My Story written for Write India Contest - Chethan Bagath.
Prompt given by Chethan - She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. ..
Now by story begins.....
She sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. ..
She sat there still, while her thoughts strayed into the past. Ajay and she had been seeing each other for more than 8 years now, right from their initial days in college. Ajay had been the first person she encountered when she entered the wide sprawling gates of AIIMS as an innocent village girl from far southern village, Nalatinputhur from the state of Tamilnadu. Like the saying goes, opposite poles attract, she and Ajay instantly got on, like house on fire.
She always had major hurdles in life right from birth, but fortunate enough to be protected by God- as she thought in every stage. As a baby she was saved from female infanticide -Thanks to the Governments’ cradle baby scheme. She always remembered her childhood, when she was well taken care of by the government in all respects – food, shelter, clothes and good education. Though she was orphaned by fate, she made a happy circle of friends through her good character. She studied to her fullest capacity and now she was going to start living her dream life as a doctor.
It seemed God was starting to shower kindness on her, repenting for the mistakes He committed on her earlier. She had entered a prestigious institution like AIIMS and on the way to becoming a doctor and she had encountered the love of her life in Ajay.
Though Ajay and she were poles apart, Ajay was instantly attracted to her silent strength, her will power, her fighting spirit, her intelligence and more on her success. He always admired her for the achievements she had made and the heights she had reached through her hard work and as a lone person fighting against all odds. This was the main reason, or in fact the only reason, that attracted Ajay to her. He showered all his love on her and made her feel like a princess who had conquered the world over. Ajay was greedy for success and he was a person who believed that success and money was everything in life. And her success on becoming a self - made doctor was the trigger point for their entire love saga.
Whatever may be the reason why Ajay was attracted to her, Ajay was a good person to her and loved her truthfully. But they were poles apart in all other aspects of life- food, clothing, principles etc.
She was a vegan and always insisted Ajay, that he also turn vegan like her, but Ajay never listened and never spent a day without splurging on a diet loaded with meat, lamb and what not for all the three meals course of the day. He had passion for junk and non-vegetarian food and would spend his whole life time eating burgers, steaks pork chops or other red meat.
She wore simple clothes, while Ajay was prince charming and went for the expensive designer clothing. Nevertheless, the love which flowed like pure honey between them, made them go through typical scenes that one would encounter in a Khan movie like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. They had also decided to start a family when they settle decently in their profession, but they were living together for more than five years now.
But the values that were inculcated in them from childhood were poles apart. She always insisted on Dharma and was never hungry for success, while Ajay wanted to reach the pinnacle of success using the shortest route and never hesitated to do anything and everything to achieve his goal. This was becoming a major concern in their relationship and causing arguments and heart burns on a regular basis. But the love they had for each other, made them put up with this and she always believed that she could bring him to her path slowly through Love.
She was fully contented with life and happy about the achievement she had made all by herself. But Ajay was from a doctor family, who ran a decent hospital and Ajay’s dream was to become a multimillionaire and establish a world renowned hospital. But he missed to think on serving the people and was more concerned about money. He cherry-picked the big illegal money spinners in the medical industry and planned to move ahead with them to reach the epitome quickly.
She had a major quarrel with Ajay the night before today and they didn’t sleep even for a second the whole of night, as today Ajay was going to perform an illegal kidney transplant operation on a patient admitted to his hospital from a poor family background. The patient was not aware of the surgery he was going to undergo for kidney removal. This operation was going to be the first operation which would make Ajay initiate a major Kidney Racket in his hospital. She didn’t want Ajay to be part of this, but Ajay never listened to her words.
She sat thinking on what to do to stop him. She was firm and made up her mind that she needs to stick to Dharma and prevent any malpractice happening around her, even if it meant her only relationship in this world, Ajay was involved in it. She went to bed with a clear action plan to kill the Kidney Racket, when it was still a sapling.
