“WE shall be going out for dinner tonight!” announced Mrs Raheel. “And it’s because I and your daddy want to give a treat to you guys for the hard work you have put in for your annual examinations!” she added.
The kids, Aaniya of class six and Rohail of class eight, got excited and started discussing where they would be going.
“I am craving for pizza,” said Rohail. Aaniya couldn’t decide so she thought it was better to go with her brother’s choice.
Saima, a 12-year-old girl, worked at their house. Her job was to be available to the kids at any time. She would wash the dishes, make fries, clear the mess, dust the bedrooms, arrange the cluttered bookshelves, iron the clothes and of course, polish the school shoes! Basically she was responsible for all the chores related to the kids.
Now, when the kids were being appraised for their ‘hard work’, Saima was thinking about her fate…..
“Come on Saima, be quick. Iron the kids’ clothes, and make sure you polish their black shoes for school tomorrow,” said Mrs Raheel and left the room.
“Where would you people go?” asked Saima to Aaniya, as if to re-confirm. “For pizza!” answered Aaniya not even noticing the shine in Saima’s eyes. Saima loved pizza and had always enjoyed whenever she had been given some to eat. She did all her chores with remarkable speed and was happy as she expected that she would go with the family. It was a routine that whenever the family planned an outing, Saima was also taken along. And that was a treat for this little girl!
“Dad please take us to The Genuine Pizza!” Rohail asked his father who happily agreed and drove the car towards the beach where the multinational new pizza chain had opened an outlet very recently. It was an expensive place and very fashionable too.
While handing over the car keys to the valet person outside the beautifully decorated pizza place, Mr Raheel bent and whispered in his wife’s ears, “Don’t take Saima inside… it’s too expensive. I would get a bun kabab for her from the nearby food stall.”
Mrs Raheel agreed at once and asked Saima to sit at one corner outside the restaurant. Saima felt very bad but no one noticed her. They were enjoying... they were having fun.
Saima was sitting at a corner, holding her bun kabab but was not eating it; from the beautiful see-through windows... ideally designed to enjoy the enchanting view of the sea shore, Aaniya caught a look in Saima’s eyes which disturbed her a lot. She noticed that the order the family had placed was already too much for them and they would be carrying the leftover as takeaway like always.
“Mum, when we have enough pizza slices with us, why don’t we give the fresh piece to Saima, now, instead of giving her the same piece tomorrow? Today, it would be eaten by her with relish but tomorrow the same thing would be taken as ‘left over’ stuff,” Aaniya continued. “We will not be paying anything extra…,” Aaniya left the sentence incomplete and looked at her father.
Aaniya felt that she had disturbed her family. Her father stopped eating while her mum was also sipping her drink silently and Rohail was holding the peculiar “Stop it!” look. Aaniya didn’t want to spoil her family’s outing so started reading some jokes from her cell-phone to her parents.
Her mum responded to her jokes but her father stood up and walked outside the restaurant. The family thought he was upset and needed some time for himself. The three of them continued with the jokes but in their hearts they were disturbed by Mr Raheel’s unusual silence.
They didn’t notice Mr Raheel coming back. “Allow Saima to sit, Rohail,” Mr Raheel’s voice stunned the three family members.
“Ok, Daddy,” Rohail stood up and took another chair. While he was getting up, he tried to comprehend his father’s orders. He didn’t say anything but was shocked. Aaniya was also shocked but happy at the same time. She was feeling lighter.
Saima kept the bun kebab she still had on a side place and then ate the pizza slices and had the drink while sitting in a place she had never dreamt of before. How her face glowed with joy.
Mrs Raheel who had acted indifferent also confessed that night that it was rude to leave a kid outside. Why not let those who work for the family also enjoy with the family. After all, everyone deserves good things in life, and sharing only increases the joys of life.
