Keep it simple...silly!

Keep it simple…silly!

Every doctor and staff of the Emergency of the Rukma Devi Meghraj Hospital, Jaipur was sleepy. It was 11.30 pm. In this not so small city  people still believed in no night life. Disturbing their peace a policeman entered with a couple, dressed in formal party wear. The man was dressed in an expensive black evening suit and the woman was clad in a designer midnight blue saree with blue sequins scattered all over it. Her sapphire jewellery was the cherry on the cake. Even in this city that is famous for its jewels and tourist destinations such extravagant dressing sense was rare.

“Where is your Medical Officer? “The policeman asked in a shrill voice. The frustration of performing his duty in these hours of night was evident from his tone.

“What happened?” asked Mohan ji, a senior male nurse at the Emergency ward.

“These rich spoilt…”

The policeman was cut in between by a young P.G. student, Sapna. Cascading hair, watery eyes and an innocent smile, she was just looking like a cute girl next door. It was hard for the policeman to believe that she was a doctor. He stared at her to believe his eyes. Reading the suspicion in his eyes Sapna said, “I am the Medical Officer in charge. I will give the certificate.” Then she addressed Mohan ji giving him a form of Certificate of Drunkenness, “Mohan uncle, get this form filled.”

After giving  the form to him she went to bring Breathe Analyzer machine.

“Name?” asked Mohan ji.

“Pratham Meghraj”. The man said. The authority in his voice made it clear that he belonged to some elite family of the city. His voice had all the qualities of an eloquent speaker. That made him fit for a job that required a lot of public speaking.

“Jawaibabu (son in law)!” Mohan ji shouted in such a loud manner that the Emergency ward transformed into an epitome of  the city that never sleeps. A shocked Sapna turned to look into the most handsome eyes of the world. The eyes of her husband who jilted her, only a day after their wedding. She never thought in the last six years that she would meet him again. She had thought that the cruel chapter of her destiny had been closed. The entire Emergency ward swirled around her. She had to hold a corner of  her table to regain her composure.

The other two doctors  on duty, who were her class mates jumped in excitement. There was an obvious curiosity in all her classmates about her husband. They used to mull over the subject that who would be that stone hearted billionaire that jilted such a beautiful and good natured wife just a day after their marriage, what must be the cause of the conflict, was that a love or an arranged marriage? The questions were many but no one ever got the guts to ask the answers because Sapna had   always guarded her privacy with huge effort.

“Sapna Meghraj! He is your husband Pratham Meghraj.” They declared as if Sapna was having any confusion. With a forced smile she nodded and they both went to shake hands with him. This was the first time she saw him that night. He had become more handsome in the last six years. His boyish charm had been replaced by the manly confidence, although the stress of the night had taken its toll. His expensive black suit was crushed and his tie was loose. The dark circles around his eyes were telling the story of few sleepless nights. But then also, he was Pratham Meghraj, the trustee of the hospital. His usual confidence was there in his body language.  The girl whom he was playing escort was clinging to him just as a creeper to a pillar for support. Sapna required no blood test or analyzer machine to ascertain that  she was drunk. She was extremely beautiful. With her half open eyes and half smile she was lost in her own world. A sharp knife of jealousy stabbed Sapna’s heart.  But as far as Pratham was concerned he was watching Sapna with an intense look as if he was reading her mind.

“Sapna! Come here.” Anirudh asked her to come forward and meet Pratham.  Then he and Ketan (the two doctors) withdrew themselves, excusing for the blood test. His stare was so disturbing that to break it Sapna broke the silence and said a polite “Hello.”

“Hello doctor.”  He smiled a warm smile and walked away for the test. As long as they were there Sapna felt that everyone was observing her, even the policeman, as if it was she who was drinking and driving. The policeman was surprised that the thin doctor, the cute girl next door in Khadi Kurta (shirt) and patiyala salwar (lowers) is Mrs. Meghraj, the daughter in law of the one of the most successful and prestigious business houses of the city.

