CHAPTER 10
1808 Words
T
he clock on the wall struck 10 AM. Haridas, the S.R, started his rounds. The seniors followed him to each and every patient and they mumbled indiscreetly. Surya had not arrived yet reached. Haridas noticed his absence. "Where is Surya?"
"I don't know sir! Maybe he’s stuck in some bar," Taniya giggled.
Soon, with rocket speed, Surya dashed into the ward. His beard was trimmed and hair was well-groomed. He was wearing a new pair of spectacles and a well ironed casual shirt.
Haridas was astonished, "What is this sudden transformation?"
"Our professor opened my eyes. I will be a proper student now."
"You are following all his guidelines. But you missed one thing" SR told with a conflicted expression.
"What sir?"
"Punctuality" Haridas told raising his eyebrow. Surya flustered a second "I was late because of the haircut."
"This is not your new dress. I saw you in the barber shop yesterday! So stop your drama and tell me what exactly happened" Haridas folded his hands being stubborn.
Surya went into flash back recalling the incidents happened the before day.
He went along with his friend Faizaan to Dock 45. He was having a great time - enjoying the drinks and dancing to the music. He reached the bar counter and asked for a Blenders Pride with coke. The bartender mixed his drink and handed it to him. Surya and took a sip and thought about how he had played the trick with his seniors. That’s when he noticed a brunette with sparkling eyes, high cheekbones and high brow line. She was wearing a shimmering sleeveless black dress. Surya glimpsed at her for a moment and they said “You?” in unison rather comically and then burst into laughter.
"I never thought I would meet you again", Sandhya exclaimed. “Fate is twisted! You never know where you’ll end up." Surya accepted with a nod. He gulped a vodka shot and moved a tequila towards her.
She told “No! I don’t want to drink” He tried to convince her, "Come on! Try this once. The treat is on me. Come on Fathima!”
“Fathima? Who is she?”
“Never mind! It’s a bad story!”
“I am all ears. Tell me” Surya was about to move away hesitantly. Sandhya grabbed his hands “Sorry! You don’t need to tell me about her” Surya gave her a painful smile. They stared at each other nervously and had a shot of tequila. Sandhya found the silence unbearable.
“Okay! What was the treat about” she tried to ease the air by changing the topic. Surya told about the incidents that had happened. Especially the way he had blackmailed his seniors.
“Whoa! This definitely calls for a party.” Sandhya pushed a shot of Tequila towards him.
"How was it? Hot, cool, sour, sweet?" She asked.
"I feel like drinking one more." Surya bought her more drinks, she was hesitating but drinking. "This is the last one" Surya warned her. She gave him a wide grin and rested her head on his shoulder. She parted her lips and tried to kiss his cheeks. Surya grumbled. She became aware and regained control of herself.
“Love problem?” Surya hesitated to look at her. “Yeah I can see that” She rose from her chair and clambered on her way. Surya held her gently and took her out of the bar.
“Okay! You’ve had enough. You are too drunk. Let’s go!”
“NO!” She set herself free from his grip, pivoted on her heels “One more tequila,” she shouted at the bartender from a distance. Surya gestured him to stop. He paid the bill and left the pub with her. Faizaan saw them leave together. He didn’t interfere and let them go. The guard at the exit gave them a warm smile and greeted them. Surya smiled back and gave him a tip.
He successfully took her in his car to her home. She was teasing, making jokes while she sat next to him in the front seat. But he ignored her and asked her about the route to her home. But she intentionally played with him by giving wrong directions. He rummaged through her purse. He came across something strange in the purse. The object was shaped like a plastic gun. Maybe it’s a toy gun for kids. He searched further and found her ID card which had her address.
“No! I don’t live there anymore. I will show you a place. Let’s go there. She led him to a house. Her parents were not at home at the moment. He slowly opened the doors, entered, and turned on the lights while she was sprawled over him in a semi-conscious state. He took her upstairs and tucked her into the bed. He dozed off there out of exhaustion.
“Who is Fathima?” Sandhya mumbled incoherently. His eyes welled up with tears. What shall I say? That I killed her? I rewound the incident thousands of times thinking if I could have done something different to protect her. I can’t change the past, can I? Slowly he fell asleep.
In a few hours, it was time for sunrise. When he woke up she was not beside him. He got out of the bed lazily and stretched his body. An old man with a thick beard and puffy face crossed him.
Surya indignantly asked "Who the hell are you? Why have you come to my home? Hey watchman! Who allowed this bearded wild man into my home?" He looked nastily at the man and added, "and he looks like a chain snatcher"
The old man became furious "Who the hell are you?"
