"Home makers..No No..Call them Heaven makers" - a short story

Hema and Vasanth were married for 5 years with 2 kids and were leading a good life despite some differences in thoughts and choices they had. Hema had quit her IT job after she conceived her 2nd kid , by then she found it very difficult to balance work and home.

With one kid she somehow managed to work, of course with some help from her mom, baby sitter etc (that too with daily tensions which she was ready to take for the “I am working” feeling).

Vasanth wanted her to not quit but since the situation at home was tough, he too agreed to her decision. She took full responsibility of home and taking care of kids. Life seemed to be a bit more stressful to her than her previous IT job because managing 2 kids at home was equivalent to (or rather more than) building a temple. Some days would pass by easily and some days more challenging and stressful because with the kids all the days are not the same.

Her mornings started with getting the feeding bottle sterilized, breakfast preparation, lunch preparation for Vasanth to take etc. Vasanth was in a high position in his office and was known for his excellence in office (only in office) and he never had the hang of doing things in parallel at home. He did not have the capability to handle household tasks at ease and was not interested too, like every other guy in our country.

She was a perfectionist by nature and would not compromise on perfection for anything. She ran her household like running a CMM level 5 certified organizations. All the days she wanted to give healthy and nutritious food to her husband and kids. She maintained her home spic and span. Things were going like this for many months.

Soon she realized that end of the day she was not recognized for anything, Vasanth would appreciate her some days for the responsibility she has taken and for how much she has transformed as a person. Some days he would not even have the time to talk to her after returning from office and he just would go straight to his bed without enquiring anything about the kids or her. This hurt her like anything because he was the only person whom she looked up to for appreciation or affection, after taking all responsibilities and maximum efforts from her side.

She started to feel that she was not recognized for what she is contributing to her house rather recognized as someone who has lost her career among her friends and relatives. She wondered if her husband too had the same opinion about her.

She would go nostalgic with the days when she was working, with the command she had over her team, how much she enjoyed going out for lunch with her friends in office, the coffee breaks she enjoyed in her office, how she used to shop frequently without any second thought those days, how money had flown into and out of her hands very freely and last but not the least the appreciation she got from her superiors for her work. But, end of the day she consoled herself by telling herself that she is spending her entire time with the kids.

But again the same depressive feeling started to seep in. Her friends advised her to look for a job. She liked to work again, but only thing that stopped her were her 2 small kids. She wondered how other ladies with 2 kids managed to work and balance home so effortlessly. She has seen some ladies in her locality who were working with 2 kids yet seemed to be smiling and happy always to her understanding (or rather she assumed they were happy).

She began her job hunt and finally found one opening suitable to her profile with a decent pay. But she had to travel more than 10 km to her new work place. She convinced herself that her kids would grow nicely just like the kids of any other working mom. She employed a baby sitter for the younger one and left the elder one in her mom’s place nearby. She had to prove herself in office now, one more goal for her on top of various she had already stacked up on her plate. Vasanth tried to help her in household tasks but the tasks lined up everyday seemed like Pacific Ocean and she didn’t actually feel him as a helping hand though he did his bit.

Three months passed by like this, and it was time for her elder one to go to school, so more responsibilities came uninvited. She had to get her daughter ready to school with snacks, water and juice though Vasanth dropped her in school in his car. This school was a little (so called) high profile where all parents had to report in school once every fortnight for hearing the feedbacks about their kids and for some initiatives to be taken from parent’s side. So she had to take permission in her office every fortnight which her superior did not encourage much. Days were strenuous to the core going forward.

Time and again kids were stuck with one ailment or the other. Vasanth had lost his weight considerably as he was not taking lunch from home after his wife had started working. Baby sitter complained that her younger one was very tough to manage and demanded some more incentives. Some social pressures and unwanted commitments (or rather family tax ) came free of cost draining half of what she earned. Her mom was also tired taking care of her naughty elder daughter though she did not reveal it out. Weekends went in pre-preparation work for the coming week and she soon realized it has been months she spoke to her husband heartfelt (Leave alone her mother staying in the next street). She didn’t remember when she fondled and cuddled her kids last.

She began to worry if she was driving her ship in the right direction. Her kids didn’t look like kids of parents whose monthly salary crossed more than one lakh. Her parents in their old age lived like a destitute with no link to their daughter staying in the same area. Now she clearly understood the fake smile which she was now flashing to the society to look like a happy working lady with kids which she earlier saw in the ladies in her locality.

She was on the verge of taking another decision ( a reversal rather) and the next day her maid Mageshwari who helped with cleaning vessels and clothes came to her and said she would not come for work from the following week. When asked why she said

“My mother is bed ridden and is in last stage of life. Also, my son is going to twelfth std and so I have limited my work to 2 houses alone that too in the close proximity near my house. Financially it will be a little tight for me but I want to be around my mother all the day to help her cross the last stage of her life. I have decided to sell off some ancestral jewelleries to manage expenses if tight.”

Hema felt as if Mageshwari was giving her a Guru Upadesam. Her mind was cleared of a big hurdle that was haunting her for years. She experienced a cognitive shift happening in her.

The following week a farewell party was arranged in her office to bid adieu to her. This time she quit her work with a lot of conviction and knew she had a lot of better things to do at home. After the formalities were done she walked confidently on the road without any regrets, she has not lost her career but has accepted the transformation to a new facet of life.

The next day morning she peacefully got her kid ready for the school and dropped her in the school, packed lunch and salads for Vasanth and after he left to office she called up her in laws and enquired their well being and told them that next medical visit of them she would accompany. She paid a visit to her parents in the next street and talked her heart out to them. Now she had the time to sleep on her mother’s lap seeing her younger one play actively. She had a feeling of accomplishment now.

Evening she went back to her home and prepared chapatti and cauliflower curry for Vasanth which was his favorite and which he had not eaten for the past number of months. She was prepared not to receive any appreciations from him, after all his health was more important to her than the recognitions or appreciations he gave her.

That night she wrote in her diary
“ My kids and husband has had healthy food today. I shared some emotional time with my parents and in-laws. So today I have earned 10 crores.”

 

Re: "Home makers..No No Heaven makers" - a short story

Thanks a lot Arunarc. You are my first critic. Will never forget that. Thanks for encouraging FB!

 

Re: "Home makers..No No Heaven makers" - a short story

Thanks a lot black beauty. This is my first story. Shall try to improvise further in the coming days.

 

Re: "Home makers..No No Heaven makers" - a short story

Hi Lakshmi,
Thank you for your generous comments. Thanks much!