Our Mindset Episode 41
Balu said, “Dada, you need to say something to him, or else he will keep coming back and bothering you every day.” But he replied, “He’s just drunk. Why are you getting involved? He’s just rambling because of the alcohol.”
Before leaving, Balu told me, “If that old man comes again, just shut the door and stay inside.” From then on, I did exactly that. Whenever I saw him coming from a distance, I would go inside and lock the door. After a few days, he stopped coming altogether.
I asked my husband, “Can I join a sewing class?” He replied, “Who will look after the kids in the afternoon? First, send them to school, then you can go.”
I called my mother and asked, “I’m planning to take a sewing class. Will you buy me a sewing machine?” She said, “First, complete at least two to three months of training, then I will buy it for you.” Hearing her assurance made me excited.
Since school hadn’t started yet, I had some free time. After staying home for a few days, I decided to go to work. Just then, my aunt’s brother arrived—he also lived in the village. He was like an uncle to me and related to Mangu’s family as well. I had known him since childhood because he often visited our village and stayed at my aunt’s place.
He asked, “Where are you headed?”
“To work,” I replied.
He was surprised, “You go to work?”
I explained, “Seventy rupees a day isn’t enough, and my aunt gives me only a hundred rupees a week.”
He said, “Come to our house when you’re in the village. We are going away for work, but your aunt and our eldest granddaughter will be staying here. Your aunt will give you ration every month—sugar, kerosene, wheat, and rice. That should be enough for you.”
He had three children, all married. His granddaughter was around seventeen or eighteen years old. Since prospective grooms were coming to see her, they wanted her to stay in the village. Their house was near the bus stand. Knowing that my mother was willing to buy me a sewing machine and that my uncle would provide rations made me feel relieved.
He left for his home, and I went to work at my sister-in-law’s place. In the evening, her brother-in-law arrived. He was close to my husband and also a friend of the village leader, Patil.
He asked my husband, “What do you do every afternoon?”
Then he continued, “Patil needs a tractor driver. If you can help plow the fields for an hour or two, I’ll ask him to pay you.”
My husband agreed. I was happy—it meant some extra income. But later, I realized this was all Patil’s plan. He wanted to befriend my husband so he could eventually get both of us to work on his land.
Despite this, I liked one thing about Patil—he never forced me into anything. He had no bad habits, wasn’t involved in any criminal activities, and people in the village respected him. My sister-in-law and I suspected that he might have been the one who instructed others to harass me, but we never found any proof.
Since there was no work in the fields, Mangu and my aunt visited once a day. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law would take my husband with him every afternoon.
One day, my goat gave birth to two kids. I was so happy that I didn’t go to work for eight days. Instead, I spent time gathering grass for them. I helped my sister-in-law in the fields for an hour or two and then returned home.
We now had eleven baby chicks and two goat kids. Plus, with my husband’s additional earnings, I felt content for a week. When my parents visited, Mangu and my aunt didn’t bother me for a few days.
However, she soon bought a Jersey calf, and things started changing again…