After a few hours of ordeal, when Sapna finally came out of the hospital to go home, she found Pratham standing with his creeper all around him, shaking hands with the policeman.  A big  black car was also there. That reminded her of Pratham’s red open jeep.  “People change their vehicles too change as the time pass.” She thought.
The case was resolved.

“Could I drop you somewhere.” Pratham asked.

“You had already dropped me. ”She thought but could not utter those harsh words. Although it suited best to her situation but the line was too filmy.

“No, I have an Activa (scooter).” She said pointing towards her two wheeler.

They both went to their separate ways, in their separate vehicles, for their separate destinations thinking about each other, their love, their joy and their shattered dreams.

Sapna made some futile attempt to get some sleep in her room. But her heart was walking down the memory lane six years back.

Her Baba (father) was a male nurse at RDMH. That’s why she got acquainted with Mummy ji, doctor Kamal Sadana’s wife. Mummy ji insisted Baba to drop her at their   house after school. Baba also thought it was a good idea as their house was a huge plot with  a small structure at the center. The boundary was covered with lots of mango and jamun trees. That was much like a small cottage in a farmhouse. But it was out of the reach of the neighbors. The area was fast developing into a posh locality, thanks to the boost in the real estate in the city. Those posh neighbors neither had time not the inclination to maintain any relationship with a middle class nurse. She was a teenage girl then. Always busy with school, tuitions, friends and confusion about career.

When first time Sapna met Mummy ji, she told her don’t call me Aunty, call me Mummy ji. She showered her   unconditional love to that motherless girl and at the same time fulfilled her desire to have a daughter. Their son Mehul da became a good friend of Sapna. Their home became her second home.  She used to spend a lot of time with Mummy ji, helping her in cooking, gardening and other household tasks. Mummy ji was a very simple and loving lady. She was proud of Dr.Sadana’s dedication towards his profession. She wanted Mehul da to become a doctor and continue the legacy but he opted for management. He completed his Masters degree from IIM, Ahmadabad and started a consultancy at Jaipur. Although he had a promising career ahead but Mummy ji’s dream remained unfulfilled. Her inclination towards the profession of doctor made Sapna sincere about her career. She decided to take Pre Medical Tests (PMT) with full dedication and become a doctor like Dr. Sadana. Her decision got full support from Sadana family and her Baba. Mummy ji left no stone unturned to gather the information about best coaching centers for PMT in the city and got her admitted to the best coaching center of Jaipur.

Those were the days when she first met Pratham at Mummy ji’s house. His red jeep was a subject of fancy for Mummy ji and her. He was Mehul da’s classmate at IIM, Ahmadabad and as both of them were from same city they became friends. But Mummy ji always cautioned Sapna to stay away from him as he was rich, famous and handsome. That was her biggest mistake. That caution increased Sapna’s curiosity and drew her towards Pratham. One day, when Sapna was going for her PMT coaching, Pratham offered her a lift. Turning a blind eye towards the warning bells that rang in her ears she accepted the offer. That journey took her to the journey of love. Soon that became a routine for both of them. Her friends used to tease Sapna about her billionaire boy friend and some tried to intimidate her citing her friendship to Pratham as a possible reason for her failure in PMT. But no fear had the strength to stop her. Her friendship with Pratham was her motivation to study too hard and become a perfect match for him.

There, at the Meghraj Mansion, Pratham was also lost in his thoughts.

 Even the circumstances were playing villain in his love story. In the last six years he had desperately waited for the day to meet Sapna. But he met her today in such an odd circumstance. The first thing he wanted to do when he landed to this city was to meet her. But either due to jetlag or some hesitation he could not do so. In the evening, when he got ready to meet her, Mom announced that they were going to Sona’s engagement.

