Kolkata, WB
BHARATI had poured the garbage bucket into the corporation's truck and stood for about half a minute. Jhintu from the neighboring house had come to throw out the garbage as well. After exchanging a few words, Bharti had gone back inside and locked the door. Ruku was then engrossed in coloring her Jumbo Coloring Book that her mother had bought for her.
Bharti stays at Ruku's house for twenty-four hours. Taking care of Ruku is her main job because Ruku’s father Arijit and mother Tamali both work.
Ruku is in nursery. She goes to school at eight in the morning and comes back by eleven. The rest of the day, she stays with Bharti. In the evening, her mother comes home first, and then her father comes back after some time.
Ruku does not face any problems staying with Bharti. Bharti takes good care of Ruku. She is three and a half years old, a bit restless, and that's quite normal. She stays at home after school. On holidays, Ruku goes out with her parents.
After disposing of the garbage, Bharti went inside and locked the door. She found that Ruku, who was coloring in the room, was not there. Books and coloring pencils were scattered around. Bharti called out, “Ruku, Rukusona, where are you?
Come, you need to take a bath.” Even after calling several times, Bharti did not get any response from Ruku. After searching in the room, other rooms, and the balcony without finding Ruku, Bharti became a bit anxious. “Ruku, Ruku, Ruku…” Bharti kept calling out loudly, along with peeking and searching.
Ruku was nowhere on the first floor. Bharti was deeply worried. “Where did the child go?” Muttering to herself, she began climbing the stairs to the rooftop.
At the top of the stairs, to the right was the prayer room, and to the left was the door to the roof. The roof door was closed. Then, while thinking, Bharti heard a faint “Meow” in her ear. Pushing open the partially open door of the prayer room, Bharti saw Ruku there. Holding a tiny white-brown kitten in her lap, Ruku was sitting curled up next to the throne.
Seeing Bharti, Ruku said with a stern face, “No, I’m not giving it away. It’s my friend.”
The hidden fear that had been there until now melted away, and Bharti smiled. “Where did you find it?”
“It was on the road in front.”
“You went out on the road? Huh?” Bharti asked in surprise.
“No, I was standing near the gate, and Gablu came to me.”
“Standing near the gate? When?” Bharti asked cautiously, as leaving the gate open was prohibited.
“When you went out to throw the garbage.” Ruku’s voice had a tremor. She knew there was a big problem ahead. Not only did Ruku go out alone to the gate, but she also brought the kitten into the house. If Bharti di tells, her mother will come storming in. Her father would scold her too—thinking of this made Ruku’s face shrink.
“You won’t tell mom and dad, will you?” Ruku asked with a pleading face. Who knows what the kitten understood, it meowed in response. Ruku hugged the kitten a bit tighter, naming it Gablu.
“Look Rukusona, if your parents find out, they will scold you, and even more, they will scold me. Do you want me to get scolded?”
Shaking her head, Ruku indicated that she did not want that. Then, when she looked at Bharti, her eyes were filled with tears. Bharti felt a pang of sympathy. The kitten was also clinging to Ruku.
Bharti said, “Okay Ruku, now put it down on the floor. It was on the road, so it has a lot of dust on it. Your health might get affected.”
“Will you not let it go outside?” Ruku asked with a teary voice.
“Even if I don’t let it out, Dada and Boudi will definitely make it go outside. You put it down on the floor. Come, let’s wash your hands with soap. And take off your clothes.”
As soon as the kitten was placed on the floor, it meowed and started moving towards Ruku’s feet. Bharti took Ruku’s hand and led her to the sink. Gablu also followed them. Ruku walked ahead while looking back at Gablu.
“Bharti didi, tell me where to hide Gablu. I need to hide it before mom comes.”
“I don’t know, dear, what will happen if you hide it? It will meow, and Boudi will understand. Then I will be scolded a lot.”
“Then?” Ruku asked with tearful eyes.
“Meow”… Gablu had come to the dining room. Ruku’s face lit up with joy. “Look Bharti didi, Gablu has started loving me so much, wherever I go, it follows me.”
“Meow Meow Meow… Gablu is meowing continuously with its tail up.
“Why is it meowing so much, Bharti didi? Is it hungry?”
“It might be.”
“Can you give it something to eat? Oh Bharti didi…”
“Rukusona, why are you creating unnecessary fuss? You can’t keep it. If it gets too attached, it won’t want to leave, but Dada and Boudi will definitely make it go out. How upset will you be then?”
