Reshma checked her account balance after salaries were paid to her employees. She was happy she had more than enough money to keep the orphanage running for another two years. She smiled and stood up. She went to the full-length mirror and looked at her reflection. She was pleased with her appearance in the black and red saree. The saree reminded her of the day she had got the opportunity to work part-time, which had saved the orphanage from closing.
It had happed when the pandemic had been gradually subsiding, and although restrictions had been eased, masks were still required. Reshma had disliked wearing masks but she had complied with the rules. She had been standing by the side of the footpath, waiting for her friend Nisha. Despite wearing a mask and the same, simple black and red saree, she had looked stunning. She had been getting attention from people as usual. One of the passing cars had stopped by the side of the road after its occupants had spotted Reshma. They had discussed and agreed that Reshma looked very attractive even though her face had been partially covered by the mask. The young woman in the car had lowered the window, picked up her phone, and focused the camera on Reshma. Reshma had realized the woman was trying to take a photo of her with her phone and pretended to be looking at her wristwatch to avoid being photographed. The woman had snapped a picture of Reshma. Reshma had felt uncomfortable. She had turned around and started walking away, thinking about calling Nisha and suggesting a different meeting place. Seeing Reshma walk away, the woman in the car had quickly got out of the car and followed Reshma. The woman had taken her phone and snapped a picture of Reshma’s back. Then quickly pulling out a business card, she had said, “Excuse me, ma’am”
Reshma had stopped walking and looked at the woman thinking she must be a sales girl.
“I have a business opportunity for you,” the woman had said, extending her hand. “You could earn over three lakhs a month. If you’re interested, please give me a call.” She had handed her a business card.
Reshma had thought it could be a scam but she had just taken the card and walked away.
After a week, Reshma had called the woman because of her financial problems. The woman had introduced herself as Divya and provided more information about the business.
Reshma had been relieved to learn the business was not a scam. It involved promoting a ladies club and guiding ladies to become members of the club. She would be paid commission for each lady who became a member of the club. It had seemed like a good part-time job, so she had agreed to it and scheduled a meeting with Divya to sign paperwork.
Reshma had visited the Ladies First Club the next day and met Divya in her office. Curious about the potential earnings, Reshma had asked Divya if the commission for the job could really exceed three lakhs a month. Divya had told her the commission would not exceed even one lakh a month. Reshma had felt disappointed and deceived. Noticing Reshma’s visible disappointment, Divya had offered a different part-time job which paid more than three lakhs a month and she believed Reshma would be well-suited for the job. Intrigued, Reshma had asked for more information about the job. Divya had described the job in detail, and Reshma had been taken aback by the nature of the job. Reshma had told Divya she needed to think carefully about the job before making a decision. Divya had tried to convince Reshma to accept the job right away, but Reshma had insisted that she needed more time to decide. She had left Divya’s office feeling unsure.
Reshma had considered the job offer for two months. Divya had persistently called her throughout this time, trying to convince her to accept the job offer. Troubled by financial pressures, Reshma had reluctantly accepted the job offer.
One and half years after accepting the job offer, Reshma was very happy with the job. She stood before the mirror, adjusting her Saree and reminiscing about the wonderful people she’d met and the significant financial gains she’d achieved. She thought of Divya and the other women in the club who had been very supportive from the start and become her closest friends. She thought about the visitors to the club and felt fortunate to have met them. She remembered the appointment she had with Arvind later that day and felt excited to meet him as he had returned from a month-long trip abroad.
Reshma smiled and went to the window. She looked out and saw Alma, Hema and Shalini playing with her two-year-old son, next to her office. Her heart filled with warmth for the children, and she smiled. She had been caring for the children for a long time, and they loved her. Alma had been registered to the orphanage five years ago when she was just thirteen years old. Since then she had become part of her family and she even called her, “Maa”. Hema and Shalini were just nine and ten years old. They had been brought to the orphanage before a couple of years by strangers who claimed the children’s parents had died during the pandemic. She had welcomed the girls into the orphanage. She loved them dearly and hoped to find loving families who could adopt them. She felt like a mother to the children even though her staff were the ones who were directly taking care of them. She was grateful for being able to care for all the children in the orphanage, despite the limited donations and income from her part-time job at the Ladies First Club.
Alma spotted Reshma at the window and waved excitedly. Reshma smiled and waved back at her. Alma pointed at Reshma and told her little son, “Look, Mama!”
Her son turned and looked at Reshma through the window. The girls saw her and waved. Her toddler began walking toward the office door. Reshma quickly went to the door and picked him up in her arms. She carried him and chatted with the children. She asked them if they had finished lunch. They told her they had already finished lunch. She told them to go and play with the other kids.
After the children went away, Reshma went with her son to her desk and sat down on her chair. She sat him on her lap and stroked his hair. The toddler touched her breast and said, “Dhoodhoo..”
“Hungry?” Reshma asked, affectionately.
The child nodded his head. Reshma unhooked her blouse and pulled down the front flap of her nursing bra. Her child quickly took her nipple in his mouth and began sucking. She gently stroked the child’s hair and he looked into her eyes, sucking hungrily.
As she breastfed her son, she couldn’t help but think of Avinash. She reached for the mouse on the table and opened a folder on her computer. She clicked on a picture of Avinash and his new wife. They looked happy together. Looking at Avinash, she wished he hadn’t left her. She looked at the pretty white woman next to him and thought, ‘Maybe, if I had been white like her, he wouldn’t have left me.‘ She sighed, feeling a deep sense of loss. Her vision blurred with tears. ‘I hope he is happy,’ she thought, taking a tissue paper to wipe her tears.