Sona was like a kid sister to him. She was the daughter of his Mom’s best friend. She was getting engaged to her sweetheart after much chaos. But Pratham’s support to her had made the miracle happen, finally she was getting married. Although both the families were ready for the wedding but there was a slight tension due to their different backgrounds and culture. The bride was Rajasthani and the groom was Punjabi . So Sona needed Pratham for a moral support. Party was in full swing. The glamour and the grandeur could not hold his attention and he tried to sneak out of the party many times. But he did not get the chance without getting noticed because after Sona, he was the center of attraction due to his complex marital status. By the end of the party, Sona drank so much to celebrate that her fiancée asked Pratham to drop her home. While driving when he looked at his watch to see if there was time to meet Sapna. He absentmindedly crossed the red light and the policeman caught him. Sona’s drunken state added to his woe and the policeman took him to the hospital for drunkenness test. Their own hospital, where Sapna was pursuing post graduation. Destiny granted his wish to meet her but in its own ruthless way. Sapna didn’t even bother to talk to him. She was behaving like a stranger.

At the hospital, Mohan ji was also lost in his thoughts.

Sapna’s Baba was his best friend. It had been a tough time for him to bring up a five year old girl single handedly. The untimely demise of his wife was a big jolt to him. But little Sapna’s innocence, brought him back to life. They become support for each other. Soon his only aim of life became Sapna’s happiness. He was aware of Sapna’s soft feelings towards Pratham. When one day, Mrs. Meghraj came to him with an offer to buy his house, he did the greatest mistake of his life. He proposed to give that plot in dowry to Sapna, if she and Pratham got married.

“You are also thinking about Mr. Meghraj.” Ketan teased Anirudh.

“What an idiot he is! Leaving Sapna he is dating some other girl.” Anirudh said.

“You should be glad about that. Everyone knows since how long you are hoping that Sapna will walk out of her marriage….. towards you.” Ketan said.

They both laughed and the night passed.

The alarm bell rang and pulled Sapna back to the present. She got dressed and went for the jogging with Papa ji. Dr. Sadana became Papa ji after Baba’s demise.

“You are very quiet today.” Papa ji observed. She just smiled; her introvert nature had never let anyone invade her privacy. So Papa ji also remained silent. When they reached home she stumbled upon the same old red jeep. Pratham was there. He was with Mehul da. Mummy ji gave her two mugs of coffee.

“He is back. Go and meet him.” She said.

“Yes I know he is back. I met him last night at the hospital.” Sapna replied.

That shocked Mummy ji and Papa ji got his answer. She went to Mehul da’s room with coffee mugs. Mehul da picked his coffee and said “I need some more sugar” and left the room with that excuse. They were alone in the room like the early days but the difference was that earlier they had many things to talk about, now they didn’t know from where to start.

“We need to talk” Pratham said.

“Yes, tell me.” She replied.

“Not here, I will pick you up tomorrow evening.” He said.

“But I have emergency duty….”

She was interrupted by Mummy ji, who was probably peeping through the curtains, listening the conversation. She could not let her deny Pratham’s proposal. Deep in her heart she had nourished a feeling that they are made for each other and would unite once they became independent.  Now after a long gap of six years the moment had come.

“Duty Duty Duty.. She is damn serious about her duty. I will ask for your leave if you can’t.” Mummy ji said and offered some biscuits to Pratham.

“She will be ready by 5 tomorrow evening.” Mummy ji declared.

He nodded towards the ladies and left.

Today was Sona’s Sangeet and the onus to handle Sona’s whims lied on him. His presentation on the suitability of Vegetation and Surroundings was   also due. There were a lot of tasks ahead. When he reached home Mom was having her breakfast.

“Come, join me.” She said.

He was not in a mood to talk but his Mom was his world. He had never blamed his Mom instead he blamed his destiny for his broken marriage.

“You went to her. How was her response?” she asked.

“Cold”. He sighed.

“Think once more. It is very hard to forgive. Especially when the loss cannot be compensated.” She said overburdened with guilt. Her intention was not to dishearten him but to make him aware that he had to deal this matter with great care. Six years ago he choose to be on his Mom’s side not because he believed that she was right but because he knew that his Mom’s anger would subside in very short time. But now Sapna had a very strong reason to be angry.

But Pratham was confident that luck would favor him this time. If he could forgive his mother, then Sapna could also do the same. What she did was out of anger and rage but nothing more than that. He could not think on the same lines as he got an urgent call from Sona. So he went to deliver a live presentation on Skype. When he came out of his room Sona was waiting   for him.

“I have been waiting since an hour. What were you doing?” she said.

