The Past
The future is made up of the
decisions taken in the present based on the mistakes of the past.
Chapter 1
The alarm began to ring
precisely at the moment the clock turned four-thirty am. Still with his head
buried in the pillow, Samuel wildly ran his hands all around, searching for the
vile piece of technology. The shrill alarm tone continued to ring for another
couple of minutes, its sound echoing around the cramped living room. After what
left like a monumental struggle, his fingers found the bottom edge of the
phone. He grabbed the device and shut the alarm off.
His success of shutting
the phone was futile. The damage was already done. He was wide awake.
Grumbling, he got up from his bed after lolling for another fifteen minutes and
walking like a zombie, made his way to the bathroom.
This is how a typical
day began in the life of Samuel Gomes. If he had taken more time to get up, he
would be late to work. Samuel had been working at a call centre for the last 4
years, ever since he cleared his junior college. That was remarkable, even for him,
considering he hadn’t even turned 18 at that time.
He stared at his
reflection in the mirror. At the age of 20, he looked like a person who had
lived many more years. His shoulders were bent, his spine never erect. His
father often joked that he had the weight of the world on his delicate
shoulders.
For Samuel, his family
was everything. Many people claimed that he was a rude person and hardly
interacted with others, but that was not the case. He considered himself an
introvert. His family comprised of his father, a sister and a brother. He was once blessed with two beautiful women,
whom he called his mothers. His biological mom, whom he referred as ‘Devaki’ had committed suicide when he
was four years old, while his stepmom, whom he referred as ’Yashodha’ had passed away in 2007, after
succumbing to the dreadful disease of AIDS.
The thought of his
mother’s frail body in her dying moments, brought tears to his eyes. He could
never forget that morning…
He got ready in another
thirty minutes. Dressing up was a task indeed in the morning. His home was a
225-square feet room, which comprised up of a hall and a kitchen. When the
house was renovated, his father had a wall constructed to separate the two.
Samuel would only turn
on the lights of the kitchen so as not to disturb the others sleeping in the
hall. This proved to be a little strenuous for him for his eyes were very weak.
On top of that, navigating from the kitchen to the hall required some extra
measure. His siblings would sleep on the sofa-cum-bed that occupied almost
three quarters of the room. His father slept on a mattress on the floor, the
edge of which grazed the door when opened.
As he was about to
leave, he looked at the crooked mass of the man sleeping on the mattress. His
father’s health was on the decline. After surviving tuberculosis and a heart
attack, there had to be some repercussions after all. Moreover, his father was
losing weight at an alarming rate. That brought only a foreboding feeling in his
mind.
No matter how much
Samuel proclaimed of his icy relationship with his father, deep down he knew he
loved the man too much. He trembled with fear at the very thought of what
really was happening to him.
‘Please Jesus,’ he
thought, turning to the altar on the wall and joining his hands, ‘Please take
care of him.’
Without another look,
he turned and closed the door as he left.
---
There is something
about today.
That was the first
thing that came in Samuel’s mind as he rode his scooter to work. The streets
were deserted, not a single soul in sight. Although life in the suburbs is not
that hustle-and-bustle in the early mornings, one would still catch a sight of
the newspaper guy piling stacks of bundles upon a bicycle or the milkman riding
along to deliver the regular milk to people’s doorsteps.
Today, Samuel hardly
saw anyone.
He was wondering about
what could be the reason, when it dawned on him as he rode past the city’s
local political party’s office. Huge banners flanked by the party’s banners
proclaimed that there will be a nationwide strike or bandh observed to protest against the rising inflation.
Samuel snorted when he
saw the banner. He recalled having an argument with his colleagues at work
about the fruitlessness of such strikes. No public transport, no government
services, no banks, no business - businessmen hated such strikes as it meant a
loss in the day’s revenue. The party, in its ‘glorious’ years, did nothing but
organize such strikes, playing a cruel political game at the cost of wreaking
havoc and interrupting the daily lives of the citizens.
