Butter Chicken

Tara woke up to the shrill sound of the alarm. She groaned at the pitter-patter of a persistent rain. She realised it was impossible to go for the morning run. She pulled the blanket over her head & went back to sleep. An hour later, Tara's deep sleep was disturbed by the doorbell. She checked the time & wondered who would be at the door. She dragged herself out of bed & put on her specs. She walked with sleepy eyes & saw Catherine through the peephole.

Tara opened the door with a question, "Why are you here?"

As Catherine removed her raincoat, she greeted, "Good Morning, Ma'am."

Tara awaited a response at the doorway, but Catherine walked past her. Tara yawned, stretched & went on to refresh. As she brushed with the automatic toothbrush, she ran through the last couple of weeks of her life. The pandemic receded & Tara had moved into a new city for a new job. She had settled into a cosy one-bedroom flat rented out by an elderly couple above their house. Tara settled in the new town with a few challenges caused by the pandemic. However, as a boon, the landlady had recommended Catherine as a maid & cook. Catherine was very helpful in setting up the house, cooking & taking care of any other needs.

As the flashback ended, she washed her face & noticed her sinus had swelled. No sooner did Tara reach the dining table than Catherine handed her a hot mug of filtered coffee. Tara removed her specs & sipped strong coffee. She felt the decoction's magic of easing the sinus pain & spreading warmth in the chilling weather. As a daily ritual, Tara & Catherine had coffee together & used that time to catch up on the latest life stories.

Tara repeated her question, "From last evening, it has been raining heavily. Why did you come today?"

Catherine replied, "It was a drizzle, so I came."

Tara pressed, "It may get heavy. You could have stayed home. I would have managed cooking by myself."

Catherine chuckled, "Last evening, it was pouring & landlady aunty called asking if I could come & make dinner? Then there is you, who is asking me to stay home for a drizzle."

Tara continued, "If you fall sick, then I have to manage for days by myself. I would rather let you stay home for a day."

Catherine chortled, "I won't fall sick, I've taken enough precautions for the weather. Also, I have to go to my son's school, so I thought I could finish cooking & then go."

Tara gave in to Catherine's reasoning. Tara instructed what to cook & listed the household chores for the day.

The next day, Tara enquired, "Yesterday, I was too sleepy to ask, why did you have to go to school?"

Catherine replied, "Due to the pandemic, everyone's livelihood was affected, so we had requested school management to waive school fees. Now that the pandemic is reducing, schools are demanding that we pay the fees. A few of the parents wanted to request management to allow us to pay in instalments."

Tara remarked, "Oh... What did management say?"

Catherine responded, "They agreed to quarterly payments."

Tara asked, "You had mentioned your husband has recently got a job. Do you have enough money to pay the fees?"

Catherine painfully smiled, "I've managed for this quarter, next one I have to figure it out. Some parents have applied for a scholarship through the government website, but I do not know how to do it."

Tara mentioned, "Alright, get me the website, I will check on it & apply for the scholarship"

Catherine exclaimed, "Oh no. I did not mean that."

Tara remarked, "That's the least I can do. Let's give it a try."

Catherine checked with the other parents about the website. She provided Tara with the website details, kids' identity information & school fees structure. Tara took a few days to navigate the website & successfully applied for the scholarship.

A few months later, on a morning, Catherine called Tara to inform her that she was running late & requested Tara to leave the house keys with the watchman. It was very unlike Catherine to be late, Tara assumed something must have come up. Tara left the house keys with the watchman & went about her morning run. Half an hour later, Tara returned only to be greeted by an aroma of butter chicken. Tara walked to the kitchen, puzzled.

Catherine grinned, "Good Morning, Ma'am"

Tara replied, "Good Morning, Catherine. I do not remember buying chicken."

Catherine was distracted by the whistle of the cooker & turned her attention towards the stove. Tara checked her smartwatch & realised both the ladies were running late. Tara quickly drank coffee & rushed to the shower. As Tara ate breakfast, Catherine tidied the kitchen.

Tara repeated her query, "Why did you cook chicken?"

Catherine dropped her chores & ran to the dining area.

Catherine exclaimed, "Scholarship was approved & the amount credited to both kids' bank accounts."

Tara clamoured, "Finally, thank god."

Catherine expressed, "No, thanks to you. It was you who helped with the scholarship. I cooked your favourite dish to express my gratitude."

Catherine recited her agonising tale of requesting a loan from the landlady. She mentioned that they handed her a thousand rupees & the conversation she overheard. Tara listened to the narrative attentively.

Tara questioned, "Uncle's query was valid, why did you admit your kids to an expensive school?"

Catherine replied, "Oh, that. The school fees were only five hundred rupees per month. As the kids grew, so did the expense & fee."

Tara's eyebrows knotted & questioned, "Your salary would have also increased?"

Catherine exclaimed, "Oh no. I've always looked at them as if they were my parents. I never asked for a raise. I'm working for the same salary for over a decade."

Tara burst into laughter, she laughed so hard that her tummy hurt & she teared up.

Tara managed to catch her breath, "I'm so sorry. I'm not laughing at your…"

Catherine curiously looked at Tara.

Tara caught her breath, "So your kids, expenses such as rent, electricity, water bill & groceries grew. But not your salary?"

Finally, it dawned on Catherine.

Tara voiced, "Neither did you ask & nor did they raise your salary. I'm unable to decide whether you are naive or dumb."

Catherine sheepishly replied, "Super dumb."

Takeaway: Gratitude given is peace received.

P.S.: This story is a continuation of "Life's Riches"