“I was doing some work.” He smiled.

“What do you do?”She asked.

“I tell people the importance of the right vegetation at the right place. For example we all know that Uttrakhand tragedy happened due to lots of rain, over flowing rivers, unplanned constructions in the name of development but there is one major point we all miss. Earlier the mountains of Uttrakhand were covered with Oak trees. The leaves of the Oak trees make the black soil in due course of time which very well for undergrowth and thus preventing soil erosion. But now these forests have been replaced by Pine forests which are useful for us but cannot stop soil erosion. Understood. This is my job” He said.

“Had you come to India early we could have saved Uttrakhand.I am thinking to cut a few dishes from the menu of main course and donate the money saved to Uttrakhand victims.” Sona smiled.

Nature offers solutions for many problems but solution for Sona’s problem of   a last minute SHOPPING was in Jaipur’s pink colored marked.

“Are you crazy? In this era of e- shopping you want me to accompany you for shopping.” He shouted as shopping was his greatest nightmare.

But Sona’s emotional blackmail dragged him to the Zohri bazaar, the most happening market of the city. Pratham was cursing the day he played cupid for Sona and her sweetheart.

This city offers a market culture where shopkeepers invite the buyers into their shops saying. “Please come, just have a look.” It was full of activity and color. Soon Pratham came out of his bad mood and began to enjoy Sona’s last minute shopping spree. Suddenly, he saw Sapna and Mummy ji moving out of a Saree store. They also saw him holding the shopping bags and enjoying the company of Sona.

As they move towards their car Mummy ji asked, “Who is that girl?”

“I don’t know. But I have seen her She was with him that night when the policeman caught them. They all came to the hospital for    certificate of drunkenness.” she said.

“Had he started dating her?” Mummy ji was getting desperate to know more.

“How would I know? It’s good if he is moving ahead in life. It’s the time    we should take some bolt step.” she said.

Pratham who had come to meet them, was just behind her at that time. He wanted to invite them to Sona’s wedding. But Sapna’s attitude of moving ahead in life gave him some negative response. So he slowed down his pace and let them walk towards their car. After that he could not concentrate on Sona and asked her to make it fast. As the hours passed and he dwelled more on Sapna’s response he got sure that there was minimal chance she loved her. She must have got a new man, that’s why she wanted to move ahead in life.

That day he engaged in a brawl with a motorcyclist for just causing a mere scratch, scolded the poor  watchman for opening the gate after three horns and found a lots of fault in the food at lunch time. Sona was surprised to see such a behavior as this was not the usually composed and sober Pratham. But she was too excited about her Sangeet (dance ceremony before the wedding) to pay much attention to anything else.

Sona’s Sangeet was based on rajasthani theme. She was looking like a fairy dancing in the clouds. The colorful ambience and the vibrant rajasthani costumes added to the mood of the party. Pratham noticed that he was also the center of attraction in his Jodhpuri. Many mothers introduced their charming girl to him.  But none could provoke  the desire to move ahead in him. His desire was to move back to the moment when he and Sapna were lovers. He was lost in his thoughts when Anirudh called him.

“Hi! Mr. Meghraj, enjoying the party?” he said.

“Of course, Dr. Anirudh. You were with Sapna that day.” Pratham replied.

The mention of Sapna’s name brought a pink glow on his face. Pratham was enough sharp to notice it. Then Anirudh made his feeling clear about Sapna’s future course of action during their conversation. His comments gave a hint to Pratham that he could be the man with whom Sapna wanted to move ahead in life. He made   some excuse and left early from the party.

He went to bed cocooned by the memory of his wedding.

Jaipur was a small city and it didn’t take long for everyone to know that he and Sapna were dating. Everyone was surprised. He was rich, arrogant and handsome. She was middle class, down to earth and beautiful. But opposite attracts and the bond between them got stronger and stronger as the time passed.

