Sophia's Freedom

Chapter 12: Journal: The Training

Today is the fourth day and there has been no change in Sophia's condition. I saw Master da coming to the hospital today and meeting with the doctor. As usual, Vikash was still sleeping in his car, and so I called Vikash up and the 3 of us entered the doctor's chamber.

 The doctor on seeing me replied "Oh well, I was about to call you two. It's good that the 3 of you are gathered here at the same time. I have some important news to share with you."

Master da sternly looked at the doctor and asked, "What is the matter? Is something wrong?"

The doctor replied "We have been keeping a close tab on the child, but there seems to be some issue. We went through the child's medical condition and had a word with the Aunt when she was first admitted, about medical history."

Vikash asked the doctor what he was trying to imply.

The Doctor replied "I believe this is not the first time the child has been through such serious trauma. Looking at the child's condition, I am willing to bet my career that this child has been in coma previously too."

Master Da asked "How sure are you? What makes you come to this conclusion?"

The Doctor replied "I am absolutely sure. MRI scans reveal the extent of trauma or injuries borne by the child's body in the past, most of which are still healing. But the problem is when I asked for the medical history of the child from the guardians, they outrightly denied such conditions for her. As a matter of fact, it feels like the Aunt is suffering from denial syndrome."

"I don't understand. What are you trying to say?" I asked.

Master Da explained to me that "It is a defense mechanism implemented by a person, in which they suppress the existence or memory of an incident or the event which is extremely painful or traumatic for the individual. This is mostly treated through medications or hypnosis."

The Doctor continued "Every now and then she keeps referring to someone vaguely. She keeps speaking about someone dead once, came back to life, cannot die again which does not make any sense. I tried to coerce the truth out of her but every time she is revealing some absurdities. What I have come to infer from her gibberish is that she is probably trying to communicate about somebody being in a coma once before and having survived it."

We left the doctor's chamber and I turned to Master Da and Vikash, "The only thing I can conclude right now is that all this gibberish by Aunty is an act to cover up her wrongdoing with Sophia. No matter how much she pretends to love her, after what I gather the other night, I am never going to trust her."

Master Da also agreed to what I said and left for home. Vikash and I went back to Sophia's room and found uncle and aunty sitting next to her. I told uncle that I am going home and will be back later in the evening. Saying this we left.

As I reached home, I thought about catching up on the journal a bit more. However, it dawned on me that I will have to spend the night in the hospital again, so I opted for a nap instead. I woke up late in the evening and had a late lunch again. By the time I was back at the hospital, it was already 6 o'clock.

Aunty didn't say much and left the hospital once I reached there.

Uncle asked me "Son you have done enough for Sophia. I think you should go home and take a rest."

I replied "It's fine uncle. I feel proud to be of any help for a good soul like you. Besides, in another week I will have to return to my boarding school until then let me enjoy it to the fullest, instead you should take some rest."

He kept mum probably in agreement with my justification, went to the corner of the room, and sat on the couch. I took out the diary and continued reading the next entries.

                                                                 10th March 1992

Today we had our last exam and it was my favorite subject Social Science. I was excited because dad is coming the day after tomorrow. I am going to Purulia with him for a vacation. It has been 2 months since I've seen dad. I met Monica today after the exam and found her in a very happy mood. I have enquired about how her exam was, and she said that Aarohi has guided her very well and she was able to answer all the questions.

I was happy with Monika's answer. After the exam, our school principal made an announcement in our class. He announced that on the 26th of March there will be a selection trial for the school sub-junior basketball team.10 players would be selected who will be trained by our PT instructor.

The team will represent the school at a district-level tournament. The top 3 teams in the tournament will represent the district at a state-level tournament. During this whole process, sports agents from the Sports Authority of India will scrutinize individual skills. Talented players will get the opportunity to train with the professionals in S.A.I. Training School. The schedule is devised to select the national squad for Youth Olympics to be held in Space Coast Florida 2 years from now in 1994.

I was very thrilled by this news and wanted to go for the trials. But that would mean cutting short the vacations dad had planned for us.