"YOU came into my home and are asking me who I am" said Surya nudged his right shoulder. The old man got exasperated.
" You came into my home and you are asking me to get out!" retorted the old man. Snorting out air like a wild bull. Surya was reminded of the Character 'Bikshu Yadav' in the famous Telugu movie 'Sye'.
“What are you ...." Surya pushed him again and glanced at the surroundings. He was aghast, his voice quivered "…saayyyiing". He was bewildered. He couldn’t fathom how he ended up there. It was not his house. There were photos of Sandhya on the wall.
"Uncle, once listen to me! I can explain," Surya beseeched him.
"Okay, I am listening!” Surya wondered how to explain, so he thought for a while and said "Uncle! Your daughter and I like each other."
"How dare you to say that?" You came into my home and slept in my daughter's bed room and now you are saying you love my daughter!" Sandhya was outside the bedroom. She took a glimpse of what was happening inside. She nervously asked "Dad, when did you return from Tirupati? I thought you were going to arrive tomorrow!"
"I came here at midnight. OH! You think you can bring boys in my absence?" the old man scowled. "Are you in love with this guy?" She exclaimed, "What?"
“This man has claimed that loves you.”
Surya gave a ‘please-manage-this’ look to Sandhya. "Yeah! Yeah!” She blurted out anxiously. We have been in love with each other for..." She looked at him for help "...for 6months uncle" Surya chimed in.
"Does that give you the authority to come to my daughter's bedroom?"
"Sandhya called me last night and said that she was scared. She’d heard some noise outside in the compound. So, she called me for security"
The Old man's face was little softened but not sympathetic enough.
"And we both slept in different rooms! Sandhya just came here from another room.'' She nodded in agreement with a nervous smile on her face.
She began the melodrama "You don't know how terrified I was last night! I heard a thud and I couldn't sleep. I thought it was some robber" and she feigned crying. Her father softened and looked sympathetic,
"It's okay dear! I can understand! Even your mom used to call me in the middle of the night like this" Surya and Sandhya looked were relieved to hear that.
"Who is this?" A woman clad in a saree with grey hair and slightly wrinkled skin asked. She had a cup of coffee in her hand.
"He came here to protect our daughter. You used to ask me to come over too when you were scared."
"Don’t say that in front of the kids!" she nudged him and blushed.
“So yours is a love marriage?" Surya asked inquisitively.
"Yeah! All the marriages in my family were love marriages," he pointed at an old family photo. "That's my father and mother, next to them his father and mother. At the right corner are my..."
Surya felt that the branches of the family tree were choking his neck. “It’s okay uncle! I got the point! You have a lovely family". The old man smiled proudly.
“Tell me how much you love my daughter?"
Surya desperately wished for this nonsense to stop. He looked into Sandhya’s eyes and said, "I... " his voice was faltering and he looked flustered, finally mustered all his courage "I love her to the moon and back! I can jump into the ocean or climb Mount Everest for her ...”
Surya fluttered his eyes for a second "Yeah! I will jog in Talakona jungle "Sandhya looked weirdly when she heard the phrase 'Jogging in Talakona'.
"That sounds good! Bring your dad tomorrow”
Sandhya intervened "Dad! I met him a few days ago"
"I thought you were in deep love?"
"Uncle! I am deeply in love with her. But I don’t know yet how much she likes me back...”
"Oh! Kids these days!" he shrugged his shoulders and went away. Both of them heaved a deep sigh of relief and burst into laughter. Her mother came into the hall, Sandhya kicked his leg, which made him alert and hushed.
"Have breakfast before you leave!"
"It's okay Aunty! I have had enough already."
"Huh?"
"I will have it at home. I have some urgent work! I have to leave now. Bye Sandhya!" Surya gave her a peck on her cheeks and went away. Sandhya was stunned. She began blushing. She followed him till the gate to see him off.
"That's what happened Sir." Surya gave a hesitant smile.
Haridas broke into laughter. "I don't understand Surya! You did exactly the opposite of what the Chief said. He asked you to stay away from girls. Now you got caught with another one in the bedroom"
"I overheard your conversation with the Chief yesterday”
Surya looked embarrassed.
"By the way, have you deactivated your social media accounts yet?"
"No sir! I forgot to do that" he said with a grin on his face.
“Good! The Chief saw that you were active on f*******:. Especially that shirtless picture of yours where you are flaunting your abs. "
"OMG!"
"That's not the end. He also read your status in which you ranted about your colleagues"
"s**t!!"
"He called your parents and asked them to meet the HOD! Good luck!"
Surya stood there terror-stricken.
- Writer
