The spring cleaning had turned out to be a very long process for Bani. As instructed by her mother-in-law, she had to get to every corner of the house before Baisakhi, the Indian festival that celebrates a good spring harvest. So, firstly, she cleaned the kitchen; every utensil, every shelf, every box of masala. Next came the living rooms. Then, the mirrors and every other surface in the house got a solid wash and wipe as did the ten fans. The gadgets also got their servicing done. Bani did all the house work while attending to her professional engagements.
This spring cleaning was done every year, but it was especially important this year because her family was going to have guests during Baisakhi. And yet, Bani felt deprived of the joy that the spic and span house was supposed to bring. Surely it wasn’t that she couldn’t feel happy. In fact, she was looking forward to meeting the guests. But she simply couldn’t shake off how tired she was. Every night for three whole weeks, she plopped on her bed and slept out of exhaustion. There was very little she had the time for, other than the cleaning, so she forgot to buy that beautiful skirt she had been eyeing. Putting her desire aside, she made do with a lovely but old lehenga for the get together.
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