“Just let it have something to eat.” Hearing Ruku’s plea, Bharti realized that Ruku was not heeding her words. Thinking whatever will be, will be, she took some milk from the fridge, warmed it slightly in the microwave, and placed it in front of the kitten. The kitten started drinking eagerly.
Clapping her hands, Ruku said, “Look, Bharti didi, Gablu is eating so well, it was very hungry.”
The entire afternoon, Ruku played with Gablu. Bharti kept an eye to ensure that the cat’s fur did not get on Ruku’s face.
By evening, it was almost six. Ruku was worried about where to hide Gablu. She was suggesting various hiding places, and Bharti was explaining the difficulties of each place.
“Oh Bharti didi, please tell me where to hide Gablu.”
Seeing Ruku’s distress, Bharti felt a pang of compassion. She managed to find an old shoe box, folded an old towel and placed Gablu inside it. The kitten curled up and sat comfortably.
Bharti placed the shoe box under the stairs with its opening facing inwards and covered it with a lid, leaving a small gap for breathing.
Soon after, the bell rang. On other days, Ruku would be happy hearing Tamali’s bell. Today, she was a bit subdued. With a dry face, she said, “Mom has come.” Bharti went and opened the door.
When Tamali entered, she saw Ruku playing a puzzle game. Unlike other days when Ruku would joyfully exclaim “Mom,” today she did not react the same way.
Tamali, looking at Bharti, asked in a low voice, “Is Ruku feeling okay?” Bharti nodded and said, “Yes, Boudi.” Then, she signaled Tamali to go to the kitchen with a glance.
Once in the kitchen, Bharti told Tamali everything that had happened since the morning. Ruku was worried that her Gablu would be sent away, thinking about it. Bharti also informed her where the kitten was hidden.
After freshening up, Tamali sat beside Ruku. “What have you made? Oh my, a Taj Mahal, isn’t it?” Ruku nodded in agreement. Tamali noticed that Ruku’s face looked dry and small.
Pinching Ruku’s cheek affectionately, Tamali asked, “Did you bring a kitten?”
Ruku burst into tears and said, “I didn’t bring it, Gablu came on its own.” Getting up from the chair, Tamali hugged Ruku and said, “Why are you crying, silly child? Did I scold you?”
“Will you chase it away, Mom?”
“Ruku, you better go with Bharti to their house today. From now on, you’ll stay there.”
Ruku was stunned by her mother’s words. What was she saying! Stopping her tears, she stared at Tamali with wide eyes.
“Why, can’t you stay there?”
"When you leave, make sure to give the kitten to its mother, okay?"
“Okay, Boudi.” Bharti said with a smile. She hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily. Boudi was very clever, she spoke so nicely. Poor Ruku.
Suddenly, Ruku asked, “Mom, the puppy at Aritro’s house, isn’t its mother crying?”
Tamali was momentarily taken aback by Ruku’s unexpected question. After a quick thought, she said, “Aritro’s family brought it with its mother’s permission, so its mother isn’t crying.”
After a moment of silence, Ruku asked, “Can we also get permission from Gablu’s mother, Mom?”
“Yes, we can. But it would have been possible if we had brought Gablu when it was smaller. Now that Gablu has grown a bit, there’s a problem. Understand? When you grow a bit older, we can bring a little puppy.”
“No, I want Gablu. Please bring it.”
“If you grow up, Gablu will also grow up. Will you still like it then? Also, cats can be a bit naughty.”
“What kind of mischief, Mom?” Tamali realized that Ruku’s questions would not end today. She needed to divert her attention.
“Ruku dear, don’t you remember, tomorrow is Christmas, Jesus’s birthday! We need to decorate the Christmas tree! Dad will bring a cake from the office. Come on, let’s get everything out.”
“Yay…” Ruku jumped with joy. She had forgotten about Christmas with her mind on Gablu!
Excitedly, Tamali and Ruku decorated the Christmas tree together. In the meantime, Arijit also came back from the office with a big cake. Tomorrow will be a lot of fun.
Today, Tamali woke Ruku up and said, “Merry Christmas!” Even though Ruku usually took her time getting up, today she jumped up quickly. Cake for breakfast! How exciting!
After brushing her teeth and coming to the dining table, Ruku saw her father reading the newspaper. It was a holiday for everyone. Bharti didi had also arrived. Ruku exclaimed, “Merry Christmas!” The others also wished Merry Christmas. From outside, the sound of “Meow!” was heard.