CHAPTER 3
1054 Words
T
he meeting was announced at Osmania General Hospital in the chamber of the HOD of the Surgery department. It was a dark gloomy room which appeared to be a better site for mourning. A tall and hefty, dark skinned old man, with male patterned hair loss, was seated at his desk contemplating seriously over the matters on the table. He didn't understand how to deal with one particular person; he turned towards his clerk Mallaiah with a sullen expression.
"I am at my wit’s end. I don't understand how to deal with Surya! He turned out to be more troublesome than a never ending court case. How did he end up in such a mess? We need to talk about this in detail with his colleagues and seniors"
“Yes sir! I will call them inside one after the other. It might become chaotic if I send them all at once”.
Ashish, a tall and lanky dim wit young man with a dishevelled beard and malicious eyes took the seat before the HOD, feigning sincerity, tightly clutching his clipboard.
“What is that? The HOD laid his eyes over the clipboard and asked inquisitively
“Sir! I have my final exam today!” Ashish said with an idiotic grin.
Came hastily before the examination! Must be quite furious.
“What do you have to say about Surya, Ashish?"
"There's nothing to say sir! He has to be expelled from the college. He is a blot on the reputation of our hospital. He is a reckless alcoholic, is never punctual and also misbehaves with our interns. I have never come across a rogue like him. I heard that he even collects bribes from the patients to get their surgery done. He has wasted a precious MS seat. A more deserving candidate should have joined instead of this scoundrel." He excused himself and took a sip from the glass of water.
The HOD sighed heavily. Ashish slapped the table top with both his hands and yelled" You have to take an action against him". The HOD's heart skipped a beat.
Mallaiah walked in under the pretext of getting some documents signed. They had a discreet conversation. Ashish was bored and frustrated. He was looking at the ticking clock and his clipboard being anxious about the exam.
The intern Shravani was standing outside talking to her friend on the phone. “He cannot get away with this! I just asked him to stay with me. How can he reject me just like that?” Later another intern walked in and stood next to her who seemed to be her boyfriend. She immediately stopped the conversation and ended the call. She leisurely looked at Ashish, who fidgeted a bit. Their eyes locked and he eventually ended up day dreaming being absent-minded about the HOD’s presence.
“I heard that you were telling your juniors that female interns can be seduced more easily than PGs” the HOD interjected. Ashish was taken aback. “Shame on you! Now you are complaining about your junior?” At the moment another professor was passing there. The HOD immediately changed his tone to a quieter one and said "Thank you for your valuable time, Ashish".
"It's my pressure... Sorry pleasure sir!" he faltered being bewildered with sudden change in his tone. "Sir! Don't forget to debar him!”
The HOD asked peevishly "Who is the next?"
"Wazir!" Mallaiah called out aloud. Wazir walked bearing wide rimmed red spectacles with a quite eerie appearance.
"So, Wazir! What would you like to say about Surya?"
"Tormenting!" He gulped a sip of water from the same glass which Ashish took. “He never followed our orders. He always did what he felt was good. Yesterday he even skipped his duty."
HOD took a sigh. Again, Wazir gulped a sip and regurgitated a little! Eww! The HOD immediately gave the glass to the clerk
"Fill this up with freshwater. Wait! Don’t ever keep any water here.” The clerk complied.
"Never mind!" HOD gestured Wazir to continue his story
"Once we asked him to shift a patient to the OT for an amputation. He shifted the patient and went to the mess for dinner."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Isn’t he supposed to be with the patient?"
"Who was going to operate?" "I was to operate."
"Where were you then?”
“I was already eating sir!" He said unabashedly. The HOD scratched his head helplessly "Never mind! You can leave"
He looked at Mallaiah and shrugged. "Okay! Call the next person! I have to go home quickly, otherwise my wife will kick me out of my home" "You are funny sir! It’s Shravani!" One’s tragedy is always someone else’s comedy
A pale girl, wearing a sleeveless purple dress, with cunning face walked in and took a seat. She began crying relentlessly. The HOD couldn't bear the melodrama! "Shut up". His sharp words sliced through the air. She looked stunned as her tear drops trickled down her red and puffy eyes. The HOD sniffed around, and asked what that smell was. She nervously told "Zandu balm". HOD looked with suspicion. "For headache sir",
Zandu balm to cry and pepper spray to make someone cry. Girls these days! "Let's come to the point! What happened?"
"Surya sir once called me and told that he would take classes to me” “Okay...” He was waiting for the punch line.
"In his room sir!" The HOD and the clerk exchanged looks.
"One day he messaged me that he desperately wanted to see me. If I don't go to his room alone, I will suffer"
"Do you have any proof?"
She showed a screen shot to him. “IF I GET DESPERATE, YOU INTERNS WILL SUFFER" How many girls will show the same screen shot?
"Okay you can leave now."
She was about to leave but returned to the seat "If you don't mind, can you put SPF ‘Student Protective Force’ to my home. The baffled HOD clasped both his hands,
"I will take care of you. If you are the intern, I have to keep PPF. PGs’ Protection Force. Please just leave!” She thanked him and left.
The HOD turned to the clerk, "See that is some bullshit! If she didn't leave soon, I would have sent WPF, Wife Protection Force to my home," said peevishly thinking about his wife's illegitimate affair.
"Why sir?" asked Mallaiah, not understanding the context of the sentence.
"Never mind" the HOD scratched his head out of disappointment that a precious joke was wasted.
- Writer
