Originally posted by: Sagi.
The man standing alone in the balcony was in no better shape.
Sleep had eluded him so far. After tossing and turning in the bed, he had finally given up and walked to the balcony for a bit of fresh air. The moon was up, bathing the surroundings in its milky glow.
He had known her to be there. He had also expected her to be a bit cold, even bitter. But nothing had prepared him for the visual encounter.
She was indifferent to his presence save for that fleeting moment of realization. Formal in greeting, her eyes had lacked that fire which was very much present in their first meeting. They were blank. After that he didn’t exist for her even on the lunch table.
But one thing he had noticed. At the mention of her father, a fine tremor had racked through her. Followed by an abrupt exit from the scene which spoke volumes about her state of mind. All that indifference was just skin deep. Beneath that veneer was a vulnerable and hollow person. The spark, that liveliness, the chatter was totally missing. Had she given up on everything in life? And he had assumed that she was happy! But now..
A logical part of him refused to be a reason for this. Hadn’t she walked out on her own? So how was he responsible for that? In fact he had assumed it to be in her best interest. Then why was she like this? The thought kept haunting him. Was she still stuck with the Patralekha factor? He believed he had done his bit by informing her friends that he was married and his wife was a doctor. That was an ample hint enough. But looks like she hadn’t taken it. Had he miscalculated the whole thing?
He closed his eyes in defeat.
***
“Maria Ma’am! I was ..I was just…” Sai stuttered her words, trying to maintain a non-chalant stance. Inwardly, she was petrified as she wiped her face and pasted the blank expression. What all she had blurted out, and what all had been noticed?
Maria ambled in. Her pudgy hand held a big broom.
“Where is the chhipkali?” Sai heaved a sigh of relief. Maria had not heard anything!
“Somewhere there…behind the almirah!” Sai pointed out, hiding the trembling voice. She had no intention of letting anyone in her personal domain. Next few minutes were spent in Sai standing on her bed and Maria moving heavy furniture in order to locate and banish the four legged gecko.
She was soon joined by the other three interns. The quadruped was skilled enough to keep all bipeds on their toes, at times with vocal histrionics that reached its crescendo many a times.
Sai was secretly relieved. The domestic hunt had taken her mind off her recent encounter with Virat. She successfully relegated the incidence somewhere in the memory, to be shredded later, unaware of the fact that Maria Ma’am had not missed anything.
***
The next sunday brought on a new development.
“Hey Sai! come lets go to the district bazaar. Amish and Rohan are going!” Mithila bounced on to her roommate, who was reading a book. Amish and Rohan waited in the doorway.
Mithila might as well be addressing the furniture in the room. There was no answer. She shook the shoulder of the other person. There was no need, it wouldn’t have achieved anything. But hopes are eternal.
Sai looked at her with remote eyes and Mithila backed off hastily.
“Ok, you stick to this room. If you need a change from these four walls, go for a walk. But don’t get injured! For we wont be there to help you…”
“Arre but she wont need help from us at all. The ACP is there next door!”
If looks could kill, the speaker of the words would be in the mortuary. Rohan made a supplicating gesture and backed off hastily. Sai schooled her expression to order and buried her face in the book.
A few words from the retreating trio were audible as they boarded the vehicle.
She never joins any fun activity. Totally a closed book. But hey, what was it with the Officer next door? You don’t know? He came to check on her that day! They had lunch together. So what’s so odd in that? Nothing at all. But she left her lunch half eaten. She never does that. Something was bothering her. But what? We don’t know. And almost immediately after that, he also did that! Sukhiram told me..
Sukhiram, on the other hand, hurried over to the plump figure seated behind her desk.
“Maria Ma’am! Dhaniram has been taken sick. He has fever. Can one of the Drs here have a look at him?”
Maria pushed up the glasses up her nose and squinted at him. “Only Dr Sai is available now!”
Sukhiram shrugged his indifference. Any dr would do. And soon, Sai hurried to the police guest house next door with Sukhiram in tow.
The blue and white police vehicle was missing. Good. That meant the ACP was not in. Sai heaved a sigh of relief and harshly rebuked herself. Why was she behaving like that? Why did she want to avoid running into him? She had not done anything wrong. So why…She hastily fingered the steth around her neck. She was a doctor after all. And taking care of anyone sick was her prime duty. No matter who was around and who was not.
She quickly examined Dhaniram and made a tentative diagnosis of viral fever. Sukhiram hovered around. She pasted a smile on her face, tried to sound encouraging.
“Oh nothing to worry. Its plain viral fever. These pills will do the job. The fever will be brought down by cold sponging. Anything else, please let me know…”
Sukhiram heaved a sigh of relief. “Dr Ma’am, nice that you are here. For if any other help is needed, there is no way to go to the district town!”
Sai nodded. The vehicle was not there. Sukhiram read through her thoughts.
“The vehicle was taken by the other three Drs Ma’am. They took permission from ACP Sa’ab!”
Sai looked up sharply, not sure of her own reaction.
“Saab is upstairs, resting in his room. Shall I call him down? You can tell him if Dhaniram needs anything else!
Sai managed to sound normal. “Nothing like that is needed right now. Dhaniram is doing fine. Sukhiram Bhaiya, you start the sponging. So, I think I will go back to my room!”
She was unaware that her exit was noticed by the man standing in the balcony overlooking the drive.
***
“Dr Ma’am, Would you be kind enough to take this tiffin to the guest house next door?”
Sai looked up from the book she had been reading. Or trying to, in vain. The printed matter made no sense as it danced and morphed into weird shapes. And before she could decipher the shape, it altered itself. What was wrong with her? This was her favourite book. Then why?
Maria shook her, a bit gently. Sai nodded abstractedly.
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said to you a few seconds back?”
“No, I was thinking about something else. What were you saying?” Maria shook her head in exasperation. This Dr Ma’am was next to beyond her understanding. She was reading with the book held upside down!
Maria shrugged her thoughts.
“What I was saying is: Dhaniram next door has high fever and Sukhiram is tending for him. Fortunately, Sukhiram has cooked dinner and kept it ready for serving. He has also packed a nice carrier for the officer next door. Now would you be kind enough to take it to him? Just hand it over to Sukhiram, who is with his friend. He will take it to the ACP saab!”
“OK..” A bit of hesitation still remained. Wasn’t there any other alternative?
“I could have gone, but I have to settle the accounts which have been pending since a long time!”
No way out. Sai grabbed the tiffin carrier, mentally steeling herself. He was nobody to her. Umpteen number of times, she had imagined this scenario. Bumping into him. And tutored herself to be indifferent. And not to forget that he was married now. To Patralekha, the flame of his life. The woman who had made her life miserable for no fault of hers. From convincing him that she was not worthy to outrightly conspiring against her.
Her steps grew leaden as her hands reached the door knob. And before she could knock, it opened from within.
ACP Virat Chavan stood in the doorway, as if expecting her.