The story so far-
Nileema is a harried working mum, always on edge. Her househelp Shardha doesn’t ‘help’ in any way and behaves like a total brat. Nileema lives with her merchant navy husband( Ritesh), her 8 year old son Rahul and her paralyzed mother-in- law Ratna.
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Nileema got into her car, slamming the door and driving off. Muttering a string of curses about burnt khichdi, maids and mothers- in- law.
Shardha waited and watched by the window. Then the car disappeared round the corner. She waited a minute and then two. She immediately dropped the smile on her face
She walked to the dustbin, no limp in her step. Ratna, who was watching from her bed, raised her eyebrow. “Gone?” she asked. Shardha replied “long gone” affirmatively.
No Marathi accent.
No exaggerations.
From the dustbin she pulled out a radio and brought it to Ratna’s room
“You’re still worried about that,” asked Ratna. Shardha shook her head no. She was quiet for a long time as she stared at the broken radio. Then she said, “Not about the radio Aai. About what’s inside, remember?”
Then it hit Ratna, as Shardha opened the back panel and revealed a tiny black device. A transmitter.
Ratna’s voice grew grim and ominous. “Did you hear from them?” asked Ratna. “Last night after dinner” replied Shardha to which Ratna quickly asked, “And?” Shardha was hesitant to answer, Ratna could see that. The words she has dreaded for six months now left Shardha’s mouth ever so softly.
“It’s your son, Aai”
The silence was loud, the beating of Ratna’s heart. The sigh that escaped Shardha. The tick of the Grandfather clock. Then with solemn acceptance Ratna said, “I had a feeling, I prepared myself for this very day.”
Shardha had immense admiration for Aai. She had been playing her part exceptionally well over the last six months.
A bed-ridden mother, exactly what Shardha needed as a set of eyes.
In reality Shardha was not at all the clumsy house maid. Loud and clueless, and unable to distinguish a washing machine from a dishwasher.
This was far from the truth.
Shardha searched a drawer in Ratna’s cupboard and found a brown leather wallet. Inside it was an identity card. ‘Inspector Shardha Patil‘ it read. Shardha often buckled under the weight of those words.
No one suspected a thing though. Except maybe Rahul, who once caught Shardha with a pair of binoculars. ‘Watching for pigeons’ she had told him and brushed it off with her crazy laugh.
Ratna looked with pity upon Shardha. A young woman mustn’t have to bear the weight of the world she feels. She patted a spot on the bed next to her, “Come my girl, sit down, talk to me.”
She sat down and Ratna took her hand and said, “My son has somehow turned out to be a huge part of what’s wrong in this world. You, my dear, are what’s right.” Shardha for once, smiled very naturally.
You see, Ratna’s son has been working on a merchant ship for nearly a year. The police received intel, that a few people were using the ship to transport illegal goods.
Shardha’s mission? It was not to bust Ratna’s son, the police were on that. Shardha was here to find out what role Nileema played in this picture. An innocent wife? A cunning accomplice?
“Nileema can do more than just burn khichdi, Aai” Ratna laughed. “The shady phone calls, the constant irritation, and who the hell has to run out for ‘important office work’ at eleven in the night!”
Shardha continued furiously, “If you’re gonna do bad things at least do it well. Last night I followed her to a park, I heard everything, she was on call with Ritesh. They were celebrating another successful delivery that has earned them crores.”
Ratna listened with disgust. Her useless son married a girl made for him. Then came a static noise from the transmitter left on the table. Followed by the voice of Shardha’s superior officer.
“Patil, do you copy?” Shardha jolted to grab the transmitter and responded “Yes Ma’am, I copy” “Your job there is almost done. Tonight Nileema will come home with Ritesh. Keep the son with the grandmother away from the chaos. The moment they set foot in that house, backup will arrive and take them away. Good job Patil, over”
The transmitter lay dead again, just like the room. Eventually evening came, and Rahul was back from school. Ratna distracted him, story after story, and he was more than happy to listen. After all, his mom never let him spend any time with Ratna.
Finally the time had come, Nileema and Ritesh set foot into the house. “Shardhaaaaa, Aiyoo! Where is this stupid maid? Shardha, Ritesh is hungry, you better have cooked dinner!”
Shardha stepped into the living room with a grin on her face. “What are you smiling about now mad lady, come on set the table.” When Shardha stood completely still with the same look on her face, Nileema scoffed. “Shardha?”
Shardha flashed her I.D and corrected, “It’s Inspector Shardha Patil to you. Drop everything, hands straight up in the air and you have the right to shut up.”
Nileema stood frozen, but Ritesh immediately made a run for it. Of course he was caught and arrested by cops waiting downstairs.
Nileema had the pleasure of being cuffed and escorted downstairs by yours truly, Inspector Shardha Patil. House maid by day and Crime busting badass by night.
Picture credit – Pinterest: glowwithsravy
