Merry Christmas
The stuffed steaming goose’s jump from the dish was the best-loved part. As it reeled and rolled invitingly towards the match girl, it managed to dispel some of the sadness which a favorite childhood story always evoked. Andersen’s ‘Match Girl’ made me sad and angry in equal measures. Why the match girl was alone? Why she had to sell matches? Why would her father beat her up if she went home without selling any? After all, she was a child. And this is not what children are supposed to do. Right? I always asked. Because she was poor, I was told. But a little girl? I couldn't understand back then. Of course, now I know better. When you live below or near a certain line, children figure. They always do.
Sonia’s story, thus, is no exception.
Sonia is Shameem’s daughter. Shameem, the woman who keeps our house clean, is young and has an immense capacity to bounce back after every crisis. After all, this is what she has been doing since the age of nine. The age, when she started working. Her working day, which starts at 5 am and ends at 8 pm, includes travelling around the city in local wagons/ buses, and cleaning six houses at various locales. But she takes it in her stride. Fond as she is of coining metaphors, there’s one for her life: circus. “If I rest, my circus wouldn’t run,” She always says whenever I comment on her long working hours.
This spirited woman, who likes dressing up and enjoys strong milky tea, has Jesus as her best friend. The kind of friend, she believes, she can always rely upon. “I take His name even when I bleach my face, and my skin never scalds no matter how harsh or cheap the bleach.” She once told me while letting me in on her beauty regimen.
Like her invincible faith in Jesus, one other strand in her personality defines her: her unwavering resolve that she would never let her children work. “Not while they are still children” is how she used to phrase her belief. But since last year she hasn't been able to keep her resolve. Dengue fever, which became worse because she didn't/couldn't rest, was followed by diabetes and angina. And now she has to intersperse her working days with many days of rest. Inevitable rest. This is how her twelve year old daughter, Sonia, has figured in. On days, many days, when Shameem is not well, her daughter substitutes for her at six houses.
For Christmas, Sonia doesn't dream of a Christmas tree, or a stuffed roast goose. Most likely, she has never seen them at close quarters. However, she has fantasies of her own. Not just for Christmas, but for every day of the year. She doesn't want long working hours. She wants to play. And she wants to wear colorful clothes. But her current workaday routine doesn't allow her time to indulge in her dreams. So she daily clears away these visions with the swipes of her broom.
The circus has to go on.
No favorite part in this story. Just in case somebody wanted to know. Merry Christmas.
