BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION…
Today, again, Raziya skipped her lunch and saved Ten rupees from her daily wages. She dropped that coin in her money box and whispered, “And here it goes, rupees one thousand eight hundred and eighty- five.” She kept her piggy bank back in the wooden Almira and locked it. It was her sole dream to celebrate her birthday where she would invite all her known people and give them a grand treat. Though she was only 13, she supported her mother in all aspects. At this young age, supporting her single mother financially and physically had made her too mature for her age.
She never experienced the love and affection of her father as he had already passed away when she was an infant. Whenever she asked about the cause of her father’s death, her mother evaded the question and tried to circumvent the inquest by bringing up something baseless as an urgent matter at hand, which Raziya was least interested in.
Somehow, her mother had managed to put her in a free, aided, government school. After returning from the school, she would go to the Bidi making workshop near her house, to earn daily wages.
To date, Raziya had only witnessed poverty and hardship, which she got as a legacy from her parents. Battling to garner the meal for the day, from morning to evening, was the daily routine for as long as she could remember.
Although they lodged in the Bustee area, in a dingy rented house as good as a rat’s burrow, the rent was not quite low. Paying two thousand as rent for the house, two hundred for electricity, which was borrowed from the landlord, and then all miscellaneous household expenses did not allow them to have the luxury of missing work even for a single day. In fact, if any one of them could not earn a wage even for a day, the consequences were evident the very next day.
Each month would commence with a struggle and conclude with a negative balance. Not only had they been in financial constraint since inception, but they also did not have any contingency fund to handle the untoward situation if it occurred. Living on the edge of life, every day was a battle for basic needs. They were being ground in the endeavor of daily life.
“Raziya… Raziya…?” her mother shouted.
The moment she tried to respond, she felt a strong giddiness. She held her head with both hands and sat there for a couple of seconds. Her mother immediately came towards her and asked in a shivering voice, “What happened, Raziya? Why are you holding your head like this?”
“I don’t know… The entire room seemed to be shaking. Was there an earthquake?”
“No Beta, I didn’t feel anything like this.”
Though Raziya went to sleep, her mother could not retire for the day immediately. She did lie down on the bed to sleep, but her mind was restless. She wanted to understand the reason for Raziya’s dizziness as this had happened before, too. She decided to take her to the hospital and seek a doctor’s advice.
The next day they reached the hospital for Raziya’s checkup. There was a long queue, but they were accustomed to it. Token number 131 meant they’d have to wait for a long time. Her mother contemplated the loss of that day’s wage. She would again have to face the crunch tomorrow, but she hid her anxiety behind her artificial smile.
After three hours, an attendant called out Raziya’s name. They entered the room where a few young doctors were sitting.
“Yes, tell me, what’s the problem?” A doctor asked pulling out the stethoscope from his shoulder.
“Doctor Babu, yesterday she felt strong dizziness and was not even able to stand up,” her mother said.
“For how long did you feel like this?” he asked as he held Raziya’s hand for checking the pulse.
“Just for a few seconds, then it became normal,” Raziya replied.
The doctor wrote something in the hospital card and said, “Your daughter is anemic; I mean she is very weak. I have prescribed some tonic and vitamin capsules for strength. Give her the medicines on time with proper food. Okay?”
“Okay, Doctor Babu,” her mother affirmed doctor’s advice.
While coming back from the hospital her mother said, “Did you hear what Doctor Babu suggested? Take medicines on time with proper food,” and then, suddenly, her voice trailed off when the thought of providing medicines and proper food plunged into her mind.
Raziya looked into her mother’s eyes questioningly. Although she did not utter a word, her eyes seemed to ask the obvious, “Are we in a position to follow doctor’s advice?”
And then, slowly, her mother’s gaze fell down. She remained silent for a few seconds, cursing her fate. To end the awkward silence, she said, “You have saved some money, Nah? Let’s use it now and then, together we will create the fund for your Birthday Party again.” “No, Maa, I will never use that money for anything else. Not at any cost! I have been saving it for almost four months, I will not use it.”
“But beta, today you need to have medicines along with proper diet. And you know our financial condition.” “Yes, I know, and it is not new to me. But no one’s touching that money.”
“Why are you becoming so adamant, Raziya? Why do you not want to use it, that too for your own good?” “Because I want to be treated like a queen for one day; maybe for a couple of hours. I have seen how people treat the birthday girl.” Her face turned on. “Where did you see all those things?”
“On Nausheen’s birthday, I saw how all her relatives and friends were treating her. She was wearing a pink silken frock and a fairy crown on her head. Everybody treated her like a queen. All the guests were moving around her. She was the center of attraction. Maa, I also want to live like that, maybe for a couple of hours. Please Maa, please…”
Her mother could not oppose such an innocent wish and decided to compromise with her daughter’s health condition, for the time being, and they returned to their regular life.
