-Written By Aditi Goswami
(Reading Time: 5 min Approx)
The blood report confirmed what no one wanted confirmation on. It was what no one believes can happen to their loved ones … and never to their own family member.
As is a natural reaction, to the report in their shaky hands, family members expressed angst at the lab that handed them that report. They swore to get the blood sample re-examined from a different lab. What a blunder … How can a reputed lab do this … Rubbish … What gross negligence … were just a few words that were spoken aloud. What went on in their minds is best left unsaid …
Lab after lab, test after test, opinion after opinion … second, third, fourth … no one said anything different.
All hands went up in prayers.
As the family united to come together to brave the inevitable, each one said their prayers silently.
The Granny said: “Take me in place of her. Let her live.”
The Father said: “This is curable. I am a Doctor. I can tell.”
The Mom said: “I accept it if this is what YOU want but let there be very little suffering.”
The Brothers said: “We wish it away. Let it go. We never asked for it. Send it away, right away.”
The Boyfriend said: “This isn’t the ‘Love Story’ I wanted to come true.”
There was no single day when the prayers were not being said. The family visited Temples, Gurdwaras, Mosques and Churches. They said their prayers in all languages, all non-verbal languages too, but … God was not listening it seemed. The prayers were not being heard.
What was heart-warming about the family was they were all reassuring each other; at times with a touch on the back, (that gently said: “It’ll all be well”), press of a hand (that conveyed: “I understand”), and a brave smile on their lips. Heart of heart everyone was sinking but their faces never let that out.
Each member of the family took turns to be the nurse, attendant, or care taker. Nothing else mattered in the years that were. No one remembered how many years have gone by since the fateful day of that incorrect blood report.
Things became a routine. Pain and more pain. Suffering and more suffering. Weeks full of pain turned into months full of agony, months full of agony turned into years full of tears.
One could only measure time by realizing, the frail granny who had counted her prayer beads a million times a day, was no more. The Father had now become the Head of the Department. The Mother had quit her job as a school teacher and is now a full-time nurse to her. The elder brother had started his first job. The younger brother was studying medicine too, perhaps he wanted to cure her when he was a qualified doctor himself.
Then came a time when all prayers changed.
The Father said: “It’s only a matter of a few days now. I am a Doctor. I can tell.”
The Mom said: “Let her go, peacefully.”
The Brothers said: “Let her go, let her have no pain anymore.”
The Boyfriend said: “Let her go. She will come back for us to write a new Love Story.”
This time the prayers were heard.
-Written By Aditi Goswami
