Rebecca Gerald is her name. She came to work for us in 2021 after we had just moved back from the US. The first day she came to meet us, she went around the rooms with me, following me, meeting my son and figuring out his favorite food within a short span of time. She observed and muttered under her breath, I overheard "Bathrooms must remain dry."
That was Day Zero. Soon after, she started working for us, learning our ways quickly and very slowly bringing in some of herself as well.
On any given day, she comes in her beautifully pinned chiffon saree, with a bindi on her forehead. None of the dust in our Thubarahalli seems to touch her. She wears the best smiles almost every morning unless she is really stressed about something going on in the back of her head. Slowly as the days passed, with her celebrating all our birthdays and my son awarding her the best pancake maker certificate, she became a part of our family. Even though we do not bare our souls to each other on a daily basis, we somehow seem to understand each other quite granularly in gestures, temperaments, in our body language.
In this span of three years and a little more as I have been trying to decode myself and figuring out a path ahead Akka aka Rebecca has helped me a lot. The more I observe her, I feel I know myself a little better everyday. Ever since she started working with us she has been diligent, taken feedback constructively, tried to maintain an optimistic approach, been transparent in terms of setting expectations.
If I possibly can erase all the socio-economic barriers between us, I feel we are both very much alike. In return of our hard earned independence, we want our dignity, our respect, our justified pay, our care for others to matter, to all who surround us, live with us, intersect us every single day.
As always this Women's Day I am expecting Akka to be the first one to wish me "Happy Women's Day".
Comments