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When she bent down to clean the floor beneath, her eyes were drawn towards that drawer again.
The drawer was open when the bell rang. She knew what was inside it. She took a deep breath.
“Shanthamma, give the keys to the driver,” she heard from the other room.
She took the keys from the open drawer, went to the door, and gave them to the driver. When she returned to clean the floor, her eyes went again to what else was in the drawer. Keys. Two Wallets. Currency. Some coins. Loose papers. Old pens. Business cards. Bills. Some stray papers.
“Shanthamma, clean the bathroom today,” she heard again from the other room, breaking her chain of thought. She was momentarily distracted from the drawer.
“Yes, madam,” she replied with her head down.
Madam got ready and came out of her room to leave for office. It was a busy morning. The cackling sound of vessels under the tap and the humming of clothes inside the washing machine filled the living and dining area. A sound of a ceiling fan buzzing, and the smell of breakfast being cooked filled the air. Shanthamma finished the floor cleaning and went to the sink to start washing the utensils.
“The washing machine has another fifteen minutes to go,” Madam came and checked. “I am getting late, Sumeet. Can you wait till she finishes her work?” she asked her husband.
“Ok fine. I will wait. But tell her to be quick, too,” Sumeet replied.
“Shanthamma, finish the vessels and clothes, and go today. Clean the bathrooms tomorrow,” Madam ordered, making an adjustment.
“Ok, madam,” Shanthamma nodded her head.
“And come a bit early tomorrow,” she yelled while closing the main door. “Bye, Sumeet.” Madam left in a hurry. The drawer was still open.
The phone rang when Shanthamma was doing her last task of the day. She was in the balcony putting the clothes to dry on the line. She glanced over her phone. It was her daughter.
“Amma, school fees, tomorrow last day,” she declared.
“Hmm. You go,” she assured her daughter.
Her mind went back to the open drawer. She went past it while keeping the empty bucket in the bathroom. She saw what was in it. Madam had forgotten her small purse there. It was easy pickings.
“Going Sir,” Shanthamma yelled, and left.
***
The next day when she returned, the drawer was still open.
When Shanthamma looked inside, it still had the same things.
The car keys, coins, loose change, papers, cards, and bills stayed untouched. Some new pens and cheque leaves had found their way there. She felt sorry for herself. She remembered what she had done yesterday when she went past the drawer while cleaning the floor. The drawer seemed to stare back at her as if it knew. Shanthamma looked elsewhere.
“Shanthamma, clean the bathrooms today, both of them,” Madam howled from her room. All days are the same, Shanthamma felt. I clean the floor and vessels, and Madam gets ready. Then I hang the clothes on the line, and Madam leaves. Nobody cares what I do. They won’t miss anything. A wave of dismay enveloped her.
The doorbell rang like every day. “Shanthamma, give the k…..,” Madam shouted.
Shanthamma shouted back, “Yes, madam.”
She knew it was the driver. Today, she smiled at the driver when she handed over the keys while closing the door. But he never smiled back. He had the same expression every day. All days were the same, she told herself.
But today was different for Shanthamma. It was the last day to pay her daughter’s school fees. Two thousand rupees; fees for three months. Shanthamma knew she had arranged for it.
“Sumeet,” Madam shouted again from her room. “Did you see my purse anywhere?” she asked.
Shanthamma’s heart missed a beat. Her body froze, if only for a moment. She paced through washing the vessels. She wanted to finish them fast.
“Which one? The small one? No, I didn’t see it. Where had you kept it?” Sumeet asked.
“I don’t remember. But it must have been in the drawer,” Madam tried to recollect.
Shanthamma knew where exactly the purse was. Yesterday and today. She had sweat on her forehead. She wasn’t sure she had done the right thing. But did she have any choice? How was her daughter going to go to school, otherwise?
One part of her mind told her that this was no way to pay for the school fees. Another part of her mind told her that there was no other way. God help me, she prayed.
