Saksham enters the house as I open the door and straight away goes to Ammu to hug her without even acknowledging my presence. "May I know Mr Saksham, what are you doing here?" I ask, feeling irritated.
He looks at me with a smile on his face and says, "Ms Inaaya, I am here to meet my darling Ammu. I have been missing her so much. Now stop being jealous."
This guy is impossible. "OK. Carry on. I am going. Bye," I say picking up my bag and leaving through the main door. "Stop idiot. I know it's your first day. I have come to drop you," he says following me. "It is seriously not required Saksham," I assert walking out of the doorway. He takes my hand, opens the car door, and guides me in before I could say anything.
Saksham is as much a part of my home as I am. We have been friends since we were in class one. He knows me in and out. He never ceases to surprise me by being there whenever I am in any sort of trouble. Even though he irritates me to the hilt at times, he also knows how to cheer me up. I am still irritated thinking why he has to drop me when he asks, "Can you please take out my wallet from the dashboard?" I open it as asked but instead of a wallet, there is a gift wrapped in blue paper with golden polka dots.
"What is this?" I ask curiously.
"Open and find out for yourself," he says with a smile on his face. It's a box of Lindt, my favourite chocolate.
"Very smart! You know how to get away with anything," I say as I gobble up one of the chocolates from the box. I love the way it melts into the mouth and makes any kind of worry dissipate. It leaves you with an irresistible taste of heaven, tempting you to eat more and more. I am not at all a foodie, but Lindt surely is my guilty pleasure. He smiles as he sees me relishing the chocolate. "So, what's the plan for today?" he asks. "I have to meet the director of the hospital and give my
presentation," I reply, feeling a bit nervous. "That's nice. And who is the director?" he asks.
"No idea. Ravi Uncle just asked me to meet the director. You know what? I feel like I am going back to college where some old professor is waiting to take my viva," I say as he laughed at my comparison. Saksham wishes me luck and says goodbye as he leaves.
And here I am, standing in front of Lifeline Hospital, a place where I will be spending my next few months. As I cross the parking, there is a lush green lawn with a small beautiful temple across a multistory building. I wonder how this place that looks so quiet from the outside must have witnessed the struggles, the endings, and the beginnings of so many stories.
As I enter the reception I find it disturbing to see the stress on all the faces rushing from one counter to another. Hospitals always make me restless. Especially after losing Maa and Paa, it's painful to see people struggling with the health problems of loved ones. We normally get so occupied with our lives and our struggles that we never realize what other people in the world are going through. If we notice the life of others, our problems would appear so small. A place like a hospital makes us realize the importance of the present because you never know what the future holds for you.
I see Ravi Uncle standing at the reception talking with a few employees. I wait for him to finish. He turns to me as soon as he sends away the employees and says, "Hello Inaaya. How are you?"
"Great uncle. Hope you are fine too," I ask. He turns to another employee who leaves after taking some papers from his hands and says, "Absolutely. I am so thrilled about your project. I am sure it will make a big difference in the lives of the patients and it will make their recovery faster. I trust you will do a great job."
"Thank you so much uncle, for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity. I assure you, I won't let you down."
