Friday, March 2, 2012

A girl on a swing








Image prompt@ Thursday Tales

Vinny looks at the wall clock tiredly, wiping her hands in her dupatta. It says 4:30 p.m. She has just finished her lunch. She looks at her one year old daughter who has dozed off after having her feed. She comes out in the park-facing balcony. This is the only place she finds solace. Tall neem and gulmohar trees give a refreshing feeling. Vinny’s tiredness fades a bit.


She looks in the park. A girl is swinging and two other girls are waiting eagerly for their turn. Unknowingly, she landed in her memory lane. In her village, just few years ago, she also used to take pleasure in these games. But for her parents, her marriage was the greatest responsibility.


She was just eighteen when she came to this house, laden with huge responsibility of a daughter-in-law. Since then she is fulfilling her responsibilities dutifully towards her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and now her daughter.


Every morning comes with a fast pacing clock suspended on her head. Morning tea and breakfast for everyone as they all put their choices in very sweet coated tone. Then there are unavoidable (Actually really important) needs of her daughter. Then cleaning, supervising her maid. Yes, she has a maid but you can’t expect anything more than sweeping and cleaning utensils, from her, otherwise she may bunk for two days. It really annoys Vinny.


After having a hasty bath and breakfast, she again starts preparing for lunch. Then some regular friends of her in-laws and innumerable cups of tea really annoy her. Sometimes she feels she is still on a kind of swing that oscillates in many different directions according to different people in her life. Her own time and desires have taken a lonely path.


Suddenly, delightful claps brought her back from her wandering thoughts. Girls were clapping at the high flight of the swing.  Cool and soft strokes of wind is caressing her cheeks and whipping her curls. Her mind reacts blissfully at this delightful view and peaceful aura. A smile appears on her face.She wants to stay here for some more time but it’s tea time and then she has to prepare for dinner. Then her husband, her daughter and so on. She is again ready to take a ride on her very own swing!


Shared@ Theme Thursday






4 comments:

  1. Other than having a useless maid it sounds like she is a slave to her in-laws and her husband. The sad thing is that she probably knows that is the future her daughter will have.

    Will time ever change things in the world? I doubt it, even here in the US where the majority of the women work, most of them still have to come home, cook the dinner, take care of the kids and then clean the house. Some men are great and they do help but I have heard of so many who do not.

    We need to teach our sons that there is nothing wrong with helping your wife doing household chores. Also teach our daughters that they should try to find a man who helps her instead of just expecting her to do everything.

    This will be the only way that things will change and maybe in a few hundred years, husbands and wives will help each other and not have one expected to serve the other. But for now Slavery is alive and well.

    Thanks for sharing another thought provoking post with us here at Theme Thursday. They are very much appreciated each week. Hope to see you next week.

    God bless.

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  2. Slave? It’s a very insulting term for a home maker. But unfortunately there are number of homes where a woman has to perform every chore single-handedly (After all finding a nice maid is also a tough task but then there are many houses (nuclear families) where woman left alone in the house, struggles with this question “What to do? And of course there are many houses where men cooperate in doing chores.

    You said it right that woman should teach their sons that there is nothing wrong with helping your wife doing household chores. But generally men think that they earn money to run a home and woman should take care of home. But they should not feel offended in helping their wives.

    Thanks!:)

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  3. When you put your heart into it, everything seems to be right but when you have to do it just for the sake of doing it, then things become tiresome.

    Very wonderfully written post

    GBU
    Arti

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  4. @ Arti: Yes, you're right. I'm glad you liked it:) Thanks!

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