My grandma and I are close. She likes everyone – my mother, father, and brother, but I’m her favorite. We live in a two-floor building, it’s our own. We lived on the first floor, and my grandma’s other son’s family lived on the second floor. Since they moved out of another house for various reasons, the second floor is now empty. So my family decided to rent it out. Many people applied for it, but my family turned most of them down because they thought they wouldn’t be good tenants. Finally, one couple was admitted. The husband and wife – Tarun and Meena – are somehow distantly related to us (please don’t ask me how). They’re looking for a house near Tarun’s office, where he’ll be transferred next week. Also, Meena is pregnant so they’re both looking for a house right away. My family then somehow made them our tenants (maybe because they thought they’d be good). Everything was settled, they’ll come here next week to be our tenants. Everyone was happy except my grandma.

I asked her what happened, and she said, ‘I don’t like that woman’

‘Who? Meena?’

‘Yes, is she dressing like a pregnant woman, she dressed so tight like going to a party’

‘C’mon grandma, don’t be so old fashion, she can wear what she likes’

‘Fine, I am old fashioned but how can she wear this kind of dress while she’s coming to see us, not well-mannered’

Grandma is exaggerating. Meena was wearing a tight mini-gown, which showed her skin below her knees. There is nothing wrong with it. She’s beautiful in that dress. People like my grandma need to change their point of view.

After that first interaction, Grandma doesn’t like whatever she does. Grandma would even complain that Meena was breathing all the air required in the world (you know when you hate someone, you constantly find something to keep on hating them). Grandma hates everything Meena does – when she invites her friends over or when she heard music a little loudly or when she goes to work daily despite the fact, she’s 6 months pregnant, and even when Meena came to give something, Grandma goes inside her room and come out only when she’s gone. I don’t understand all this. I even confronted her, ‘You’re going overboard grandma, this is not fine at all’. She doesn’t even give a damn about what I said. That’s what she does when I talk about something she doesn’t like. 

One day, my grandma returned home after buying groceries. She has seen Meena on the way. She doesn’t know where to hide and tries to find a way. But she realized Meena was not okay. She was trembling and collapsed on the road. Grandma rushed near her and splashed water on Meena’s face. Meena slowly opened her eyes. Grandma asked ‘What happened?’

Meena said ‘I was just tired due to work’

‘Let’s go to the hospital’

‘I’ll go alone, no worries’

Grandma insisted she’ll come. Then they went to the hospital. The doctor explained that she was very weak and need to eat healthy foods and prescribed some tablets. After that they left the hospital, Meena told Grandma about her condition. That her pregnancy is at risk, she needs to be very careful.

Grandma asked, ‘Then why are you working? How did your husband allow it?’

‘My husband doesn’t know it; I didn’t tell him. If he knows he won’t let me work. We are now in a financial crisis. We both need to work, to overcome this situation. He even worked two shifts. So, that’s why I am working even in this condition. Sometimes, I have mood swings and weird thoughts like suicide. So, at times like that, I’ll listen to music or call my friends. Then I’ll feel better. Only then I can be myself.’

Grandma was so shocked and understood her mistake. Meena continued, ‘Have you noticed, I always wear the same dress I have in a consecutive manner, also it’s so tight. It’s just I can’t afford a new dress. So, I am wearing old clothes until we have enough money to afford new ones’.

Grandma is now utterly speechless. They reached their home. Grandma offered to Meena to come to her home. She said, ‘I will go upstairs and rest and then come’. Grandma also agreed and said, ‘If you need anything don’t hesitate to call me’.

I don’t understand what was happening and asked Grandma, she explained the whole situation. Then Grandma said, ‘You’re right, I am one of those old mentality people. So, I judged her without even knowing her situation. I showed my age. I won’t repeat this mistake ever again’. And she did what she said, after that they become good friends. My grandma regularly took Meena for checkups, if she heard music or her friends sound upstairs, she rushes to Meena’s place to ask if she was okay. She also bought her some loose pregnancy clothes as a gift. After that, my grandma never judged anyone by their dress. And I am so happy that my grandma finally understood the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.