She looked no more than nine and appeared no less than a bushman at her arrival. Her head was covered with a pile of disheveled hair, crust resting at the corner of her eyes, her teeth stained by regular consumption of muddled water and her skin stretched dry from constant exposure to sun and dust. Standing near the apartment’s entrance, with great dignity, she tried to conceal her vulnerability of being in a completely new place. She was fatigued by the tiresome bus journey she endured with her uncle, yet her pride stood in the way of the much deserved rest that her fragile body craved.“It would be alright” said her tear stricken mother “You’ll get a good house to live in and good food to eat”. She hated it all the more. She’d rather starve and bear the cold than be ripped apart from her folks. Her parents knew better. A tea garden laborer’s daughter didn’t have any life; poverty and starvation hovered over their lives. Life in the big city meant a full stomach, warm clothes and a little cash, perhaps to spare some of it for her siblings.
The city didn’t appeal the little girl who was being offered as a domestic help to an urban, nuclear family. Her heart bled for the lush green tea gardens where she enjoyed her humble existence in the loving company of her infant brother and new born sister. She refused to drink a sip of water or bite a morsel until the lady of the house coaxed her into doing so. Her employer was in desperate need of a caretaker for her own year old daughter and tried everything in her might to make the girl comfortable. Her previous babysitter was about sixteen and tried to elope with a boy and so, was sent her off to her guardians. Therefore, pre puberty was a mandatory criterion for this next recruitment. Her uncle had assured the lady that his niece took care of her siblings back home and hence, could easily take care of a toddler. She on the other hand, hated the very sight of this new baby who reminded her of her own brother, who was, in all probability yearning for his big sister and wondering why had she abandoned him. Her uncle patted her head and took off. Her employer followed him outside to pay the dues.
She was left alone and felt much at ease. She took a few unsure steps, looked around the house and was stupefied by the majesty of the two bedroom apartment. The bedroom was the size of their entire hut; the TV was nothing like the one she had seen in the village. The kitchen had a long box and she felt a cold puff as she opened its door. Her attention was soon caught by the baby’s toys- soft, supple and colorful. She could play with them all day.
As she nervously browsed through the toys, she felt her frock being tugged. It was the baby, offering her a soft toy, displaying the only two teeth that it had. Twinkling eyes and innocent chuckles accompanied the gesture. Despite her rage towards this little one (for separating her from her own kin), she couldn’t help but notice, how incredibly adorable the little angel was. Engulfed in a bucket of guilt and grief, she felt the drops of her plight trickle down quietly from her eyes across her cheeks and gently rest on her forearms. Like a reflex, her arms stretched wide open and the baby bounced into her warm embrace.
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