“This winter will freeze me to death,” Radha said and sat on the chair facing Gopal. She had just finished cleaning the dishes.

“This year is colder than previous years,” Gopal agreed and tucked his hands into his jeans pocket.

Gopal looked out of the window. The mist was so heavy that it was difficult to see just twenty metres away. Juna and Muna were still asleep. It was Saturday, and Radha didn’t want them to get up so early in such freezing weather.

“Make some tea,” Gopal asked Radha, who had just sat on a chair after doing the dishes.

“You just can’t see me taking a rest,” Radha sulked and stood up. Then, as Radha set the pot on the stove, she said, “Please buy a washing machine. I can’t wash clothes in this cold anymore.”

Gopal ignored her and kept on looking out of the window.

Radha dropped a steel glass on the floor. She did it on purpose to draw her husband’s attention.

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?” Radha said hysterically.

Gopal looked at Radha. A tiny mole just beside her was apparent even in the room’s dim lighting. It was the small mole that made her look more attractive. She was beautiful in so many ways. He had caught people staring at her in the neighbourhood, and he didn’t like his wife being admired by others.

As Gopal didn’t say a thing, Radha waved her hands at him.

“Huh?” Gopal said absent-mindedly.

“We can afford a washing machine. Can’t we?”

“Not this year, please. We’ll see next year. Please know that I am just a school teacher, and my income is just about enough to take care of our family’s expenses. There’s no money in my bank account. The landlord has increased the rent as well.”

She furrowed her brows.

“Is the tea ready?” he asked, attempting to divert the topic.

Radha offered Gopal a cup of tea and sat down near him.

“Why don’t we move into a cheaper apartment? Our landlord is ridiculous. He just keeps on increasing the rent every six months. Does he think money grows on trees?” said an angry Radha.

“It’s hard to find apartments that don’t charge exorbitant rent these days,” said Gopal.

“Srijana Chowk is not the only place in Pokhara. Maybe we can find cheaper apartments in other parts of the city.”

“This area is close to our children’s school,” said Gopal and took a sip of tea.

They had been living in Srijana Chowk for over five years. Their landlord occupied the ground and first floors, and Gopal and his family lived on the topmost floor. At the end of every month, the landlord would appear at Gopal’s flat to ask for rent.

At around 11 am, Gopal emerged out of his room and spread the mattress on the balcony floor. Radha called out her daughters, and soon they joined Gopal. The sun was beginning to come out. Juna, the younger daughter, came and sat on Gopal’s lap, whereas Muna, the elder daughter, sat beside her father.

“What’s mother doing?” Gopal asked Muna, who was running her hands through her long, black hair.

Juna interrupted her father by saying, “Why don’t we just get a washing machine, dad?”

Gopal was shocked. He had never expected this question from her younger daughter. He didn’t know how to tell her that all his earnings get spent fulfilling basic needs. Radha had been urging him to buy a washing machine for the last three years, but he was unable to buy it no matter how much he tried. Even though the starting price of a washing machine of a good brand cost around Rs 40,000, Gopal didn’t have the money. He knew that if he did buy a washing machine, he would not have the money to pay for the family’s other needs.

“We’ll get it next year,” Gopal said to Juna.

Juna marvelled at the prospect of a brand new washing machine parked inside their flat, and the thought made her smile. She looked at Muna, who knew her that there was no way their father would bring home a washing machine next year. She was old enough to understand that their father didn’t have the money to buy a washing machine.

After a while, Radha came and joined them.

“Dad’s buying a washing machine next year,” said Juna, beaming with excitement.

Radha looked at Gopal angrily, but she couldn’t say anything nasty to her husband in front of the children. Then the family, silently, continued to sit under the warm winter sun.

As days passed by, the weather became unbearably cold. Radha kept complaining about the weather, but she continued to wash the clothes every day. One day when Gopal came back from work, she cursed him for not taking care of her. A few days after that, Radha fell ill. The doctor told Gopal that the illness was caused by the cold. Now he needed to make a move; he must prove he was a good husband. He decided to buy the washing machine by borrowing money from Jiwan, a friend and a colleague.

The next day at school, Gopal approached Jiwan and told him what was going on in his life. Jiwan said he was also short on cash, but he told Gopal that he would lend him some money. After returning home from school, Gopal told Radha that he had managed money to buy a washing machine. Her face lit up. He wanted to share this with her daughters, too, but the children were not home.

“They have gone to the market to buy study materials. I’m going out to buy groceries from the market. Can you come along?” said Radha.

He smiled and nodded.

Just when the couple stepped onto the street, they saw a small van coming to a halt in front of the house. Juna and Muna came out of the van. The back end of the van had a huge box. Gopal and Radha looked at each other with a stunned expression. The van's driver and another man started lifting the box down to the ground. Juna and Muna came up to their parents.

“What’s inside that box?” Gopal asked Muna.

“There’s a washing machine,” Muna replied.

Gopal looked at his daughters in amusement.

“From where did you manage to get it?” Gopal asked in disbelief.

“We have been saving money for three years," said Juna.

“It’s a gift to our parents who have never failed to provide us with whatever we needed,” said Muna.

Radha’s eyes welled with tears as she bent down to embrace her daughters. Gopal went to help the men carrying the brand new washing to his flat upstairs.

Gautam is an IT student at GMMC, Pokhara.