Episode 3
Sooner than I could imagine I had steered out
of the lane and flowed into a sea of
cars , all headed for respective offices .The signal changed to green
which obviously failed to capture my attention . I was lost in some thoughts of my own .I hurriedly got my car into ignition and looked ahead of
me .I blinked to clear the tears that had found its way up straight from my
heart ,my thoughts had found its way back to my mother .She was the closest
person to me in my life . Infact she was all I had. My father left us 8 years back, after a sudden cerebral attack that claimed his life. My brother who was much older to me had
found his career in the tea garden .So we were left as a mother-daughter duo
battling life alone. I saw mom merrily put up a brave front arranging for my
marriage with assistance from my aunt ,her younger sister. But I knew all the way, that she buried in her
heart the fear and agony of life without me .A lonely-nest syndrome would
claim the better of her senses sooner or later ,I silently worried .I was
steered from my thoughts by the brutal and impatient honks of the cars behind
me, that forced me to sit up and change my gears.
The day at office passed off at a neck
breaking pace .There was loads of work to do and demanding bosses or agitated customers
did not make it any better for me .Life was a dream ,in the opinion of people
outside this swanky foreign bank .But only creatures like me knew the truth, that shattered this myth heartlessly .I looked at the stern looking clock
,which reminded me of the furrowed
brows of a boss, when you report in late and lay one of the lamest excuses on
the table .The day progressed.The clock showed the time as 6:30pm and in another hours time I had to reach Barista in
Park Street .”Boy” I said ,”I still have these documents to send today ,how on
earth will I reach in an hour.”
Just when you are looking for positive
answers, the worst realizations unfold .Yes ,to add to the mess ,I did not even
have Rajeev’s number to inform about my delay .So,what if he left ?My heart
sunk at the thought and I sped up with my work .I wound up in half an hour,
breaking all my set records and by 7:05pm I was in my car .Phew! I sighed as I
felt the blast of the AC on my face, soothing my skin .Today was the day of
breaking all my earlier records, because once again in self proclaimed record time I reached
Barista .Parking could be a great agony at this hour ,but the heavens conjured
to make life easy for me, this once!!!
I checked myself in the mirror and realized
disapprovingly that it was too late to do anything about the way I looked.So without further delay I stepped out onto the busy Park Street road and
excused my way, cutting across the stream of people hurrying back home.
I entered Barista and the alluring and refreshing
smell of coffee woke my senses a little .My stomach growled noisily and I
realized that I had not had the time to break for lunch through the day .My
eyes went from table to table trying to put a face to the name .Finally they
set on a fairly handsome young man sitting at a corner table with a magazine .This
has to be Rajeev I spoke and quickly rehearsed a quick apology for my delay. I
swirled my way through the maze of tables , occupied by happy voices and
equally happy faces .Rajeev sensed me advancing to his table ,he promptly
rose from the table and took a
step forward extending his hands warmly ”Rajeev”, he said.I took his hands and
replied back ”Hi Rajeev,Megha” .In a most gentlemanly fashion he helped me
arrange myself into a chair next to his.
The steward stood waiting to take our orders
,so we decided on two mocha’s to go with a spinach and corn sandwich and send
him away to take care of it .For a
brief moment neither of us said anything .Probably gathering an impression
about each other, I presumed .Finally I broke the silence saying ,”So what is
it, that needed discussion between us Rajeev ,can we get down to it ” I was
almost ashamed off my curtness and impatience. Rajeev cleared his throat and
began to speak but then again he was interrupted by the steward obliging us
with our order ,we thanked him as
he left our table.
Finally we were left alone to start the much
awaited discussion .I had an impish smile on my face imagining it to be the
surprise party to be planned but the facial expression that came from the man
across the table ,did not confirm my estimates.
Once again Rajeev put down his coffee and
cleared his throat and what he said next hit me in my head like the strongest
tequila shot .”Megha ,are you aware that Pranav is under medication for high
blood pressure for the last 6 years of his life”. I put down my coffee cup in
response ,not knowing what to say to that ,cause this was genuinely news to me .I
found my voice and heard it saying ,”No,Rajeev ,I did’nt but…..”.Rajeev
interrupted ,”Megha ,I am a nephrologist ,practicing successfully in U.K and I also
like to clarify that I am not really Rajeev’s friend, but his older brother
Pranay’s school friend.” After trying to soak the information, I said in a meek voice ”Okay ,so what are you trying
to tell me now ,Rajeev”. ”Megha “,he said looking sternly into my eyes ”Pranav
has been ignoring his blood pressure for too long , he was advised medication
to control it, but….” “But what?”
I almost shouted ,making people
turn their heads to look at me."……But now," continued Rajeev,as I looked on
anxiously " the young man has got himself into a difficult situation ".The world collapsed around me,not knowing what to expect ,the
noise in the café reaching to painful decibels. I did not know what was coming
next, but my heart wept in anticipation of the worst .”Megha ,you have to hold
yourself and understand that Pranav has managed to reach a state of renal
failure ,or kidney failure in lay man’s words…..”He reached for my hands and
with medical jargons carried on explaining the situation to me .But I fell deaf
to all his words .My mind was racing like a lunatic .Several thoughts doing a
funny mambo-jambo in my mind .What would I do now? What was I expected to do
now? Is Pranav dying? and the foolishest one was, What about my marriage? Rajeev
realized that my thoughts had left him and so he pulled his chair closer to
mine and tried reaching out to hold me in a comforting embrace .I wore a weak
smile and looked back at him .The kindness in his eyes gave a final tug at my
emotions and I broke down . Tears rolled involuntarily down my flushed face .I
was at a loss of words and so was he .The next fear that crept in my mind was ,what
will I tell my mom or how will I tell my mom ?None of these thoughts found a
satisfactory answer.
It was almost 9pm and the atmosphere in the
café was weighing heavy and I could take it no more .As I left the café and got
into the car ,I promised Rajeev that I would take care of myself ,brave it out
and not speak to Pranav about this meeting ,until his family joined us from
Delhi ,to address the issue formally.
As soon I found myself alone , the queries
returned .Did this drama have to unfold three weeks from the D-day ?Why did it
have to happen to me? I found myself struggling to bat away each one of them desperately, as I drove
back in grave silence, through the surprisingly peaceful stretch of road that
led to my home .I looked at my watch, one last time before I parked my car
outside the house .It was almost 10 pm .The last two and a half hours had
drained every bit in me and was worse than a months hard work, horrible bosses
and flaming customers all put together .The tragedy scene came in unannounced
and the dream sequence seemed to be over for good .But I hadn’t even got the
chance to live it ! I cried out in exasperation as I laid my hands on the horn .The
honk reminded me that I was still sitting in my car .So I finally gathered
myself and got out of the car and dragged myself up the stairs after an unusually
long day, I would say!
....................................( To be continued......)
Watch out for more :)
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