I had the good fortune of having a house help whose work was excellent and who was honest as well as sincere. She was a little erratic about timings, but then, which of us is perfect?
Also, as her flexi-time affected no one else but me, I indulged her. Irritated, nitpicking family members would say — "She is taking you for granted." She was. "You are spoiling her." Very true. "She is such a slow-coach." Indisputable.
To all these remarks, I had a standard response — "I can manage without you, but not without her." This silenced them all for a while.
Nothing lasts forever. The house help fell ill. She was absent for a week. When she did return, she was so feeble that I gave her another week off to recover. Even after 10 days, there was no sign of her. For the family, this was ample grist for the mill.
"In this day and age, surely, she could have called. This is nothing but ruse to get a raise." Both statements were too close for comfort.
"We need to look for a substitute (read 'you' for 'we'). It was time to take a tough decision. Shillyshallying would get me nowhere. So I marched off to find out what the house help's problem was. She came out to greet me. Her walk was wobbly. She said that she was still very weak and suggested I employ someone else. Now that I had secured her permission, I did, and without compunction. There was no acrimony and we parted on good terms.
There was a week-long induction for the new one. For a fresh recruit, she was more than satisfactory, but the family thought otherwise.
"Why is this one such a stickler for punctuality?" This question could not be ignored.
"I was under the impression that you disapproved of the old one's lack of punctuality." Instances when people choose to turn a deaf ear are quite common in our family.
"And this one is so fast that quality is compromised." This was quite unjust and my sense of fairness forced me to say, "The grouse against the old one was that she was a tortoise."
"This one is a hare. Now the frying pan and the skillet resemble those of a wayside dhaba, thanks to the new one's cursory washing."
"Nothing to prevent you from restoring them to their original look," I retorted, with saccharine sweetness. "Her predecessor made an art of folding clothes."
"You used to grumble about the old one hanging around so long that you couldn't get down to any work. You have got your time and space now."
"But at what cost?"
I was rendered speechless by this complete turnaround. From a person who could do nothing right, the previous one had turned into a paragon of virtue. Such perversity. When I didn't rise to the bait, there was a change of tactic.
"You were harsh on her. To sack her just because she fell ill was cruel." My portrayal as a tyrant who trod rough shod on people wasn't exactly flattering.
"I didn't sack her. It was she who suggested I find a replacement," I countered.
"Which you promptly did." The accusing tone and the judgmental attitude implied that I had acted with indecent haste.
Piqued, I hit back. "Damned if I do and damned if I don't. I am quite pleased with my new find. If you aren't, it's just too bad."
My tone brooked no argument. And Round One was to me, at least for now.
Also, as her flexi-time affected no one else but me, I indulged her. Irritated, nitpicking family members would say — "She is taking you for granted." She was. "You are spoiling her." Very true. "She is such a slow-coach." Indisputable.
To all these remarks, I had a standard response — "I can manage without you, but not without her." This silenced them all for a while.
Nothing lasts forever. The house help fell ill. She was absent for a week. When she did return, she was so feeble that I gave her another week off to recover. Even after 10 days, there was no sign of her. For the family, this was ample grist for the mill.
"In this day and age, surely, she could have called. This is nothing but ruse to get a raise." Both statements were too close for comfort.
"We need to look for a substitute (read 'you' for 'we'). It was time to take a tough decision. Shillyshallying would get me nowhere. So I marched off to find out what the house help's problem was. She came out to greet me. Her walk was wobbly. She said that she was still very weak and suggested I employ someone else. Now that I had secured her permission, I did, and without compunction. There was no acrimony and we parted on good terms.
There was a week-long induction for the new one. For a fresh recruit, she was more than satisfactory, but the family thought otherwise.
"Why is this one such a stickler for punctuality?" This question could not be ignored.
"I was under the impression that you disapproved of the old one's lack of punctuality." Instances when people choose to turn a deaf ear are quite common in our family.
"And this one is so fast that quality is compromised." This was quite unjust and my sense of fairness forced me to say, "The grouse against the old one was that she was a tortoise."
"This one is a hare. Now the frying pan and the skillet resemble those of a wayside dhaba, thanks to the new one's cursory washing."
"Nothing to prevent you from restoring them to their original look," I retorted, with saccharine sweetness. "Her predecessor made an art of folding clothes."
"You used to grumble about the old one hanging around so long that you couldn't get down to any work. You have got your time and space now."
"But at what cost?"
I was rendered speechless by this complete turnaround. From a person who could do nothing right, the previous one had turned into a paragon of virtue. Such perversity. When I didn't rise to the bait, there was a change of tactic.
"You were harsh on her. To sack her just because she fell ill was cruel." My portrayal as a tyrant who trod rough shod on people wasn't exactly flattering.
"I didn't sack her. It was she who suggested I find a replacement," I countered.
"Which you promptly did." The accusing tone and the judgmental attitude implied that I had acted with indecent haste.
Piqued, I hit back. "Damned if I do and damned if I don't. I am quite pleased with my new find. If you aren't, it's just too bad."
My tone brooked no argument. And Round One was to me, at least for now.