The elegant Sushmita bouma!

 I shifted with my maa to the Banerjee residence. A huge house, with rooms built in a circle and a courtyard in the middle. There was a well too. It was more like a palace.

I had never seen such a house before nor had my maa previously worked somewhere like this. They had offered us, to stay at the servant's quarter. The room was in the far left corner of the house, a bit detached from the remaining building.

"A proper room!", I had thought seeing the neat and tidy space. Maa said we were lucky to get such a job. Maa had to help the daughter-in-law of the house, Sushmita bouma, in the kitchen, iron and fold clothes. She also had to take care of the main lady of the house, Misthi ma.

I was admitted to a nearby school in standard 9. Maa and me got up early in the morning, bathed, got ready. She watered the plants. Took off the dried clothes from the rope. I helped her in her work. Maa took them to the ironing room. I followed her, carrying some clothes. Maa started ironing the clothes and said, "Mouni, go beta, drink the milk poured for you and finish your school work".

I went to the kitchen, drank the milk. Sushmita bouma entered the kitchen. She was newly married badhu. She wore a red silk saree with heavy golden embroidery at the borders. She wore the Shakha-Pola-Loha, with golden kangan. She was pretty and elegant.

She smiled at me and asked, "Tumi ki skule yaccha?" (Are you going to school?). I nodded my head. "Such a rich and pretty woman was talking to me?", I pondered.

Misthi ma kept my maa busy, throughout the day. So, many a times, I had to help Sushmita bouma, with her work. Sushmita bouma always smiled and talked to me. She would ask me about my studies, my hobbies, etc.... She had no one to talk to, in this huge house. So she chatted with me in her free time. It had become a ritual sort of, after coming from school, I would help bouma with her work, tell her how my day went, she would tell me about her's. She also, helped me with my homework and school activities.

I was highly impressed by her. I admired her knowledge too. She told me about the books she read. Stories written by Rabindranath Tagore, Ashapurnadevi's poems. She told me about so many things I never knew of. I had always missed having an elder sister. Nowadays, I thought, I had found one! There was an aura, a halo, around her! 

I was in total awe over whatever was happening with me. I had never dreamt of living in such a lavish neighbourhood. Nor had I dreamt of being friend's, with a rich and intelligent lady. I was happy and maa was happier to see me cheerful!

That day she was in her room. She asked me to fold the dried clothes, hanging in her balcony. I went to take them off the rope and I saw a lacy bra hanging there. I hesitantly took it off the rope, brought the clothes in. Sushmita bouma saw me getting timid over the bra. I told her that I had never seen such a fancy bra....  "What not seen?....I didn't even know such a thing existed", I said. She smiled and hit my forehead with her hand. "When you get older and get married, I will gift one to you", she said.

Me, all shy, hurriedly folded her clothes  and left her room.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's an imaginary story....If you like it hit comment, share and keep following!!!