Chapter 6
The lone doctor sitting in the intern's lounge was lost in gloom.
The environment at KGH had been strange for a weird reason. Mallika had asked all the staff to assemble in the conference room for an important announcement early that day.
And what an announcement it had been! Nidhi winced inwardly as she recollected the event. They had trooped in the conference room early keeping in mind their busy schedules and were surprised to see Ashutosh there alongwith Mallika.
His face was blank. Any attempt to talk to him or draw a response from him was entirely unsuccessful.
Curious faces looked at each other, trying to fathom the impending news.
"Doctors and Interns, paramedics, nurses and everyone around here..." Mallika cleared her throat and the clatter abruptly died down. "I thank you sincerely to attend this meeting here, at a moment's notice, keeping in mind your busy schedules. Mind you, the announcement today is well worth it..."
The audience listened spellbound.
"As you are all aware of, Dr Ashutosh has been severely handicapped due to a memory loss following an accident a couple of weeks ago. And I took charge of the hospital to ensure the day to day administration. I sincerely solicit your co-operation in doing so and for the future challenges that I am going to face..."
Mallika paused dramatically and the audience waited with a bated breath.
"Fate has thrown another challenge to me now. Dr Ashutosh, who has been my very close friend for the past 12 yrs, has suddenly expressed his desire in getting married to me!"
Reaction from the audience was something short of dramatic. Random spurts of gasps and sputtering broke through the silence as ripples breaking due to a pebble thrown in a still lake.
Nidhi's world spun around her.
Ashutosh had forgotten her? Nah, that was next to impossible.
She had no recollection of the events thereafter: walking back to the intern's lounge and collapsing in one of the chairs therein, Priyanka rushing to her to find if she was OK, then Mallika, strutting around like a queen addressing the lowest order of one's subordinates.
"Tsk, tsk...Nidhi. I simply pity you. You should have known by this time. Now it is high time you forgot about him and married your fianc!"
Nidhi looked around helplessly, her eyes filling up rapidly. Mallika continued her badgering unrelented.
"You see, his memory has been wiped clean. He doesn't remember anything or anybody from the past but somehow believes that I have a link to his future. I thought for a while and then consulted neurologists, who gave me a thumbs-up sign for this. They all unanimously opined that this would help his chances of recovery...here, have a tissue!"
Tears overflowed from Nidhi's eyes and Mallika tut-tutted further.
"So, it would be in his best interests and yours too, if you moved on!"
"Dr Mallika...Ma'm.." a tentative voice from the door put an halt to the tirade. Mallika whirled around and her face broke in a wide smile.
"Dr Ranganath! Where were you?"
"I got caught with a vendor. Anyways, I came to know about the good news recently. Congratulations!"
Mallika bowed, her face glowing. So some acceptance of the event had started trickling in.
"Thank you!"
"And Ma'm, if you would come for sometime in your cabin, there are a couple of formalities to be completed vis-a vis the transfer..."
The sound of the banging door brought Nidhi to some sort of present. Yes, she had to move on. But where? Somewhere else, but not here anymore. She couldn't breathe. Trembling uncertain fingers fished out her mobile and dialled a number. It was answered at the third ring.
------
Armaan, a rotund man looked up from the files as a woman holding a file walked in the boutique.
"Yes, how may I help you?"
"Mr Armaan?"
"Yes, Do I know you?"
"I have to hand over something to you. Can we talk somewhere?"
"Sure, please come inside to my office"
Suhasini followed Armaan to his office, located in a secluded offshoot of the studio. Armaan slid his bulk in his chair and waved at her.
"How may I..." The rest of the request was swallowed as Suhasini put a file on the table. Suhasini's voice was a little more than a whisper as her host reached out to the file.
"I have been asked to convey this to you..."
Armaan was quick with his response. It suddenly made sense to him. A few days back, he had been surprised to note an unknown number calling out to him. He had cautiously returned the call.
Tears had flown unabashed after that as he realized that his childhood buddy was hale and hearty. And then he kept a watch for the same number calling him, which was quite expected, but then this woman today...
Suhasini cleared her throat and Armaan jerked back to the present.
