Not wasting her time leisurely at home or wondering aimlessly, Probhaboti decided to start a new job at a restaurant cum hotel “Sandhyatara” where arrangements of both fooding and lodging were provided for wealthy folks only. Getting recommendation from Munmun through her daughterdaughter-in-law Mala, she was able to get a little more offer than she bargained for the job…… over telephonic conversations.
Although she was quite familiar with her housekeeping job previously, it was a new one…. due to it’s pattern and characteristics. Like before, she wouldn’t have to clean or wash anything…. the job was much more sophisticated.
She would have to provide food, drinks etc. to the elite customers of that hotel in the evening in their rooms…. from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. However the hotel management would provide her a sizable amount of salary if she was selected. The hotel was just five km away from her house at Behala where she resided with her son Prankrisno and daughter-in-law ( DIL) Mala.
Probhaboti was excited and confident to get that job. She hadn’t had a job since her coming in Kolkata and that’s when her DIL informed her about that respectable job at “Hotel Sandhyatara”. Very recently she got to know from her Didimoni that the hotel was looking for a nice looking mature woman of other religion and she was sure that her mother-in-law would be the fittest candidate for the post.
However at first, her son Prankrisno strongly opposed that….. because he didn’t want his widow mother to resume her old profession at this age. He thought she should take complete rest at this age….. involving herself in her congregational activities only as Mala and he were sufficient to provide the family’s expenses. But Probhaboti firmly expressed her opinion by saying that she didn’t want to spend her time leisurely. She’d done plenty of house-maid jobs when she was at Dhenkanal and was great with people.
Although the place wasn’t far away from her house, it was in the city and in a part of town she wasn’t familar with. In fact she was a little nervous at first as she decided to take a Rickshaw. The Rickshaw-puller was quite familiar about that hotel as he moved along the streets towards the Behala Park. She was now relieved from the anxiety about her destination as she put all that behind her and carried on.
She had been told by her DIL to use the back entrance which she thought was a little strange. But she didn’t want to hamper her opportunity to get that job. So when she arrived there she found her way into a dark and dingy alley with a single red door.
She knocked at the door and was greeted by a young wife about her daughter-in-law Mala’s age…. wearing some fairly provokative gown.
“How can I help you?” asked the wife.
“I’m here to see a gentleman named Rahamat Sekh about a job. He should be expecting me” Probhaboti replied.
The young wife lead the widow into a rather well decorated room and pointed down the hall. “2nd door on your left” She said before heading off through another door…. leaving Probhaboti alone.
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