When the morning sun rose and the birds started to chirp, she got ready and put the favourite breakfast of Ajay, ready on the table. Ajay too had his action plan cut out to become successful in his first milestone that would help him in amassing huge wealth. Both deep people sat on the breakfast table with well- crafted action plans. But their love for each other was still alive and kicking and was only becoming deeper day by day in spite of their ideologies crossing each other. There was silence while they ate and they could hear the sound of their teeth grinding the food and the gulping sound made by the Oesophagus to push the food paste down to the stomach. Ajay was munching away his favourite burgers, steaks pork chops and red meat, while she sat watching him wondering how a person could have this for breakfast with thoughts on kidney racket spawned as another parallel thread in her mind.
She wanted to go with Ajay to the hospital and somehow prevent the operation from happening, but Ajay insisted that he would leave alone. She locked up the home, took her medical kit containing stethoscope, her surgical knives, thermometer etc. She wrapped the blue silk scarf around her neck, firmed up her mind and started her scooty. There was one hour left, for the illegal operation to start and for her to carry out her action plan. She had decided, either convince Ajay to stop the operation or do ANYTHING to stop him.
Now it is four hours since the time she had left home in her scooty to stop the ill-fated kidney operation that Ajay was going to perform, but now she sat in the Starbucks cafe, sipping her coffee and staring out of the window. The blood stained knife lay next to her handbag, covered with her blue silk scarf. ..
Droplets of tears rolling out of her eyes, her heart heavy with pain, her mind full of sorrow, her life had come to a standstill. All her dreams shattered, there she was staring out of window, with no one to lean on for support. The only source of strength she had in this world, Ajay was no more. Suddenly seemed like God can never be kind to her. Are Gods always like this, she thought.
Her mobile rang continuously. She saw the screen, there it was Ajay’s father’s number flashing on screen. She was not able to control herself and there was outpour of tears from her eyes. She was inconsolable. She picked up the call and could hear the outburst from Ajay’s father on how she could do this to his beloved son Ajay. She couldn’t believe herself. Will a doctor be offended by her action? That too he is an experienced doctor, can’t he not understand her state of mind. She did not utter a word and allowed him to speak his heart out. Like father like son, she thought and hanged up the call.
She took a look at the blood stained knife and thought if only Ajay had listened to me. If only he had stopped having burgers, steaks pork chops and red meat as a three meal course. If only he also had become a Vegan like her, he wouldn’t have got a sudden heart stroke on his way to hospital and would not have been declared brain dead. If only he had listened to her….. she would not have been in a situation to give consent to organ donation and Kidney transplantation of her love of live. She had not only given the consent for organ donation, but also carried out her first Kidney Transplant operation, that too transplanting Ajay’s own kidneys to a poor boy. She successfully completed the operation and put the surgical knife with stains of Ajay’s blood dripping from the blade onto her kit with tears in her eyes. She had stopped him from performing an illegal operation, but couldn’t save him. She Won and She Lost.
Her father’s anger on her, for her giving consent to organ donation of Ajay, in the right of her being his Living together partner lingered in her mind and hurt her. They lived a contented happy life, though they never married. But it hurt her, when somebody questioned her rights on Ajay.
She neatly wrapped the blood stained knife with her blue silk scarf and thought - after all God’s are real and they show kindness always in some way. God has been kind to Ajay and given him a good name in death and has saved 4 people through him and has stopped him from deviating from his path from being a saviour to a killer. She also thanked God silently for being kind to her by enabling her earn- God like Stature to her love of life- Ajay. She will now live his dream and construct a World Renowned Hospital that would serve all, through Dharmic and righteous means and not through shortcuts.
She put down her empty coffee cup on table and stared out of the window. Now everything looked positive and full of life. She got up and moved with firm steps and head held high, with the surgical knife wrapped in blood stained blue scarf. There was Breaking News in TV on Times Now channel with photos of Ajay flashing and journalist praising him for his contribution to Medical field when he was alive and his contribution to society post his death. The people is Starbucks where watching the news and praising Ajay, while she walked out beaming with confidence. Who said Gods are not real and do not show kindness always????
