Between the devil and the deep blue sea
The only chore more arduous than sweeping, mopping, washing besides running around a toddler all day is having to get it all done from the domestic help, aka Didijee. Even for the gym-toned generation of ours, the responsibility is a tad too heavy to shoulder.
The power of Didijee is not to be undermined. She dusts using one hand while the other one scrolls down the phone screen, constantly checking WhatsApp messages. While you helplessly fret and fume over your precious crystal getting mishandled, she nonchalantly goes about her job while humming the latest Diljit number. Didijee is extra cautious when she cleans the dressing room area though. That is the time when she puts on her best smile, reserved only for occasions like these, and says: “Madam ji, koi bright ji lippistick ta kado please.” If you’re in a benevolent mood, she might even blatantly ask for an outfit to match. Beware!
Just yesterday, I was reprimanding my little one for polishing off all the macaroons from the fridge. Little did I know that Didijee was smacking her lips in the background, while exclaiming: “Madamji, aa ki si? In future, kindly bring home only motichoor laddoos!”
Not just laddoos, Didijee is very particular about her tea. The house could be swarming with guests, the baby could be groaning with high-grade fever, and I — for all she cares — could be yelling at the top of my lungs, but her mandatory five cups of milk-laden tea are non-negotiable. It’s only after she slurps through the last sip, Didijee will give us a hearing.
Such antecedents of Didijee’s do not go down very well with my disciplinarian mother-inlaw, because of which I’ve had to play mediator between them a number of times. That’s not a very happy situation to be in. It’s no less than a war zone replete with overhead missiles and underfoot mines! Siding with one, while being the object of wrath for the other, is not a very pleasant proposition.
Now, Didijee has gone back to her village for good. We could no longer bear with her exhaustive do’s and don’ts list. As I strive hard to juggle between domestic duties, honouring social commitments and finding time for myself, it dawns upon me that having a domestic help, especially someone like Didijee, is a situation akin to being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea!
THE POWER OF DOMESTIC HELP, AKA DIDIJEE, IS NOT TO BE UNDERMINED. SHE DUSTS USING ONE HAND WHILE THE OTHER ONE SCROLLS DOWN THE PHONE SCREEN, CONSTANTLY CHECKING WHATSAPP MESSAGES