                                                   11th March 1992

I was woken up at 4 o'clock by Aarohi. She told me that everyone in the family is planning to go out to Dakshineswar Kali Maa temple to offer prayers. It was one hour drive from our home. Aamaya di came and said that if we don't want to go, it's perfectly fine. I wanted to go with them, but for some reason, Aarohi didn't want me to go. For some reason, I decided to listen to her and decided to stay back. The family left home by 6 o'clock.

Later on, I decided to ask Aarohi the reason, why she didn't want to go, and then she told me about a family secret. I came to know from her that they come to this temple every year on the birth anniversary of uncle's eldest sons. She told me that uncle had 2 sons Aarhon and Abhishek. They were twins. Aarhon dada committed suicide 7 years ago, no one knows the truth except Aamaya di. As for Abhishek dada, he was born different and because of his condition, he doesn't stay with us.

They are going to meet Abhishek dada once they complete their prayers. Occasionally Abhishek dada comes to this house once a year, but during those days, no one is allowed to make fun of him, or laugh at his theatrics. If anyone disobeys uncle, uncle gets really mean. If someone other than the family members makes fun of Abhishek dada, the repercussions are very unpleasant.

I was not convinced with her answer, why would a parent want to keep their eldest child separated from the family just because they are different, and then she told me that Abhishek dada had a medical condition called Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. He looks like a boy but was born with female organs. He gets really uncomfortable with girls around him.

Uncle's tried everything possible, including seeking help from an Occultist, to help Abhishek dada live a normal life, but no matter how much he tried, nothing helped him. Aarohi told me that she gets really scared when he is around because he is very mean. Sometimes he behaves like a psycho.

Aarohi also said that some rumors are making rounds in the neighborhood. A few days before Aarhon dada committed suicide, there was another member who lost her life a few days ago. However, she is not sure how much of that is true and none of the family members talk about it.

The family was back home by 7:30 in the evening.

*** For once, I felt sorry for the members of the family. It felt really strange knowing that there are certain rare medical conditions that really take a toll on a family. I wonder if this boy Abhishek would have been normal, would they have treated Sophia better. But does it mean, what aunty or the family was doing to Sophia every day was a repercussion because Sophia might have dared to make fun of Abhishek? I had no answer to this. ***

                                                                       12th March 1992

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and was eagerly waiting for dad to arrive. Uncle asked me to keep my bags ready as I must leave for Purulia with dad as he arrives. At around 11 o'clock dad arrived with his usual Army convoy.

Uncle told me that Aarohi and Aamaya didi are going with us to Purulia for the vacation. I was overjoyed by the news that my sisters will be my companion during this vacation. I would be missing Monica. During our journey, I told dad about the basketball selection that is going to be held on the 26th of March.

Dad got very enthusiastic about the trial and encouraged the three of us to attend it. I conveyed my interest in the trial, but also added that I don't know how to play basketball. As we were sitting on the rear seat, Dad turned around and said if that's what bothering us then we need not worry. He will ask Lt. Sagar to train us. He plays basketball for the national team and has just been commissioned to the Indian Army a couple of years back.

I voiced my doubt if Captain Sagar would be able to prepare us before the trial? Dad replied that if his instructions are followed properly and with sincere effort we will be at our best. We reached Purulia at 9:00 p.m.

                                                                         13th March 1992

I was in for a surprise today morning. After we had a hearty breakfast, dad picked up the phone and made a few calls. Dad told us that there are two surprises in store for us and one of them was especially for The Three Musketeers. I asked how he knew that we identify ourselves as “The Three Musketeers"? I got the reply that he is my dad and he will always know everything.

At around 9 o'clock I saw someone entering our house through the main gate. A boy accompanied by Monika arrived and shared greetings with us. Monika introduced her brother Joe to us and mentioned that he was studying in Sainik school. Her brother, probably in a hurry, shook hands with dad and sought his permission to leave as he had some work to do and informed that he would come later in the day to pick up Monica.

I told brother Joe that he need not worry and we will arrange to drop her home in the evening. Monika told me that she lives nearby and during the vacations, all the family members gather in Purulia every year for a couple of weeks. After half an hour Lt. Sagar came and started training us.

