Coffee

"Sarita, my coffee", Gautam called out for his wife who was busy chopping vegetables, boiling milk and kneading dough in the kitchen at the same time. Oh yes, and how to forget making coffee for her husband. "Give me five minutes Gautam", came her exasperated reply. "You always delay my coffee yaar Sarita, I am getting late for office.", he retorted, flipping over yet another page of his newspaper, one of his legs crossed over the other. This time Sarita simply refused to respond and continued with her work. "Arre, my sweet little girl, come here.", Gautam lovingly reached out for his seven-year-old daughter who had just waken up from her sleep, a bit late today, considering it was a public holiday for school kids. "Good morning papa.", she leaned into her father's affection. "Papa, I don't want to grow up.", she whined. Gautam chuckled at his daughter's words and flicked her nose. "And why is that, my little fairy?"" Because grandma said that big girls and boys get married.", she stated seriously. "My idiot little princess, there's a lot of time for you to even think of this. And why don't you like people getting married?", Gautam was curious. "Not people papa, just girls.", Pia shook her head. "Hmm", Gautam frowned, "why is that so?"" Because married girls need to do so much work. Mumma works so much at home, and in office too. I am lazy papa; I do not want to do so much work. So, I am not getting married.", Pia declared innocently and rested her head on her papa's chest unaware of the turmoil she had set in her papa's mind. "Coffee", Sarita's hand came in his viewpoint, and he glanced up at her. He knew she had heard, and she knew he had felt their daughter's words. Guilt creeping on his face, he could not utter a single word or take the coffee from his wife's hands. He never knew that someday; his daughter would be the one to open his eyes about his wife's reality and the reality of crores of working women out there.