One day Raziya’s class teacher called her mother to school. When she came and met her, the teacher scanned Raziya’s mother from head to toe and definitely smelt poverty.
“Look, your daughter is very weak. Just in the last week, she fell unconscious twice,” the teacher informed in a stern tone.
“What?” her mother reacted, “But she never told me.”
“That I don’t know, but please take care of your daughter. I have also heard that she works in some Bidi Karkhana after school.”
Her mother remained silent and hung her head with shame.
“Look, either let her study or make her work in Bidi Karkhana. Both things can’t go hand-in-hand. I can only suggest this for the well-being of your daughter, the rest is up to you,” the teacher advised politely. “She is very weak and not be able to manage the load and pressure of studies and work together.”
“Okay, Madam. Give me one week’s time to decide.” Tears welled up in her mother’s eyes, but she held them back.
The serpent of misery had been tightening its grip on them for times unknown. In the beginning, Raziya’s mother used to feel the suffocation alone, but she did not realize when her daughter got caught in its fold. After returning from school, she did not resume her usual duties. Rather, she visited one of her close friends for borrowing some money so that she could do something for her daughter without compromising her only wish.
In the evening, when she returned, Raziya was waiting for her anxiously. Raziya rushed towards her mother and held her tightly.
“Where had you gone, Amma? I was so worried.” Raziya broke into tears.
“What happened, Raziya?” Her mother ran her hand over Raziya’s head and said, “I had some work with Sultana aunty. I have thought something for your birthday.”
Raziya’s eyes lit for a while before relapsing into silent misery. Her mother could not assess the reason for the sudden shift in her mood. Nevertheless, her mother was going through the dilemma of providing adequate medicines to her daughter or helping her procure the required expenses for her birthday party. If one was a necessity, the other was her daughter’s lone desire. The importance of the birthday celebration could be felt by only two people in the whole world. The first was Raziya and the second was her mother. And that day was approaching very fast.
She laid down beside Raziya on the bed pestering her brain to figure out a solution to the problem. She craned her head over Raziya’s cheek and kissed on her forehead. Somehow, she could suppress her emotions, but a few drops of tears fell on Raziya’s face. Though Raziya was awake, she could not muster the courage to open her eyes. She remained speechless and kept on thinking when the hard times would adieu from their lives. Would they also cherish the good moments or not? Would she also live a normal life or not? Had God kept something good for them or not? She did not realize when she fell asleep.
Her mother started working overtime to provide medicines to Raziya, but the wages were not enough. Though she knew that her daughter needed extra care through these days, she chose the daily wages over ‘care’ so that she could buy the required medicines.
Raziya was very happy as her birthday was approaching. Only one week was left. She started inviting her school friends and pushing her mother to invite their relatives and neighbors, too.
“Sameera, you come early on eighteenth April. I need you as you have to manage the show,” Raziya said to her childhood friend with a lot of excitement.
“Why, what is so special on the eighteenth?” she asked keenly.
“Arre idiot! Eighteenth April is my birthday!” “That I know silly, it comes every year and I wish you too. What’s so special this year?”
“This year I am throwing a party on my birthday!” “What??”
“Yes, I’m inviting all my friends, neighbors and relatives,” she said enthusiastically.
“But…” “But… What?” “Money…”
“Don’t worry, I have been saving for this for the last eight months. Now tell me,” she raised her eyebrows.
Sameera was touched after knowing that Raziya had been saving for so long. She knew the value of money and what it meant to them.
Finally, the most awaited day arrived. Raziya could not sleep properly the previous night, out of excitement. She kept waking up intermittently and looked at the clock. Time had come to a standstill for her. It was 3:45 AM. She knew that her mother would never allow starting her day at this time. No sooner had the clock struck six than she sprang out of the bed. She scrambled to her feet and reached the wooden Almira. She opened the lock and took out her sealed treasure box. The moment she thumped it on the floor, the confined coins rushed out with a loud noise.
“Arre Raziya… What did you break?” Her mother was still in bed and probably half-sleep, but shouted out of reflex.
“Nothing, Amma… it was my piggy bank,” she replied loudly.
She started counting the coins and notes with a lot of excitement.
“And here it goes, three thousand seven hundred and fifty-three rupees. Wow!” She exhaled a deep breath and gazed at the money.
In the fraction of a second, she revisited her wishes and could see her desires getting materialized.
“How much you saved Raziya?” Her mother came near her and asked in a low voice.
“Three thousand seven hundred and fifty-three rupees.”
“Great!” She kissed on Raziya’s forehead but was upset as she could not contribute anything to her birthday fund. After spending the major portion of her earnings on Raziya’s medicines, somehow she managed the daily needs with the rest of the money. She wanted to do something for her daughter’s birthday, but she also knew the cost of Raziya’s monthly treatment and medication. She did not have the courage to go ahead with Raziya’s planning. Although she could not support Raziya financially for this, she did not want to hurt her feelings.
