It was lazy Sunday morning but not for Usha Tai. She promptly got ready in her cotton sky blue sari with matching blouse. The large red bindi between her thin eyebrows looked like her third eye. She looked around the hall. Everything looked clean and neatly arranged. The teak wood three seater sofa shined due to her repeated dusting and cleaning. The exquisite plate and glass set only meant for premium guests were neatly arranged with few showpieces in the cupboard. The floors were squeaky and shiny. Everything looked in place.
After glancing around hall one more time, she sat peacefully. She waited eagerly for her new prospective tenants the dealer, Mahesh, was bringing. "Hope he brings the right people this time.", she hoped softly. She was feeling hot partly due to weather and anxiety of not finding the right tenants. She quickly fanned herself with help of her pallu(loose end of her sari). That didn't help. She got up immediately to switch on the fan. She was getting anxious.
As she sat down, she remembered the tenants Mahesh had bought last time. They were newly married couple. They seemed like perfect tenants but as soon as she was about to close the deal, they showed their true face. They first started arguing with her about the price and how unfair the price was for the two bedroom flat. When she didn't budge down on the price she was offering for the rent, they started to complain about how tiny the house was or how unclean it was kept. Later when she agreed with their price, the wife started arguing with her husband. Finally she refused to rent them.
After the last fiasco, she had reprimanded Mahesh to bring decent tenants. "I don't know where he gets such people.", she wondered. She sighed softly. She wished her husband Sadashiv Joshi was still alive. If he was here, he would have managed everything. She had lost her husband to brain tumor. He was always fit but the last few days before his death, he looked frail. His once bright face was filled with pain. His voice no longer sounded firm. It was soft and weak.
Soft tears dropped from her eyes while remembering about her husband. Her son called regularly and her daughter would drop in the house during weekends when her husband was alive. Now they hardly talk to her or visit her. Maybe her husband had strong aura around him that drew people towards him. His strict personality would make people fear near him. However Usha Tai developed the nagging nature in order to show people her strong nature. Unfortunately it always drew people away from her.
She looked at the clock. It was already past ten. Mahesh was supposed to bring the tenants at 10 am. "Where is this Mahesh ? Always late ! I don't know why youngsters are not punctual nowadays.", she complained. Suddenly the bell rang. She got up to open the door. A tall young man in mid twenties stood in front of her with beaming smile. His smile was short lived. He pursed his lips and looked at her. He was fair and sported a beard look which is trend nowadays. His hair was curly just like Usha Tai. He looked like proper Jatt boy. Next to him stood a petite girl who may be two inch taller than Usha Tai herself. She was fair too. Her innocent brown eyes reminded her of her granddaughter's eyes. They exchanged stares with each other. No one knew what to say.
(To be continued)
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