15 The Queen of the Hearth Part 15
That evening, there were so many things for Jassi to think about. Apparently, her uncle thinks that she is the one who deserted him and ran away. He does not know about Renny and he does not know that Maa is dead. She is 'wanted' by the police for a murder she didn't know she had committed or not.
Maa said that she thought her uncle and aunty were clean. She had promised her uncle to trace her. Before she died, a man had waved to her and then, had tried to warn her about the truck that hit her. Who was that man? Why did he try to contact Maa?
Her mind was reeling under the stress. She had two things to do now:
1. Ask Maa about the man and see if she could find out more about him from Maa.
2. Update her uncle about the part of her history he didn't know.
She was sure now that her uncle was 'good'. He had recognised her but he had not shared it even with Sukkhi Aunty. He was trying to protect her and wanted to know her version of the story first. She didn't see any fault with his logic here.
Sukkhi Aunty liked what she cooked and even commented that being a villager, Rani knew the traditional art of cooking well. Jassi laughed silently. It was the only way she knew how to cook. She had only cooked for a period of time at Rajeshwar's place – under his mother's hawk eyes. She had only picked up what she did there.
Well, it was working here.
Maa always used to say, no matter how hard our life seems to be and what hells we are going through, always believe that we are there for a purpose. We are there to learn, to emerge brighter and stronger. It's all part of the God's plan to help you reach your full potential.
Her hell had plunged her into the deepest corners of the darkness but now, she is emerging from the other end of the tunnel – brighter and stronger.
In those days, hearth seemed like a comforting place to her. It was out in the open and though she had to work there, a semblance of being in front of everyone's eyes lulled her at times to false security and allowed her to catch some sleep on some of the days. In her uncle's house, she decided the kitchen could be the place where she could relax. Doing simple household chores while humming something seemed like a good break from all the stress in her life. She wished that her life could be something as simple as other housewives enjoyed.
"Where is the moment when we needed the most?
You kick up the leaves, and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue sky's faded to gray
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on
Stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carrying on"
Sukkhi Aunty entered the kitchen wide-eyed.
"Are you singing an English song?"
Jassi did not realise that she was humming 'Bad Day' by Daniel Powter. Once upon a time, she had a life when she loved music. This was one of the numbers she used to hum to herself whenever she was feeling low.
She had to be more alert next time.
"Aunty ji, at my last workplace, a bhaiyya used to play this song every day in the morning at full volume. I don't understand it but I learnt it by heart."
Sukkhi Aunty nodded in understanding but Jassi could see that she was not convinced. She remained quiet during the dinner and went straight to her room with her husband.
Jassi's heartbeat quickened. What if Sukkhi Aunty decided to throw her out? She hoped her uncle would help her. After cleaning the table, she quickly went to the room, locked her room and meditated on Maa.
"Yes, Betaji. I am here."
Before she could ask anything, Maa continued, "Yes, I saw everything. I was there with you in my invisible form as I promised. I overheard what Sukkhi said to your uncle. She is suspicious of you. She was asking him to get your background verification done as soon as possible. Your uncle has convinced his wife that he will look into the matter."
Jassi was taken aback for a moment. Just one small slip-up and all her efforts would be in vain. But she gathered her courage and looked at her options.
"There is nothing I can do about it now. I hope this issue gets sorted and I will be more careful next time. I cannot talk to uncle until Sukkhi Aunty goes out for her morning walk once again. I need your help with one more thing. How did the stranger who waved at you in your last moments look like?"
It still hurt to say 'last moments' when they were related to Maa but Maa betrayed no emotion about those damning words. She took them as one more 'event' in the journey of her soul from one life to the other.
