Responsible Rita

Rita grew up inside a cocoon of parental protectiveness and had never experienced the jerks and perks of reality. Today, it was different. Though, she woke up in her same soft bed with fully pillows and silk sheets, there were tremors of expectations going through her. The cool wind blew through the pink curtains letting the sunlight convey to her that a new day had dawned. She sat up and said her prayers and then felt a little calm. Rita’s paternal grandparents had come to take care of her yesterday as her parents, who worked in the same company were transferred to a faraway location. The freedom of being an only child that she used and misused often with her parents was not something she could share with her grandparents. They were old and it dawned on her that she would have to do a lot of household chores, which came as a shock to her even when her parents tried to explain it few days before they left. They had never let her even lift a finger and she was always treated like a princess. She quickly got up and got dressed up for school, all the while missing her mother’s touch.

She opened her room’s door and suddenly realized that she had to make her bed. Mom and Dad had given her clear instructions in writing as they knew how strict her grandparents were but they had no other choice. There was no money to keep a maid. She walked towards the dining table and said, “Good Morning, Grandpa and Grandma!” They just nodded their heads and told her she was late. They also told her that tomorrow onwards, she had to get up early and help her grandmother make breakfast.

It was just bread and butter today and Rita made her peace with it but not before she remembered the delicious pancakes her mother used to make even though she had to log in to her online office on time.

She did exactly what her grandfather told her to do which was to wash the dishes, clean the dining table, pack her school bag and keep a tiffin box with a few cookies in it and go and stand at the bus stop where her school bus used to pick her up every day. She had tears in her eyes when she stood at the bud stop as it was usually her dad, who did everything from washing her dishes to packing her bag and standing and entertaining her with his tales at the bus stop.

Thankfully, the bus arrived soon and she climbed up and ran towards her best friend, Tina who understood from the first look that Rita was upset. She narrated everything that happened to Tina.

Tina consoled her by saying that it was just a matter of few months and she would be reunited with her parents in no time. Soon, they were in the classroom and as she was a good student and enjoyed learning new things, she got lost in the academic world for a while.

Break-time brought back all the fears and tears but Tina and her other friends, Hans and Tony did everything they could to paint a smile on her face. When, it was time to go home, Rita climbed into the school bus with a heavy heart but Tina gave her a hug and said that she will always be there for her.

Walking into her small villa that she called her dream home, it didn’t feel the same. She wasn’t welcomed by her mom’s pleasant voice, who used to work from home in order to take care of Rita.

There was nobody in the drawing room or kitchen. There was no aroma of food and the dining table was empty. Rita was a little taken aback. She peeped into her parents room and saw her grandparents sleeping soundly. After she kept all her things in her room, took a shower and got ready for lunch, she proceeded towards the kitchen but there was no food. She opened the refrigerator and saw some apples.

Suddenly, she heard her grandmother yell, ” Why didn’t you wake us up when you got back from school?” Rita explained to them that they were sound asleep and her father has always told her not to wake up anyone who is sound asleep unless it is an emergency. When she mentioned her father, her grandmother calmed down.

She said they had only fruits for lunch as they were doing a fasting ritual and Rita can have some apples and bananas for lunch too. Rita nodded her head and took three apples, washed them, peeled them and cut them up into bite size pieces. She quietly went to her room with the bowl of apple pieces and a bottle of water.

As she sat on her bed and sipped a little water, she felt like life had turned around 180 degrees. She was lonely. Every piece of apple she consumed brought back every memory of the good times she spent with her wonderful and loving parents. Tears wet the collar of her shirt but she was still looking forward to talking to her parents when they call in the night as usual. Homework swallowed most of her evening and after having four bananas for dinner, she patiently waited for the call.

