. Surely, I will!’ My father and uncles would pacify him saying that it was not good to get involved in another family’s affairs. But they did feel badly for Vishnu and kept telling me to be good to him and to support him. My mother and my aunts would prepare special dishes with extra helping for Vishnu. “Give it to him during lunch break, okay.” They would whisper to me, stroking my hair lovingly. Raised in such a loving environment, I could never understand the behavior of Vishnu’s parents.

While his father was strict and menacing, his mother was – for want of a better word – dull and lifeless. We could never hear her speak a single word in defense of her child. Vishnu would tell me sometimes that his mother was scared of his father and that’s why she just obeyed him plainly without complaining. All I could understand was that, Vishnu wasn’t growing up in a happy place.

That night, there was a knock on the door. When my dad opened it, he saw Vishnu standing outside.

“Uncle, can I – can I meet Bhavesh?” Vishnu asked in a low voice. His face was tear-stained and he was clutching at his arm which was still swollen.

“Come in, Beta!” My dad gently ushered him inside and closed the door. As there were only two rooms and a kitchen in our home, he didn’t have to call me out as I came to the room from the kitchen.

I looked at his swollen arm. “Did you go to the doctor?”

“My dad refused. Says it will teach me to not to get involved in any fights.” Vishnu said tearfully.

“Bhavya, what happened exactly?” My dad came and sat beside Vishnu, checking the swelling on his arm gently.

I narrated the whole incident and I saw my uncle chuckle in amusement. My dad ruffled Vishnu’s hair. “Come son, I will take you to the doctor.”

Doctor Mama’s clinic was just two lanes ahead and it took only fifteen minutes for my dad and Vishnu to return to our home. The doctor had given some pain-relieving oil to be smeared on the swelling.

My younger aunt carefully applied the oil on the swelling. “There.. Now it won’t pain in the night.” She said with a smile and left the room. Vishnu sat on the sofa beside me and looked around. After what felt like few minutes, he turned to my dad and said. “Thanks Uncle, for taking me to the doctor. I will take the money from my mother tomorrow and repay you.” He finished uncertainly.

Everyone in the room laughed out. “That’s not required son. You just take care of your arm okay.” My dad said with an amused smile.

“Okay, then I should leave now.” Vishnu got up, a sad expression on his face. He walked till the door and halted for few seconds. Slowly turning back, he looked at my dad and asked him in a low voice. “Can I – Can I sleep in your home tonight, uncle? This feels like a happy place.”

For some time nobody spoke. My grandfather got up from his seat and walked towards Vishnu. Holding his other hand, he took him back to the room and said. “You, me and Bhavya will sleep in the hall and have a grand time. I have many jokes to tell you.” As Vishnu’s face broke into a genuine smile, the first that I had ever seen, my dad gulped visibly and patted his head softly.

That was the first of the numerous sleep-overs that we would have in my home.