LA RUMBA POOL PARTY

Chapter 14. Planning Pondicherry Trip

Jan 2nd 2020

Thursday

Sreehitha a short and slender fair woman was working along with Surya in ANSC, Acute Neuro Surgery Ward where emergency patients requiring brain surgery are treated. It was neat polished spacious hall with newly embedded tiles surrounded all sides with comfortable beds supported by ventilators.

Surya was apprehensively fidgeting his while constantly looking at the entrance. Sreehitha eyed upon him with concern.

"Everything's fine." Surya tried to cover up his anxiety of facing Sridhar. For the past two days he was on vacation. Now it’s time to face his fears.

At the time Sisters rushed at their desks "Professor is coming." Surya and Sreehitha stood up all of a sudden and kept staring at the entrance.

A middle-aged tall and hefty man of swarthy complexion, with a curled and dyed moustache, greyish stubble, well combed and dyed hair, barged into the ANSC ward (Acute Neurosurgical care)

"Sridhar sir" Surya terrified imagining the predicament ahead of him.

Immediately the head sister, a middle-aged female lady called out the ward boy. "Did you ask all the patients to remove shirts?"

"Wear off the shirts? But why?" A junior sister asked out inquisitively.

"You will know"

The professor approached a bed along with his team and studied the patient. A Neurosurgery PG told "Sir, this is the case of head trauma..." He immediately held his palm against the Resident's face gesturing him to stop talking. He put his spectacles high above his eyes and looked intently. The patient was frail old man with shabby hair and wearing an untidy shirt "Why is he wearing dress? Come on remove it"

The patient looked aghast along with his wife beside.

"Sir! He is not that type"

"Even I am not that type. Babji come here"

The head sister suddenly rushed there. "I told you to remove everything.” She scolded the female attendant “Sir, wait... she will remove"

"No...No waiting. Babji... come and tear"

The ward boy Babji, wearing a brown colour uniform, stood beside the patient, took a blade from his pocket with expertise and tore the shirt and pant passionately as he made for that, while the professor was looking with a sadistic content. Surya looked aghast. He suddenly appeared as Satan, the lord of hell and the ward boy as his subordinate. Next moment Surya imagined as if he was thrown into oil as a punishment for all he had done. "Surya" Sreehitha yanked him holding his hand. He came out of trance and wiped his sweat. "Just a dream?"

While he was doing rounds, Beena joined at 10 am. A hefty girl with good height, round face fair complexion and bully attitude wished him "Good morning sir" Sridhar looked at her with contempt and continued with the cases.

When all the cases were done, he asked her why she was late.

"Sorry sir. I came late only today" Beena replied.

"No! You are coming late every day. I saw you with my eyes" he widened his eyes.

"Hugging and kissing in New Year parties became fashion" Sridhar told scornfully at Surya who held his head down out of shame.

"How do you know sir?" Beena asked curiously. Prof. Sridhar looked dumbstruck. "Are you there at the party? Don't tell my parents. I will come on time from tomorrow" Beena apologised.

Surya chuckled. Sridhar stared at him seriously. Surya stopped his laugh.

"Come in time. Or else your parents should come and meet me" Sridhar warned her. "Surya. You will meet me later in the Professor room"

"Sir! Where is it?" Surya blurted out of anxiety. Sridhar groaned. “That’s why you should attend your duties regularly”

"Okay Sir! I will find and come" Soon, Sridhar left.

"Dude! Don't you know Professor's room?"

Beena asked out of curiosity.

Sreehitha replied “Don’t worry! I will take you there. Anyhow we have to ask for leave for a week for Bhubaneshwar conference this week" her face grinned with excitement.

"Conference! You are excited for that? Is this the 'Sreehitha' I knew or an imposter?" Surya eyeballed at her.

"i***t! I am going to my hometown using this as a cloak" she punched him on his arm.

"Well that sounds like a good idea."

Surya remembered the Swamiji’s suggestion to plan Pondicherry trip.

He went a little far away and made some phone calls. "Even I will exploit these leaves"

"What's cooking up?"

"I am organising a trip to Pondicherry" Surya told with a glee.

Sreehitha and Surya removed slippers and silently slipped into the mildly furnished room with a table at the centre, surrounded by chairs and a bench at the far end of the room. There was another opening which leads to Operation Theatre. Sridhar was talking with other PGs in their blue coloured OT dress. Sreehitha planted a knock on the door to grab his attention. He looked at them "yes. Come in"

"Good morning Sir!" They both chorused. Sridhar nodded.

Surya began the conversation but choked for words. Sreehitha moved ahead and led the conversation.

"Sir! We are having conference in Bhubaneshwar. We are all going." she handed out a paper from her bag asking for a leave to attend this trip. Sridhar wore spectacles from his pockets and observed the paper keenly.

"Why are you going? It's for your seniors, right?"

"No Sir! Seniors are not allowed. They are busy with studies. It's our turn to go."

He reluctantly accepted to give the permission and was about to sign the document. "But you should come regularly once you are done with the leave"

Once they were about to leave, Prof Sridhar ordered Surya to stay back. Surya was terror stricken.

“Are you really going to the Bhubaneshwar conference?”

"Yes Sir! Why did you get the doubt?"

"I am having so many doubts on you these days. I saw so many pics of you with random girls in your f*******:. Recently you are posting so many controversy statuses."

Yes sir, that's unfortunate."

Sridhar eyeballed at him seriously. "Okay! I told whatever I have to. If you don't change it’s up to you. And you don't even need to show your logbook. I will sign blindly. I don't ask you anymore" he told bluntly.

"Thank you sir" Surya told and gave his book on which he regularly gets sign from the professor as an LKG student gets from his class teacher. Everything about the work they had done has to be mentioned and he would sign.

"I see you regularly in every bar but I don't see you here in time. I never saw you in rounds while inspecting patient"

"Sir I am attending rounds. Only yesterday I couldn't attend"

"You come whatever time you want. Why do I care? I lost hope in you" Surya looked at him with guilt. The professor scribbled something on the book and gave it to him.