"Where did you get this from? And how is Ashutosh?
"He is fine. He is with Didi, i.e Dr Mallika happens to be my sister-in law..." Suhasini paused dramatically, "And they both have decided to get married!"
"What?" to say that Armaan was startled was quite an understatement.
"And what about...Nidhi? Does she know?"
Suhasini shrugged. "I have no idea about her. But Didi told me right in the presence of Ashutosh and he didn't object, so..." Her voice trailed away. "He passed on this file to me with such secrecy so that I pass it on to you, and also hinted that I do the wedding shopping from your boutique!"
"Secrecy? But why?"
"I have no idea, but this is what happened...I was asked to get them tea and snacks..." Suhasini had enough sense to omit her contribution to the whole saga.
"OK..." So it made sense, Armaan smiled to himself as Suhasini relayed the clandestine manner in which the file was conveyed to her to be passed on to him. His friend was a prisoner or a victim of some sort of blackmail, but what? and why? The message to him was quite clear.
He was expected to find out about the house deal. How did the papers land up with Mallika? Was the purchaser of the house, one Mr Bagchi, related to her? Seemed likely. Armaan knew about the desperate situation brought on to Nidhi leading to the sale of the house. Even then, Armaan had pledged his support to the helpless woman, the love interest of his friend.
"So Mr Armaan, when can I come for my further purchases? As you know, the wedding is round the corner..." Armaan jerked back to the present with the query. He smiled and replied carefully.
"Any time. And let me know in advance, so that our best artisans can be put to your service. And the outfittees have to be present for the fitting session, so that the best service is delivered to them for the landmark day of their life!"
He placed a business card on the table and scribbled a number.
"Just give me a call before you plan the shopping trip!"
"Sure, Mr Armaan. I will convey all this to Didi"
Suhasini left soon thereafter, content that her work was done, but totally unaware of the fact that she had been followed all along. And that the follower had totally missed out on the intention of the shopping trip.
Aditya, by years of experience, had been vary of his wife's shopping trips. And now that his sister had announced her wedding...he had never been so relieved in life. It solved two things. First and foremost, his sister was on the way to some sort of emotional anchoring in life. And secondly, it would end the infatuation that his wife had for that fellow Ashutosh.
So when she announced her decision that day, after breakfast, to go for shopping, his sixth sense went on full alert. What sort of budgeting was planned here? he had no idea. Then a brainwave struck him.
He then called up ahead, asking for leave for the day, earning a growl from his reporting manager, and then followed his wife to the boutique.
He was mildly surprised when his wife entered a well-known boutique, slightly on the expensive side. Mentally imagining the hole in his pocket, he lingered on the pavement, armed with a newspaper to kill time.
He had barely glanced through the headlines and then jerked up in pure shock.
Hey...what was that? His wife's shopping was done so soon?
He secreted himself behind a pillar and watched as his wife emerged from the boutique, empty handed and hail a cab. Maybe to see outfits elsewhere? For the umpteenth time that day, Aditya cursed himself for getting married to such a spendthrift.
This was not a time to waste! He hailed another cab.
"See that cab? My wife is there in it. Follow it quietly. And here is your tip..." The cabbie driver grinned in the rear view mirror. So this gentleman thought his wife had gone astray, eh? Quite natural.
Aditya leaned forward in excitement and then frowned in bewilderment as his wife's cab entered the lane that led to his home. So this was not a shopping expedition at all? Perfectly. It all had begun to fit in. The heavy shopping parcels were missing. He sighed in relief, assuming that his bank balance was still undented.
He dismissed the cab a few blocks before and opted to walk the remaining distance, lost in thought. Had he missed something?
------
Dr Ranganath was expecting the call. Rohan, Nidhi's fianc, had called him and asked for an appointment for an extremely personal reason. Ranganath, sensing the urgency, had agreed to meet him in a cafe nearby.
Rohan was waiting for him and they exchanged pleasantries.
"So Mr Rohan...what can I do for you?"
"Dr Ranganath, what exactly is happening?"
Dr Ranganath was genuinely perplexed.
"Happening...where?"
Rohan decided to cut the pretence.
