Ronak Enlightens A Heart

The family photo was gleaming with an aura as Prerna glanced at it. She noticed how happy they were in the photo – Amey with his arms around her, smiling with joy as Ronak tickled his parents. It was a perfect click.

There was some dust which accumulated on the glass. Prerna cleaned it and closed the window of the bedroom.

They moved to this part of town and had just finished unpacking. She heard Amey bleakly, calling her from the children’s room.

Prerna glanced at the empty living room as she strode to help Amey. She knew Amey would do a better job at unpacking and called her to help with Ronak. With some hired help, they completed the unpacking and setup within a day.

It was on this fateful Friday, that the Joshi family moved into their newly leased apartment. The broker got a good deal and the owner did not care much and preferred not to interfere with the house matters. It was a spacious house for the three of them and an extremely convenient place for Prerna from her work perspective. Amey’s office and Ronak’s school too was in the vicinity.

Their daily routine got established soon. Prerna needed to resume office the next day.

“Amey! Can you please pass me my towel? I forgot to take it with me.” Prerna shouted for help.

She changed into her dress for work and noticed Amey in his shorts. He was playing on his phone and would work from home today.

Prerna waited next to him and started tapping her feet to intimidate her carefree husband. “I am almost done. What do you want?” Amey had lost the round and kept his phone aside. Prerna bent and kissed his head. She then went back to her cupboard and began digging into a pile of clothes.

Amey noticed Ronak who was still in deep slumber. His hands moved towards his phone again and stopped when he heard his wife. “Did you notice the thin wall next to the bathroom? I think there is a leakage there. Why is that wall so think anyways?” “I will get it checked. I think it would be a pillar, like a connecting column throughout the floors…” Amey tried explaining to Prerna while he had already starting playing subconsciously. Amey needed to pinpoint it soon and begin work. Even the maid was talking about the same structure being different compared to other houses.

The owner would have made come civil changes. But what was worrying him more was the leakage. If it existed, then he had to fix it today itself. Ronak heard a few things as he was about to get up and started assisting his father.

“I love you Ronu” Amey had a flashlight and began searching for the leakage source? “Papa, this will help” Ronak used Amey’s phone as a torch. Right then the maid came and asked Amey for a glass to have water.

Amey left the work and began searching the kitchen for a spare glass. Ronak saw this first hand and was inquisitive to understand what was happening. He couldn’t comprehend why the maid didn’t have water on her own and disturb their work.

When he paid close attention he realized that the maid was drinking water from a different glass, that too without putting the glass to her mouth. He asked the maid about it addressing her as an aunt as he was not aware of her name yet.

She saw Ronak inquisitively and chose not to answer as she left the house. Ronak caught Amey’s hand and asked him to sit in the living room patiently. “What happened Ronu?” Amey senses something worried his son. “Papa, why did the maid aunty use another glass to drink. That too, she did not put her mouth to it…” Ronak’s eyes had a mystery which Amey couldn’t comprehend.

Amey laughed and gestured to let it go as it was nothing. But his son was still worried so he came up with an explanation. “Ronu, the maid aunty doesn’t drink from the same glass that we do. That is how things are.” “Why Papa?” “Because they are maids.” “What does that mean?” Amey did not know what to say. But this time Ronak understood things completely.

“Papa…” “Yes Ronu…” “You and mummy teach about every time. What will happen if the maid aunty drinks from our glass? Can’t we wash the glass and it would be the same?”

Amey was silent. His eyes gleamed into his sons’. “Does drinking from a better glass make us feel better than the maid aunty? Does it make her feel we are better?” Ronak took a pause.

A tear drop fell from Amey’s eyes. He kissed his son and replied that he would not do it from now and he was thankful that Ronak reminded him of that. “It’s ok papa!” Ronak ran to pick the flashlight. “There is lot of work left, let’s get to it”

Amey smiled and got up. There is a lot of work left. At home, in the society and the country. He was happy that his son enlightened him today. This fire will keep burning forever.