One day, when Mom told him about Sapna’s father’s proposal, it was like a dream come true. A marriage proposal from Sapna’s father was a pleasant surprise. He knew that his Mom loved him more than anything in this world as he was an only child and the best thing she had ever got from a devastated marriage. He had never seen his father nor he was interested to know about the whereabouts of that person. But her approval and hurry for the marriage seemed strange to him. The date was fixed. Sapna was very happy. Others were shocked. But no one knew the secret agreement between her Baba and his Mom. But that came into light when Sapna was sent back home only a day after the      grand marriage.

“Your father is a cheat, a liar. The plot on which you are living is not yours. Then also he promised to give that plot in    dowry. Go back to him and tell him, we don’t have any place for cheats at our house.” His Mom’s harsh words were loud and clear in his ears.

He just kept watching her helpless. His attitude, confidence, arrogance.. Nothing was there. Only his tearful eyes conveyed her “I will fix it up, just have some patience.” The extent of humiliation was same for both of them. Their parents had humiliated them who loved them the most in the world.

That fateful day when she returned home and told her Baba what had happened, he got a heart attack, the killer one. Sapna was left alone. Everyone came to sympathize. Pratham and his Mom also went there but overburdened with guilt they could not ask her to come back.  They thought only time could heal such wounds so Pratham went to USA for further specialization.

During that time of distress Mummy ji stayed with Sapna like a shadow. She took her to her home and said, “Don’t let one relationship take your everything and leave your soul void.”

She cleared the PMT with flying colors and got admission in Jaipur Medical Collage. Then she cleared the Pre PG and became a student of RDMH. It was Pratham who bore her expenses but neither had she initiated any communication nor he dared to talk to her. Their single parents were the emotional burden to their relationship.                                                                                                                                             

That morning brought a busy day for Mummy ji. She kept herself and Sapna busy in the preparations for the evening. She took her to a Spa - Saloon and did her complete makeover. Finally, many hours later when they emerged out of the Saloon , Mehul da’s expressions with an open mouth told Mummy ji that  she had achieved what she had wanted.

Later when Pratham came to pick her up he was shocked to see her ready for a high profile party instead to her usual sober and casual appearance.

“What happened you don’t find her good?” Mummy ji asked seeing him shocked.

“No she is always good.” He said with a smile.

Pratham was only thinking about the venue of their date. That attire was fully in appropriate for the Kapoor Chand Kulish Smriti Van, an artificial forest created by the department within the city. There was greenery all over due to rainy season. The chirping of birds made it more romantic. But then also he took her there only to find that it had been closed as the timings were only till 5 in the evening.

“Oh Sapna! I am so sorry.” He apologized.

But his apology added fuel to the fire of Sapna’s anger. She came out of the car and said, “ Why should you be sorry now, when you  were not sorry when your Mom kicked me out of her house, you  were not sorry when you jilted me just after our marriage for no fault of mine, you were…”

“Ahh…” a sharp scream cut her in between and she turned and saw Pratham’s pale face filled with pain. Perspiring profusely he could barely utter “snake”. A snake had bite Pratham through his sandals. It was common in the rainy season in such greenery. But it was not the time to blame him for the venue or his previous mistakes. She ran towards him and quickly tied a hanky around her ankle.

Then she asked him, “Calm down, everything will be all right you are with a doctor. Don’t worry. Within 10 minutes we will be at the hospital.”

But Pratham hold her hand and said, “Please don’t leave me otherwise I will die.”

“I will never let my love   die.” she said. 

These words brought immense relief to Pratham and he did exactly what he was told.  She had already ranged at the Emergency for the anti venom injection and everything was under control within an hour. Everyone in the ward knew that her reason for the leave was not the headache but heartache.

When Pratham’s Mom came there Sapna started to move out. But she stopped her.

“How is he?” she asked.

“He is out of danger now.” Sapna said.

She started narrating the whole incident of the snake bite and the medications but his Mom cut her in between.

“Keep it simple silly. You still love him. If you can love him, you can definitely forgive me. Please forgive me. I was mad in anger. But I am ashamed of it.” She said and gave her a tight hug. The tears from their eyes washed the malice in their heart.

Everyone at the ward was smiling on this happy ending and Pratham smiled too as from the very beginning of the outing he knew that his venue and timings for the outing were perfect.

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