Amazon Best Selling Novel “Malabar A Flame” in Lima World Library
19.The infatuated
Rajan met with an accident!
Sara was shocked. She sat stooped with her head resting
in her hands while her parents dressed to leave for hospital.
May came to her room to console her and left her sobbing.
It rained heavily and the wind was hissing. Sara ruminating
on the sudden misfortune of her pining for a man who
came to her life unasked for. She thought the wild wind was
laughing at her follies of throwing out a loving heart. May
be he was a good man. May be he was true in his own way of
expressing his feeling for her.
It was not difficult to locate the room where the young
doctor was admitted at the Newham University Hospital.
He was half awake because of the pain and because of the
painkiller injections.. He was hit by a speeding car as soon
as he swerved to the fast lane while returning from Sara’s
residence. Perhaps he was a little dazed of his time at their
place.
Antony and Mary returned after spending a few minutes
at the hospital. Nothing was serious except that he had a
minor fracture on one of his hands. It was tightly bandaged
and put in a sling. There was no need to inform his mother
back in Kerala. His Singapore friends in and around London
were trickling in. “You go and see him in the morning. That will give him
some relief. As his mother and kin are not here we are obliged
to take care of him. Was it not an accident while going from
here? We cannot ignore it. So we have to help him,” Antony
said.
“Which hand has the fracture. Minor or major? Did he
talk to appan’’?
It is the right hand, Only minor, He is having pain. We
remained with him till he was able to speak to us”. Antony
gave a graphic account of how the accident happened while
moving from a slow lane to a fast one.
Sara could not eat when Mary served her a late midnight
dinner. She went to her upstairs room and sat on her cot.
thinking of the young doctor suffering physical pain because
of her. She wished to be in his room, looking after gum while
he lay there without any one to extend a personal care.
Early in the morning Sara left for the Hospital. Rajan was
in deep sleep when she entered his room. She stood silently
before his cot for a while. Then she shuffled through his file
on the table.
There is fracture on the right hand. Legs were okay. She
pulled the sheets tight, lifted his head to the right and waited
till he opened his eyes. The she saw his body jerking and eyes
opening slightly but they close again. Sara’s mind and body
also sank. It seemed Rajan was very much conscious. As soon
as he opened his eyes he could recognize Sara standing by his
bedan angel in white. He could not believe his own eyes and
shut them to go for a reverie to check whether he was alive or
right I heaven He opened his eyes again while she touched and caressed
his right hand in bandage. She smiled at him. A broad smile
effusing from within the heart, without any reservations. He
tried to reciprocate. But he was weak and there was feeble
pulsating pain from the bandage. His eyelid was scarred and
swollen. He tried to sit up but could not. She sat near him and
said “No. Don’t try to sit up,”.
“How long you have been here? How did you know?
When?” he asked her.
“Some one who knew you and my parents phoned during
the night. We hadn’t gone to bed yet. Immediately appan and
amma rushed here. I waited for them till they came back and
told me,” she told him in a breath.
‘What happened ? Was it raining or were you caught in a
hailstorm or so?” she was inquisitive”.
“No, no nothing of the sort” he stopped for a while and
then raised his eyes and asked “Should I tell you what really
happened?”
“Yes tell me all about it, if you can”
“On my return, I switched from fast lane to slow lane to
brood over what happened at your home for you to be so
sudden? I came to apologize to you and come away. But could
not but tell you father what I really wanted. When I felt I was
a fool, I became furious and turned back to the fast lane and
the a speeding car hit me in the right side and I was thrown
out, I can’t think what happened after words,” he said.
“So this happened all because of me, you littler scoundrel?” Sarah pinched his left shoulder and asked with a
naughty smile.
“Should not we inform your mother about the accident?”,
she finally asked.
“No, no. If she knew, she will come down right here by
the next flight. After complete recovery, in a month or so,
I will go home to tell her. The you can accompany me as
my adc or right hand nurse!, “ he told her point blank. She
laughed at it along with him.
‘ Thank God, this was a miraculous escape. Or do you
believe in god or miracles?” she asked.
“I don’t believe in miracles. But it was god’s command
that we should meet like this once again and forget our silly
mistakes in life and brace ahead,” he lowered his voice and
said.
“Have you heard of Sree Narayana Guru?” he asked
Sarah.
She thought for a while and said “No”.
“”I don’t blame you. He is a Hindu sanayasin who often
said there was caste, one religion and one god for man,
whatever be the religion, man should b come good”. I am
a strong admirer of Narayana Guru. He said there should
not be any idol in a temple so he put a mirror in one the
temples he established so that man could look at himself and
worship. It means every human being is godly,” Rajan went
philosophical.
Sara sat there amazed. The she asked, ““How did the ambulance people get our number immediately after the
accident?”’
“I gave them. It was the number that came to me as soon
as I was conscious. God provided me with that number.
Didn’t he?” he asked..
“Don’t you want to go for duty today? You were absent
yesterday too.” Rajan asked.
“Do you mind if I stay.”
“I don’t mind. In fact I want you to stay.’ He said.
She told him that she had asked her hospital to extend her
leave for a few more days.
“Because you are not keeping well? Are you feeling well
after meeting me here with broken hand and broken mind?”
She pinched him again. Breakfast had arrived. She poured
a cup of coffee for him and offered. He could not raise the
right hand. Nor his left either. So she had to help him sip it
slowly. He wanted to ask if she would be always with him to
do so. Till death parts…
Sara was ready with a slice of toast, butter and honey
provided in the breakfast tray. He did not feel eating. But
Sara’s persistence paid. He accepted the first slice and said
“enough. I am fed up with this English bread, butter, toast
menu!”, he could not complete the sentence when there was
a tap on the door.
‘Ah, this was what I waited for”” Rajan said when the
aroma of the hot sambar reached his nostrils. She watched
how Sara took a fork in her nimble hand, cut a piece of idli. Smeared the piece with chutney and placed it in the patient’s
mouth,. What a thorough job, Mary mused.
“ What shall I bring for lunch, Rice curry, chapathi,
chicken? Anything you want,” Mary rose to leave.
“No, mother, meals are available here’’ Sara countered
“Then, for you?”
“I will eat in the cafeteria here.”.
`”When will you come home?”
“In the afternoon, amma” sara said.
“Rajan, you should tell Sara whatever you need anything
in particular,” Mary said while saying good bye.
“Tell her “don’t come. I need only you,” Rajan told Sarah
before his right hand throbbed and his eyes half closed as if
in pain or dream.
