The Golden Teapot!

The bell shrieked the second time as I tried to hold my seven month pregnant belly in one hand while supporting the aching back with the other. I felt relief run through me as I shot a quick sneaky glance at my one year old sleeping son. I was afraid the loud shrill of the bell would wake him up. I had no time to spare at the moment and wanted to reach the kitchen before the next desperate cry of that most annoying bell.

The bell had sounded an hour earlier than my expectation and it meant only one thing. Ruby Baby had returned home earlier from her shopping. I had already set the trolley with the bone china tea set and polished silverware. The shining crystal serving dishes were all ready to be filled out with the exotic food that just needed my last final touches. 

It was time for the evening tea and my daily routine but today I was finding it hard to concentrate. My thoughts kept going back to my little brother and aging parents. I was trying to form the words in which I had to deny them the request. The thought had occurred to ask Ruby Baby once more but my past experiences had taught me never to ask her for the same thing after she had announced her opinion. Nothing on earth could ever make her change her mind once she decided on a course of action.

This morning I had gathered all my courage, swallowed my pride and spoken up while handing her twenty thousand rupees that she had asked me to get from her cupboard. She had just returned home from the parlor and did not want to spoil her five thousand rupees manicure. With my heart in my throat I had told her about my dad's request. He had to deposit two thousand five hundred rupees as school fees in order for my nine year old brother to continue his education in the village's only school. My dad had somehow managed to save four hundred rupees and needed the rest. I told him that I had saved two hundred in past two years while working for Ruby Baby as a house keeper. I had assured him that she would surely help me. I had never asked her for anything in the past two years and my tongue stuttered as I had told her my need this morning.

Once again, I tried to focus as I dished out the French pastries for the evening tea but my thoughts kept going back to how her face had looked genuinely sad when she had excused and told me how tight her budget was this month while she took those twenty thousand rupees from my hand that she was going to put in her purse for shopping.