The phone rang and her grandfather picked it up. It was her parents. After her grandfather and grandmother spoke, it was her turn. She couldn’t control her tears. She told them how much she missed them and the response was quite similar from their side too. She did not complain about her grandparents’ behaviour but her parents could sense that she wasn’t happy. They told her that within three months, they would be back and things would go back to being the same. They said that they would get her wonderful gifts for all the work she would have to do in these three months, to which she replied that they were the only gifts she wants. Her grandmother interrupted in between and said that it was getting late and the conversation ended abruptly. With tears in her eyes and face turning red due to anger, she quickly went to her room and shut the door. She couldn’t sleep all night and as it was the weekend, she was relieved that wouldn’t affect her school work. She got out of bed at 5am, which was two hours before her regular time, got ready and went to the kitchen. She made sandwiches for all three of them and Jasmine tea to go with it.

Her grandparents came out of their room and looked at each other in surprise. She served them like a good hostess. They looked happy and then went for a walk. Rita took this opportunity to call up Tina to thank her, as it was, she who had told her to play the role of a good hostess for three months. She had motivated her by saying that let this be your project and activity for this year. She said, “You write so well and you can actually write down your experiences and win the school’s annual essay and story writing competition”. It was after hearing all these points that Tina had put up in front of her, Rita decided to take up the responsibility of being a good hostess.

As days passed, Rita kept getting better at cooking, cleaning, washing etc; thanks to the timely guidance from Tina and her mother. Every time, Rita did a chore, she realised the importance of her parents’ contribution to her life and regretted every tantrum she had thrown. They had to work so hard to make money to give her a good life as well as tolerate all her antics. The Rita who was initially cross with God for leaving her at the mercy of her not-so-loving grandparents, was now grateful to Him for teaching her the true meaning of responsibility and for helping her feel the real essence of gratitude.

Rita was no longer a careless and self-centred girl but one, who would never take anything for granted. Her final examination results came in and she had topped the class as usual. She had written an essay about her current experience as instructed by Tina and it won the first prize in the inter-school competition. She had started taking care of her grandparents and she could see specks of gratitude in their words and behaviour but she never discussed her achievements with them and not were they interested. Rita’s uncle, her father’s elder brother had three sons and after living with them for few years, her grandparents were very close to them and only cared about them. Somehow, she had begun to understand that they too were feeling out of place.
It was Sunday and Rita decided to cook up a feast and invite Tina and her mother to lunch, if her grandparents allow. Otherwise, the leftovers would make a good meal for the next day too. She was almost finishing up with the culinary task and decided to seek her grandfather’s permission. As she walked towards him, the doorbell rang and she knew she was expected to open the big brown wooden door. The sight on the other side, made her wavy hair stand up, her olive skin glow and she felt taller, slimmer and more beautiful than usual. The tall and muscular man who had picked her up in his strong arms was none other than her caring father while her mother had tears in her eyes as she kissed her. Soon, all three of them were crying at the doorstep. Rita’s grandparents told them to come inside. Rita tried hard to contain her excitement but in vain. Suddenly, she remembered that she had cooked up a feast on the right day. She requested her tired parents to freshen up so that she can serve them a delicious meal. They couldn’t believe their ears and later, when they sat down for lunch, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Their tastebuds were in a state of shock and ecstasy at the same time. It was their little Rita who had learnt about responsibilities in a span of three months.

In the evening, a cab arrived to take her grandparents to her uncle’s house. Rita thanked them for everything they had done for her and so did her parents. They were in a happy mood to go back to their grandsons and also because they got a lot of gifts from their son and daughter-in-law. They blessed Rita. Rita was quite relieved to see them leave but she wanted to continue being responsible and help her parents. Now, she wanted to take care of them and show her gratitude towards them.

All these thoughts kept going on in her mind while parents kept showering her with gifts. She hugged them so tightly that they could barely breathe. She said, “You have taught me to be responsible and this is your greatest gift to me which I will be using throughout my life. In three months, I metamorphosed from Princess Rita to Responsible Rita”.

The proud parents had pearls of water in the windows to their soul.

Responsibility is not a burden, just accept it with courage;
It is a chapter in the book of life that we all have to learn;
Take every duty as a challenge and conquer it smoothly;
The feeling of gratitude and the joy of independence are the rewards you will earn…