"I heard that Dr Ashutosh and Dr Mallika are getting married?"
"That was announced, yes..."
"And Nidhi? What about her?"
"I thought she was engaged to you!"
Rohan thought for a while. It was high time for a breakthrough.
"Dr Ranganath, let me be clear on one point..."Rohan talked for more than ten minutes and it was a very shaken Ranganath who left the cafe. What the hell was happening here?
-----
Luck was not favouring Aditya that day.
He approached the turn that led to his house just in time to see Suhasini venture out, a second time, with a vegetable basket in her hand. Mallika had left early that day to the hospital and Bunty, as usual, was at school.
Mentally debating in favour of and against hailing his wife for the house keys, he cursed himself for the umpteenth time that day for mental incompetence. His wife had no idea that he had applied for leave for the day. Had she discovered him there, she would have certainly thrown a fit.
Another loss of pay? Are you out of your mind, Aditya?
He walked round the house to the backyard. The bungalow had a door which opened to the backyard, which led to the kitchen through a small washing area. If luck would have had it, the servant maid would not have left and door would be open. So, he could get in the house that way and make his way to the bedroom. His wife would take at least a couple of hours in the vegetable market. After that, she may make it to one of her serials that kept her glued to the screen. Then Bunty would be back, and his mother would hanker after him for the homework. And thus he would escape detection till night.
Ah, the door was open. He heaved a sigh of relief and opened it gingerly. He could discern a small washing area, holding the quintessential washing machine, with its lid open; maybe the servant maid was about airing clothes on the terrace? A small wrought iron staircase wound its way to the top, presumably to the terrace and a spare bedroom.
Aditya had never seen this part of the house. His sister had once casually remarked about the spare bedroom, wherein she kept her books and other things, it was more of a storage room. Anyways, her capacity to store things was phenomenal: right from letters written in the childhood to the electricity bills for the past decade or so, his sister was a squirrel and never threw anything away.
A noise from the terrace alerted him: someone was coming down the staircase. Probably the maid, Aditya deduced as he hurried into the kitchen and made his way to his bedroom. He could not afford to be seen even by the blasted maid servant, who would squeal promptly to his wife.
Aditya had missed out on one thing: the person coming down the staircase was not the maid servant at all...
----
"Dr Ranganath, I am announcing my resignation..." Nidhi placed a slim envelope on his table. Ranganath was not shocked. In fact, this was almost expected from the day Mallika had announced her wedding. But still he tried, a last ditch effort to stop her.
"I understand, Dr Nidhi. But then why? You are doing quite well here..."
"Do I need to give a reason for putting my papers?"
"I can assume a few things, right, Dr Nidhi? Why are you mixing personal and professional life?"
"There is no personal life left for me anymore. And with Dr Mallika in charge here, even my professional life has come to a standstill. So..." Dr Nidhi left a bitter part of her statement unarticulated. And Ranganath was too sharp, similar concerns were being voiced from other interns as well.
"OK, Dr Nidhi. I wish you all the best! And keep in touch!" He hastily scribbled an acceptance signature on the paper. Nidhi exited the room without a backward glance.
-------
Armaan's boutique was unusually busy that day. Suhasini had called ahead to book an appointment for Mallika and Ashutosh for their wedding outfits. And true to his word, Armaan had promised to be there and supervise things personally.
At the dot, Mallika and Ashutosh entered the boutique, chaperoned by Suhasini and Aditya. Armaan strode forward to receive them.
"Hi Ashutosh..." Ashutosh gave him a blank look. Aditya shepherded him away with an arm round his shoulders.
"He doesn't remember anything, Sir..."
Armaan had a small smile on his face. "Of course. So let's proceed. What sort of ensemble would you like to buy for him?"
Aditya was quick with the choices: the finances were not an issue anyways. His sister had given her card with a carte-blanche permission. Armaan quickly assigned one of the lady assistants to help Mallika and Suhasini and himself offered to help Ashutosh. He hailed his assistant, Ahmed.
"Get a tape: let me take his measurements for a better fitting..."
"Ok Sir!"
Aditya sauntered off to the ladies section wherein his wife and sister were looking at some sarees. As soon as he was out of earshot, Armaan grasped Ashutosh's arm.