Reshma leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. She drifted back to the beginning of her relationship with Avinash, when she started the orphanage. He was madly in love with her and always tried to make her happy. She’d shared her dream of starting an orphanage with him, and he had enthusiastically supported her. Despite their well-paying software engineering jobs, money had been tight. Yet, they had managed to buy land on the outskirts of the city and build a simple building equipped with everything necessary for an orphanage. They had brought in six orphaned children from the streets and hired three staff members to care for them. They had named their orphanage, “Angel Care Orphanage.” A year later, Avinash had proposed marriage, and she had happily agreed to marry him. Soon after their wedding, she had become pregnant. After giving birth to a son, they had decided that she should focus on caring for their baby and the children in the orphanage. She had quit her job and become a full-time mom for her son and the primary caregiver for the children in the orphanage. A year later, Avinash was offered a two-year assignment at the company’s US branch by his manager. Reshma and Avinash had discussed and agreed that going to the US to earn dollars would benefit their family and the orphanage.
After moving to the US, Avinash had sent money and stayed in contact with Reshma. However, after one year, the calls and funding had abruptly stopped. Worried about him, she had investigated and learned from mutual friends that Avinash had married a woman in the US. Though shocked, she had eventually accepted her fate. Since then, she had struggled to move on.
‘Avinash, why did you leave me? I loved you so much,’ Reshma thought and sobbed, tears streaming down her face. She blinked away the tears, grabbed a tissue and wiped her face. She looked down at her baby. Baby was busy sucking her nipple. She picked up the intercom handset and entered a number. Usha, one of her staff members answered the call. Reshma told Usha to send Alma to her office and then hung up.
Baby stopped sucking and tried to wriggle free. She carefully held him until he was steady and then let him stand on the floor. She secured the flap of her nursing bra and clasped the hooks of her blouse.
Alma entered her office. “Did you call me, Maa?” she asked.
“Yes, sweetie. I have a meeting. I’ll come home in the evening. Take care of baby,” Reshma said and stood up.
“Okay, Maa,” Alma said. He took the child and left her office.
Reshma closed the pictures of Avinash on her computer. She stood up and went to the attached bathroom. She removed her Bindi and washed her face. She stepped out of the bathroom and went to the mirror. She stood before the mirror and dried her face with a towel. She applied a touch of makeup, kept a Bindi on her forehead and adjusted her Saree. When she was happy with her appearance, she took her hand bag and left the office.
As Reshma hurried to her car, she saw Usha in the playground with the children. She waved at Usha and the children. Usha waved back and the kids shouted, “Bye-bye!”
Reshma got into her car and drove to the ladies club. As she drove she was excited to meet Arvind. Even though he was a wealthy and married, he had never failed to meet her once every month.
After a 20 minute drive, she reached the club. The guard at the gate saw her car and opened the gate. He greeted her and she waved at him as she drove inside. She parked the car, stepped out and walked towards the building.
As she entered the lobby, the receptionist saw her and said, “Hi Reshma!”
“Hi Deepthi!” Reshma said and smiled.
“He’s come early. He must be desperate to meet you after one month,” Deepthi said and chuckled.
Reshma smiled and walked towards the private rooms. On the way she met two ladies and exchanged quick greetings before hurrying to the room. She knocked the door and almost immediately the door opened. “Hello beautiful lady!” Arvind greeted her playfully, looking at her from top the bottom.
Reshma entered the room with a cheerful laugh and said, ‘Hello, Arvind!'”
Arvind closed the door and said, “I missed you.”
“How was your holiday?” Reshma asked.
“Loved the place! But Shilpa couldn’t stop nagging.” Arvind shook his head.
Reshma smiled and kept her bag on the table. Arvind stepped closer to her and took her in his arms. He pecked a kiss on her lips and asked, “How are you?”
“I am alright,” Reshma said and asked, “How are you?”
“Not bad. I missed you. Sometimes I think about divorcing Shilpa and marrying you!” Arvind said and cupped her left breast with his right hand.
“Arvind, you have a beautiful wife. I’m just a sex worker,” Reshma said, hoping he doesn’t get infatuated with her.
He gently squeezed her breast and said, “You are not just a sex worker. You’re an angel for the children in your orphanage and for people like me who need your support.”
Reshma’s eyes teared and she said, “I am glad you understand me, but I am still married. I hope my husband will come back to me.”
Arvind shrugged and unhooked the first hook of her blouse. “Get over him, Reshma,” he said.
“He is still my husband legally. We are not divorced,” Reshma said, touching her Mangalsutra.
“Ok. Don’t forget me if he comes back,” Arvind said, removing the other hooks of her blouse.
Reshma laughed and unhooked the last hook of her blouse. “I won’t forget you,” she said, removing her blouse. She put her hands behind and removed the hooks of her bra. As she removed her bra and exposed her breasts, Arvind cupped her breasts in his palms and squeezed. “They look delicious,” he said.
Reshma smiled and asked, “Do you want to drink milk?”
Arvind looked at the wall clock. Twenty minutes had already passed. He didn’t want to waste time.
“I don’t have other appointments today, Arvind. You can extend the booking for one more hour,” Reshma said, knowing that money was not an issue for him.
Arvind smirked and said, “I promised to take Shilpa shopping. She’ll make a big deal out of it if I’m not home on time.”
Reshma laughed and said, “Ok, let’s hurry up. Remove your clothes. I’ll feed you first.”