These stories, they change me. Just like reading every single post from HONY does. Brandon, from HONY, is the inspiration behind starting this series on my blog here.
Meet Sangeeta. Our cook.
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She has been coming to our house since 2007. She is the first maid to show up every morning. Always on time, always well dressed, always with a smile on her face. Rarely takes a day off.
When the kids wake up every morning, they find her in the kitchen, making fresh hot phulkas or yummy parathas for the family. They ADORE her. My son keeps asking about her often, and recently, we did a video chat with her so the kids could see and talk with her.
Her story? She is in her mid-thirties, and has a 23 year old son, who is her entire life. She got pregnant when she was 13, and her man left her when he found out about her pregnancy. Her brave, kind and loving parents took her in, and helped her raise her son. She still lives with her parents.
You see a huge red bindi on her forehead? She dresses up as if she is married, to avoid harassment from men. When I asked why she didn't marry anyone again, she said she didn't want to risk her son's future with a new man.
She never went to school, so she made sure her son did. He is now a graduate and working. She does not want him to get married anytime soon. She wants him to work for a few years, buy a home, settle down, before starting a family.
I love our morning talks. She asks me about my life, my work, what I cook, the weather, everything. I ask her about her clients, her family, what she does on her days off, what she cooks on festivals. I like to listen, and she likes to talk.
I am extremely proud of her. The way she lives with dignity, and the way she has raised her son, being a single teenage mom. I'm sure it has been a tough life, but you don't see it on her face.
Instead, she is always simply happy for me, my family, and has only the choicest of blessings to offer to my children!
God bless her!