*** Oh My God!!! I don't believe this; I had actually met Lt. Col. Banerjee. The man whom I desperately wished to meet was actually in front of me and I was so busy with my selfish stuff that I didn't bother to talk or get to know him. How can you be so stupid Joe? You are an i***t. I could not help but feel extremely frustrated with myself at my stupidity and had the urge to bang my head against the wall in remorse. I met all of them for real and now I don't recall anyone because I didn't pay attention at that time. But I recall not seeing Aunty or any of the girls that day. ****

                                                           14th March 1992

Lt. Sagar ordered us to be on the basketball court by 6:30 in the morning. Monica also wanted to get trained with us, so she was also on the field in time. The first thing Sagar sir did was to order his orderly to treat the four of us with a glass of milk each. He said that this is special and will help us get strong. As I took a sip, it tested like raw eggs were mixed with the milk and we nearly puked. When I asked him about my suspicion, he confirmed it. We had to finish the glass of milk, which we did by squeezing our nostrils with our thumb and forefinger after which our training began. We had 3 breaks and training continued till 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We were very exhausted.

Aamaya didi got angry at Sagar sir for his harsh schedule. She retaliated with the comment that we are not in the army but normal human beings. Sagar sir asked calmly, do you mean to say that those people who join the Army are superheroes?  No, we are normal human beings just like you or anybody else, and besides the training you underwent today is nothing compared to the training schedule of the coaches at the Sports Authority of India.

'If you really want to get selected for the tournament and make your parents proud, you need to put your heart and soul into this training and your chances will be better with this strict regime. I want you to think beyond just participating in the trials but work seriously to attain your goal of making it to the team.'

***I liked the way Sagar sir has formulated the training schedule for the kids and trying to motivate them to fulfill their dreams. I remember going through a similar regime during my training days too. I continued reading the next entries. ***

                                                             20th March 1992

As usual, our training continued. The extraordinary diet of milk with the raw eggs continued too. Sagar sir told us that he is going to teach us a very important lesson today. We were told that 2 of his colleagues from the army will come, at his request, to play a match with us. Dad also joined us for the match. One of the army man who joined us was a tall fair guy, about 5'10''in height, and the other was a well-built guy of similar height as my father.

The well-built guy kept using a word that I figured to be slang. Later, when I asked dad about it he told me that the literal meaning of the word is 'greasy'. However, he advised me to refrain from using it in front of others lest they consider it offensive.

Sagar sir told us that the four of us will be playing a game against the 4 army men. We were shocked, considering that the 4 of them were much bigger, faster, and better than us. We stood no chance against them. We played with them for about 45 minutes and we lost. After the game as we sat down on the field for some rest dad asked us, what did we learn from the match. Aamaya di replied that we were hopeless.

Dad's response to Amaya di’s reply is encouraging. He said that our performance is not totally hopeless, considering the fact we are playing against a much stronger and skilful team. But Aarohi and Monika, 2 members of our team, managed to score against all odds. The reason they could score was that they were fast and they had moves. Always keep in mind, basketball is a game of speed and skill.

***I continued reading through the chapters. Over the remaining days, Lt. Sagar trains them extensively and one of the entries also stated that he taught the 4 children how to score a point from the central line.

In-spite of all the difficulties in learning the techniques in quick time, Monica and Aarohi excelled in grasping the game very fast. Among the four, they have shown great promise and Sagar sir's clear favourite. Both of them could score the three-pointers with as much ease as professionals.

Wow!!! I never knew about Monica's immense skill in basketball. This officer might have taught them a few good tricks to calibrate their learning.

Abhinu writes that in every match at the starting point when they enter and go to the centre of the court, they were taught to touch the central line with both their hands, bow down and touch the ground with their forehead to seek blessings from Mother Earth and pay their respects to the game. This was a very nice and familiar gesture, they were taught.

Wow!!! now I remember, this was the same move, Sophia did the day we played basketball. Does that mean that Aarohi and Sophia are the same person? ***

                                                              TO BE CONTINUED…

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