Santa

The door-bell rang. I reluctantly dragged myself out of the bed. The wall clock indicated 8. It was a cold morning with a dense cloud of fog outside. Perhaps, it was drizzling too. It was Christmas. A bright sunny morning would have been very delightful for this festive occasion. But the dull weather had dampened the festive spirits.

I wrapped myself in a shawl and went to open the door. It was Geeta. She greeted me with a smile as she folded her wet umbrella. I was a little surprised to see her as I often told her to stay back at home if the weather was not good.

I asked her, “Geeta, why did you venture out of home in such a cold, damp weather?”. She replied with a smile, “Aunty, it is Christmas so I thought I should help you out in the kitchen today”. I was spell bound with her generosity.

Geeta was our house help. Her family consisted of her husband and her small son, Robin. Her husband was a daily wage labourer. His employability was conditional to the demand in the market. It was Geeta who had a sustained source of income. The responsibility of taking her son to school and back was hers. She would ride her bicycle to work and little Robin would sit behind her, clutching his mother from the back with his tiny hands. I wondered how she braved the lashing cold winds today while riding her bicycle. Every penny that she earned was the result of her bone-tiring toil and effort. Geeta finished her chores and was in a hurry to go.

As she was ready to leave, I went in to bring her the Christmas gift that I had kept for her. It was a woolen sweater. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind; the small gift was incomparable to her invaluable services. I was able to keep my hands warm and dry as she washed and cleaned in the kitchen. She moved around here and there in the cold to broom as I kept myself warm before the room heater. I felt pygmy before her magnanimity. Was it a necessity for her to earn livelihood that made her toil, was it a duty that she could not miss or was it her loyalty towards her profession? In all cases, she commanded a lot of respect. Undoubtedly, her gift of service stood beyond the woolen sweater I held in my hand.

Her unconditional services with a smiling face, even in adverse conditions, whether at home or outside, was a great gift to all her employers. She was the real Santa spreading her warmth in every household she worked.