“Or maybe I left it in the car,” Madam said.
“Shanthamma,” she called out. Shanthamma’s heart skipped a beat. “Go down and check the car for my purse,” she ordered.
Shanthamma nodded and continued washing the vessels. Her mind went blank. Why did Madam trust me so much? she wondered. What am I to do now?
“Was there anything important in it?” Sumeet asked. “Maybe you forgot it in office?” he added.
Shanthamma silently picked up the bucket and started putting the clothes on the line. She did not want to face them, lest they understand the tension in her mind. She fumbled while putting some of the clothes but pretended as if they had fallen down from the bucket on their own.
“Some business cards, some medicines, I think it had some money.. maybe three thousand plus some change..,” Madam replied. “Maybe some lipsticks and pens, I think…”
“So nothing important as such.. I guess,” Sumeet reassured her.
“Well, not very.. but still..,” Madam fiddled with the drawer. “Shanthamma, can you go down and check if it’s there in the car?” she persisted. “Put the clothes on the line later.”
“Yes, madam..” Shanthamma nodded. She was ready to step out.
***
Shanthamma went down the stairs faster than usual. Her mind was working fast as well. What was she to do now, she wondered again. With her mind racing, she went to the car.
“Madam, purse.. in car?” she asked the driver. He opened the door and looked inside. The seats. On them. Below them. The floor. The dashboard. The drawers. He even checked the trunk. Shanthamma pretended to be worried and waited in right earnest. The purse was nowhere to be found. The driver shook his head. Shanthamma shrugged her shoulders and went back up.
She climbed the stairs much slower than when she had raced down. Her mind had slowed down by now. When she reached the second floor, she slowly walked through the corridor. She let the soft breeze cool her temples. She tiptoed towards Madam’s flat. She had made up her mind when she rang the doorbell.
“Madam, purse,” she said on stepping inside. She handed over the purse to madam. She put on a fake smile and pretended to be excited with the discovery.
“Oh, wonderful, you found it,” Madam exulted in happiness. “Sumeet, I knew Shanthamma would find it. It was in the car,” she said. “Keep it in the drawer,” she directed her to the open drawer.
Shanthamma walked silently to the drawer and kept it there with a sly smile. She had no idea how she was going to pay for her daughter’s school fees now. With her head hanging down, she went to the door and prepared to leave.
“Shanthamma, wait,” she heard Madam shout out loudly before she closed the door.
Shanthamma’s heart was in her mouth. Did Madam find out? Did she know that the purse was not in the car? Did the driver tell her that the purse was not found? Did Madam realise the truth? Thoughts of impending doom raced through her mind. Her blood pressure shot through the roof and with a palpitating heart whose beats she could hear and feel.
Her face had turned pale when she walked back in. Maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew. Maybe she was going to lose even the one job she had.
“What about the remaining clothes? And you didn’t clean the bathrooms,” Madam reminded her with a smile, when she came back. Shanthamma was overjoyed when she heard that and put a palm to her forehead. Never before had she felt a greater joy at hanging the clothes than she felt today. She hummed her favourite song while cleaning the bathroom today. Her heart felt light.
When she finished, she had the satisfaction of a job well done. The drawer was still open, and her mind went towards it. The purse was safely in it and Madam was almost ready. It was time to go.
“Shanthamma, one minute…,” she heard Madam call her out again. She wondered what it was this time. Every time Madam called her today, her heart started beating faster.
“Take your salary before you go…,” Madam said. “I have kept two thousand rupees more this month, because of your festival this month,” she added.
“Ok, Madam,” Shanthamma nodded. Her pumping heart slowed down in a sigh of relief and joy. She smiled looking at Madam; this time it was not fake.
“I have kept it in the drawer,” Madam told her and left for her office.
Shanthamma walked towards the open drawer. All days, definitely, weren’t the same.
***
This story was first published in the Indian Periodical. You may also read it here.