Half Girlfriend

I looked outside the staffroom. Kids sat on the floor, waiting for
my mother.
‘Help me with enrolment. Villagers don’t like sending kids to
school,’ my mother said.
‘But Ma, I want to teach as well,’ I said.
‘There’s lots of other work.Tarachand ji is hopeless at paperwork.’
‘Sounds boring.’
‘It’s important. I need someone to keep records and lobby with the
authorities. I don’t have the energy.’
I took a deep breath and nodded. Like the school, my mother was
turning old and weak.
‘Ma, can’t we pay for some of these repairs?’ I said.
My mother looked at me. I knew the answer from her expression.
‘I try to give what I can. We hardly have money to repair the
haveli. You were studying in Delhi, so I had that expense. Don’t have
much.’
I felt guilty. I wondered if I could have served my mother better by
accepting that HSBC job. At least I could have sent her a cheque every
month.
‘We manage. Don’t worry. I’m happy you’re here,’ my mother said,
reading my mind.
‘How?’ I said.
‘I take no salary. I pay the staff. If something breaks down I pay
for it. Beyond that, it is difficult. The government is supposed to aid
us. They don’t.’
‘What about what we earn from the fees?’
‘It’s nothing. The fee is five rupees a month. Even then, many
students don’t pay on time. If we are lucky, the fee covers the
electricity bill.’
The noise levels in the corridor increased. A cacophony of
conversation, laughter and screaming drowned our conversation,
‘Look at them. Noisy monkeys. I better go,’ my mother said. She
walked out.