Sinha household sprang to life the moment clock hit 6 in the morning. Like every other day, while the rest of the Sinhas remained glued to a sweet 5-more-minutes of sleep, Savita ji took a quick shower and began ratting the whole kitchen. She set the tea and eggs on boiling, before Asha rang the doorbell. Savita opened the door, had a terse glance at her and stepped back in. Asha the household maid, silently took over from there. Savita served bed tea to her in laws, husband Sunil, and daughters Riya and Diya. Riya was in 6th standard, so was not much of a fussy child anymore. Diya, however, was just in her KGs. And Savita needed all her persuasion and coercion to make her wake up and get ready by the time school bus reached at 7:30am. That was Sinha household every morning.
While shaking Diya up frustratingly, Sunil shouted: "Savita, could you iron this shirt?" Savita absorbed her anger once again and tasked Riya to get her younger sister ready for breakfast. She ironed her husband's shirt seething with an unspoken anger. Everyone was quite aware of it, so they were cautious around her today.
Her anger though was rooted in her strife with Asha yesterday. Asha had asked for a little monetary help for her ailing brother's treatment, or at least that's what she said. Her elder brother- an abusive criminal who was a habitual drunkard, who beat Asha up regularly for her hard earned money and who was still a brother to her. Savita counseled her many times to cut off the ties with him, but she never paid heed. Whatever little help Savita offered her maid of 8 years old in past, was snatched away by her brother for his crooked habits. And that's why Savita refused to help this time around. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice...
Asha didn't speak a word yesterday but Savita knew she had not taken it kindly, and that motherly instinct to protect her ward was still there. Asha didn't say a word this morning too when she took over the kitchen. But the tension in air was palpable. Savita finished ironing and went back to kitchen worried- "This girl is going to miss her bus again." She signaled Asha to go get the girls ready with bags and uniform while she would pack their lunch. Asha obeyed diligently without saying a word.
The bus driver was honking threateningly when Asha got them boarded. Savita was still busy preparing breakfast for Sunil and her in laws. It was all a pandemonium. Only after Sunil leaving for office, she got her moment of respite. The clock told 12 o'clock when Asha hailed her with a million dollar smile and inquired if there is anything further pending. Savita was slight taken aback with that mischievous glint in her eyes. She wondered how come this girl is in a joyous mood suddenly so soon after a nasty verbal spat yesterday. She felt something amiss, but didn't pay much heed to it, as she was enjoying her precious mid day nap.
It was only after 3pm, when Savita woke up to realize HER DIAMOND EAR RINGS WERE MISSING. With a panic button pressed, she turned the whole house upside down in her search. In bedroom, kitchen, drawing room, pooja-ghar everywhere. But to no avail. With each passing moment, an ominous thought inside her was growing stronger. Her mind began to wander again behind the mysterious smile Asha was adorning today while leaving.
Savita began seething with anger and held back her tears. She started contemplating- "There is no doubt this is one hundred percent her handy work only. I had 'em on me just last night itself. They must have fallen off in the morning hustle and butsle today. She picked them off such neatly." Her mind tried to defend logically for a moment- "But Asha never committed such things before. She must have been really desperate if she did so indeed." But her heart cut in impulsively- "Whatever, it doesn't mean she needs to STEAL FROM ME. How can you justify that wicked smile otherwise? I will call up police right away, before her loafer brother gets a chance to sell off my diamond ear rings."
She eventually held back her instincts and waited for a moment to confront her face to face. When Asha returned in evening, Savita asked with a stern blank face- "How's your brother's health now Asha?" Asha replied equally sternly- "Everything will be alright now. You don't need to worry mem-saab. I arranged for the money."
Her tone ensured to Savita that the game was afoot. The game of cat and mouse. Each one trying to one up each other. She suppressed her anger and continued- "Do you want to tell me something else, Asha?" Asha responded with a whiplash- "Ask clearly what you want to ask mem-saab."
"Have you picked up something which doesn't belong to you?"- Savita steered straight to the point. For the first time, Asha's face left its color- "Nnnoo, no mem-saab. What happened? Are you calling me a thief?"- the last sentence she spoke in a sufficiently loud defiant manner. That was the last straw. Asha's apparently malicious manner and terse tone just broke the patient resolve Savita was maintaining so far. She locked herself into the room, picked her mobile up fuming with rage and dialed her cousin who was a head constable in city police department. She narrated her complete ordeal sobbing off partially. Savita's cousin swiftly sent a PCR van and got a clueless Asha picked up on basis of suspicion. Another PCR was sent to pick up her rowdy brother. Her cousin assured her- "You worry not Savi didi, your ear rings will be recovered soon enough. We are searching their house thoroughly. These crooked siblings might not have had ample time to sell it off profitably. You take rest. I will inform Jija ji about whatever happened."
Savita sat in the dining table and put her head on the dining table. She was still enraged and could feel her lungs breathing fire and smoke. Her train of thoughts came to a standstill with the honk of the school bus. She went out and saw Riya and Diya jumping out and rushing to her. Her two bundles of joy made her forget all the unpleasantness and rage accumulated throughout the day. But as she picked Diya in her lap, her she nearly dropped her in a shock. Her ear rings... in Diya's ears... Diya, how? why? Savita was feeling robbed of her senses gradually while returning inside the house.
Seeing her mother in a near teary state, Riya told- "Mumma this naughty girl stole your ear rings from bathroom today. And she replaced her own silver ear rings with your shiny ones during lunch. Her class teacher Sulekha mam noticed it and asked me to complain to you." Hearing her clandestine secret now in open, Diya started crying and hitting her elder sister, who didn't hold back in retaliation.
"Of course, I would have removed them while in shower today morning. How did it slip my mind? Oh God, what have I done?"- pondered a sobbing Savita.
Sunil Sinha got a call today evening from his brother in law and rushed for home. He entered to see his two little angels fighting each other tooth and nail. He entered to see his sobbing wife sitting next to the dining table. In her palm were the missing diamond earrings.
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