The Cleaning-Staff

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Time in Hospital runs unusually; it is hard to keep track of it. We are always confused on dates and times, and constantly debate on what-happened-on-which-date. I even won a bet of 1500 with mum today—I actually made the bet to buy myself a headphone.

The debate was about what day of week today was. She claimed today to be Tuesday; she wouldn’t even agree when I showed it in my mobile; she blamed me that I had manipulated the data to fool her—which I didn’t, I swear I never do that. I knew she was wrong, so I took the advantage and set-up the bet, and the winner was decided by the working staff—who always cleans our room at daytime. She is a very funny lady, cracks joke here and there, and laughs a lot. Her sister also works here at night-time, but she is exactly opposite to her sister. She is usually rude, swears often, and doesn’t seem to care much people.

I remember when I was sleeping, the rude-sister came to end her duty by cleaning the room for the last time in the morning. She shouted and woke me up and asked me to put the things that were lying on the floor in the table. I did it whatever she said generously. I looked at her and felt pity for what a miserable life she said; I didn’t get offend or angry this time for her rude remarks like the other days.

‘She has a very difficult life,’ jolly-sister told us yesterday. She told us about her family, her struggles and the life she was living to feed her children. Her husband died when they were getting started on their lives. With two daughters to care, she didn’t get any help from her husband’s family side; so, she started living alone and working to feed and educate them by herself. She comes around 9 in the evening and leaves at 9 in the morning. But she doesn’t go home, she goes to her another work where she works whole daytime. She hardly sleeps, doesn’t spend time with other, but she just works—works to hide her pain and ease her upcoming burden of marrying her daughters.

For some reason, she didn’t look that much of rude today; maybe because we could see her pain this time. Mum had made some tea; she denied when offered but I am sure she felt something when mum offered her. She was laughing a little after, even shared her some incidents like a friend.

I have no idea with what pain people in this world has gone through, with what struggle they are fighting with their fate, with what courage they fake the smile, but I am certain about one thing: We, humans, are amazing. All we need to do is: try to search for what is hidden inside, and all the marvels start coming out.