The Binding String

YEAR 2005,
INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT STAFF QUARTERS, DELHI.

"Ishu! I am not getting anything to do now. How am I supposed to pay Vandu fees now. My salary this month is exhausted in paying the hospital bills. I fell ill at a very wrong time."

"Amma!!! Time dekh ke koun beemar padta hai?" A seventeen-year-old Ishita replied back looking at her mother. The petite looking young girl tied her shoulder length hairs in a high bun before sitting next to her mother, she took the diary from her mother hand and started to go through the monthly expenses.

"Stop taking stress Amma, we will figure out something." Ishita assured her mother with her serene smile. "Assurance won't work here darling, your sister had to pay her coaching fees by the end of this week."

"Amma. Stop panicking. Why don't you ask for another month's extension from the owner?"

"He already gave us a two month extension I don't think he would agree. I am going to ask Vandita to quit the classes. She can prepare at home."

"No Amma!! You will not. She is working very hard for these exams. We have seen with our own eyes, aren't we? And don't worry, I will try to ask for an advance from student parents and remember we saved some thousands for the upcoming Diwali Pooja, we can use that as well." Ishita suggested to her mother, playing with the pencil she was holding in between her fingers. She looked at the wall clock and realised it's the time for her to leave for her tuition classes. "Amma I am going downstairs." Ishita left picking up her bag without giving her mother any chance.

Ishita is not unaware of the constant financial crunch in her family, her mother merger salary is not enough for survival in the city like Delhi. She and her sister had learnt to live within their means but some expenses are required. Her elder sister Vandita is preparing for government jobs and she needs money to pay the fees of the coaching centre where she is studying recently. They had saved bucks for her six month fees but Madhavi Iyyer fell ill two weeks back and they exhausted the entire salary of her in paying hospital bills. Although Ishita has taken up the tuition of small children staying in the employee quarters but she knows, that money would not be enough.

While taking classes of fifth standard students, she was constantly wondering how to ask for an advance from her student parents who are also her mother colleagues. She didn't find it appropriate to give anyone a hint about their financial conditions.

She hates looking pity.

It was seven in the evening when she finished her classes and went to a nearby market to pick up the packets of milk while playing with the black thread her mother tied around her neck.

"I have to think something, if Akka came to know about this issue then she will quit her classes." Ishita murmured to herself playing with the black thread, she paid the money after picking the milk packets and  started returning back to home when her eyes fell on the jewellery store situated next to the grocery store and her eyes twinkled.

Twenty minutes later, Madhavi came running to the same jewellery store from where Ishita called.

"What happened Ishu?"

"Amma, I had words with Agrawal Uncle, he is ready to give us money in an exchange of this gold pendant." Madhavi gasped listening to her daughter's words, she was unable to believe if her younger daughter is actually planning to sell off the gold pendant she gifted her on her fifteenth birthday.

"Are you nuts Ishu? How can you think about selling it off?"

"Amma this is not our necessity but my Akka future is. We can buy many such pendants in the future but now it's of no use."