"Ok, now tell me. What is the matter?"
Ashutosh's eyes dimmed. He looked around, as if to ascertain that they were really alone and muttered a single word painfully.
"Baba..."
"What about Baba?"
Any further disclosures were interrupted by Armaan's assistant, holding a tape in his hands.
"Sir, the tape you asked for..."
"Thank you. Now, Ahmed, would you please write down the measurements?"
Armaan wrapped his hands around Ashutosh's waist and brought the tape around the midriff. For a fleeting second it looked as if they were hugging each other. Ashutosh whispered a single word again.
"Hostage..."
"Ok, now I understand!" Armaan's voice was unusually loud, for the benefit of Ahmed as well as Aditya, who had strolled over to their side. The banter that followed was full of clues for Armaan.
"What about this fabric?"
"I want something that will hold the audience captive..."
"Ok...something like...this?" Armaan displayed another yarn.
"No...not that mild. The audience should be shocked to the core"
"And forget everything else?"
"Yes, and also get sinfully mad!"
"Ok, Sir!" Armaan bowed deeply at his waist. The message was very clear. And missed by most of the people around them.
-----
Blinded by the falling sheets of rain, the old man could hardly see anything beyond a few feet. But someone was there, calling out to him.
"Baba...get out of here..."
"Where do I go?"
"Anywhere, Baba...just don't be here!"
He had been feeling restless of late. Mallika has asked him to lie down and take deep breaths whenever he felt this way. But today something was different. A voice was calling out to him, and he recognized the owner instantly.
"Ashutosh! Where are you, my son?"
"I am here, Baba. Just listen to me. Follow my instructions."
And he had done exactly as the voice said. He got up from his bed, staggered to the door and found it open. He nudged it slowly. The house was silent as a tomb.
Which way to go? OK, he could discern a staircase somewhere in the dim light. He cautiously made his way down. The backyard gate was open.
Now what? The voice beckoned to him again.
"Get out of this house, Baba..."
Rain was falling in sheets, but the old man was quite indifferent to it as he got soaked to the skin within no time at all. He staggered out in the street, oblivious to the traffic headlights, blurred by the rain. Another thing he was oblivious to was that a strong gust of wind snapped shut the backyard door behind him, effectively concealing his exit from the house.
Honk, honk...the horn was unusually close. He raised his hand to shield himself from the glare of a particularly strong one...
-------
The wedding party trooped in the house, loaded to the hilt with the purchases. Mallika collapsed on the sofa along with Aditya and gestured for a strong cup of tea.
Suhasini grimaced as she retreated to the kitchen. Just a few more days...
Ashutosh stared at the pouring rain, his memories refreshing themselves by leaps and bounds.
A girl soaked to the skin in rain, coaxing him to come out of his shell.
A cup of hot steaming ginger tea.
The letting down of one's guard.
The genuine smile that lit up their eyes that night.
What was it that attracted him to her? What was she doing right now?
-------
Nidhi was driving in the pouring rain, her thoughts more or less on the same lines of Ashutosh. He had forgotten everything...including that rain soaked night? His blank eyes haunted her every time she made a cup of tea for herself. How could he forget that? What sort of spell did Mallika cast on him?
Mallika...that witch. Nidhi's jaw tightened involuntarily. After Ashutosh had been incapacitated, she had taken charge of KGH and, in one smooth move, had reversed everything that Dr Ashutosh had built up over the past decade. The reputation, the discipline, the professionalism, everything. Nobody was happy with her. And Mallika particularly targeted her, even stooping down to an unprofessional level.
Nidhi could take it no longer...she had resigned from KGH and taken up a brief assignment in Jeevan Sandhya, an old age home.
Life was far better here...all she had to do is to take care of their basic medical needs. A few of them needed a sympathetic shoulder to cry upon from time to time, and that was it. A few night duties here and there kept her busy.
Her reverie broke as something flashed across her windscreen. It was an old man, his hands raised to shield himself from her headlights. She jammed on her brakes, but it was not before nudging the old man. The old man, for his turn, overbalanced and collapsed like a withered tree...
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