The Toil Of Quarantine

I don't know about the rest of you, I really missed my domestic help during the lockdown. I truly understood their value, while washing heavy kitchen utensils in the sink, while sweeping and mopping the floors and scraping grime off my bathroom tiles. My back pain worsened and it officially sunk in, that I'm an old creaky maid, with stiff bones. 

I wrote imaginary love letters in their name and waited to garland them back with roses, upon their return. Domestic help, what would we do without them? Huge respect to the people living in countries abroad, without househelp. I don't know how you do it. Both my body and soul broke into smithereens, doing housework everyday. 

Luckily for me, my in-laws were around to help during those wretched four months. Still, on some evenings my mother in law and I would just look at each other blankly and say, "Let's sleep immediately". That's how tired we were. While she cooked, I cleaned. While she played with the baby, I made his meals. On the days I couldn't mop the house, she would step in. 

On weekends, we played games together as a family and ordered restaurant food. From being social butterflies, who met people, did elaborate workouts and went out often, just for fun, we were forcibly stuck at home because of Covid-19. If the disease could be shot in the face, with a gun, my in-laws and I would have done it in a jiffy. 

The only silver lining, to this forced self quarantine was that we bonded as a family, we ate some great home cooked meals together, thanks to my mother in law and we invented games to play together as a family.

The day our maids came back, we were over the moon. We tried to play it cool, in front of them (like every self respecting Indian family), but were delighted to have them back. I had to force myself to stop cleaning heavy utensils in the sink and mop the house, as it had become a rigid habit for four months.  

Sending out prayers to the world to heal soon. I hope we never have to face these dark days again. Go away Corona, we are so tired of you. Leave us in peace.

Image Source : https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Hundreds-of-Michgian-residents-being-home-quaratined-for-possible-Coronavirus-568146151.html