He reached his work
much earlier than usual. Apart from a couple of people, none had turned up. He
felt famished and decided to head down to the cafeteria for a quick bite before
his supervisors turned up for the shift
‘Good relief!’ thought
Samuel, as he gorged on the snacks. On a normal day, the cafeteria would have
nothing to serve. But today, they had prepared a couple of snacks, much to
Samuel’s surprise. After having a couple of idlis and a cup of tea, he went
back and logged in for the day’s shift.
The day started as
usual. Being a Thursday, there was not much work to do. Samuel couldn’t wait
for the day to get over already. He had been really looking forward for the
weekend.
Samuel, along with his
school friends, was going on a week-long trip to the city of Goa. They had
planned about this trip two months back. Initially, Samuel was not sure whether
he could make it. But coaxing and threats from his friends eventually worked in
the end and he found himself planning the month’s household expenses in advance
in order to save money. So much was his determination for this trip that not
only had he managed to save for the trip, he had informed his father about the
trip last night, presuming the negative backlash from him.
There was a excitement
among his friends too. It was his dream to visit Goa and explore its scenic
beauty. He had even managed to
convince his team leader to approve his leaves. Nothing could stop him now!
“So, all set for tomorrow?”
asked the girl sitting next to him.
“What?” he said, coming
out of his daydream, “You said something, Suparna?”
“I asked whether you
are all set for your trip,” she repeated.
“Oh yes!” he exclaimed,
tapping the mouse on the table, “You keep an eye on Facebook for the crazy
pictures that I will be uploading.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she
rolled her eyes, “But I’m so jealous of you. I wish I could go on a trip like
that with my friends.”
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
Samuel continued, “And it is just us, all school friends together. It will be a
trip of a lifetime.”
“That’s enough, you
two,” came his team leader’s voice from behind the desk, “The day has just
started people. Please focus on the work and stop the chitchat!”
“Sorry!” said Suparna
in a timid voice, vividly flabbergasted. She slumped back in her chair and
pressed a finger to her lips, turning to her workstation.
At that very moment,
Samuel’s mobile began to vibrate on the desk. It was a call from his sister
Joy.
‘That’s a first,’ he
thought, looking at the screen. His sister had never called him at work before,
especially around seven in the morning. He got up and went to the toilet to
answer the call. They were not supposed to keep their mobile phones switched on
during business hours.
“Hello? Joy? What
happened?” he spoke.
“ANNA*, YOU HAVE TO
COME HOME RIGHT NOW!” she said in a hurried breath.
Samuel was shocked. He
couldn’t mistake the panic in his sister’s voice.
“What happened?” he
asked again, trying to keep his voice calm.
“SOMETHING’S HAPPENING
TO DAD! PLEASE COME FAST! JOHN HAS GONE TO CALL THE DOCTOR. COME FAST SOON,”
she jabbered, again in that same panic-stricken tone.
She hung up.
“Hello!?” said Samuel
disbelievingly staring at the phone screen.
He felt a sense of
unease creep in his nerves. There was something in the way his sister spoke
that sounded foreboding. Panic started to flutter in him and his heart rate
started to spike up. His breath began to sound hoarse.
‘No, I must keep myself
calm,’ he berated himself.
He rushed out to his supervisor. He did not
realise that the eyes of his fellow workmates were glued on him.
“Javed, listen, I need
to rush back home!” he said in a hurried whisper. He kept his voice down so as
not to have Suparna eavesdrop “It was a call from my sister. She said it is
urgent and that I need to rush back home.”
“Ok, go,” replied
Javed, “Call me if you need my help.”
“Thank you.”
Trying to keep his pace
as natural as possible, he darted out from the work floor and headed to the
nearest lift. He tried to control his breathing. He could feel the tremble of
his fingers. Irritated, he shut them tight. Within a couple of
minutes, he was out from the parking lot and rode through the deserted street
back to his house.
‘I knew there was
something wrong with him,’ he thought, as he recalled the previous’s night
conversation with his father...
“See this,” Samuel
said, dropping the stack of clothes on the mattress.
“What’s this?” asked
his dad, a little rudely.
“New clothes that I
bought for my Goa trip,” he replied.
A hush fell in the
floor. His sister paused in the act of stacking clothes inside the cupboard and
turned to stare at him while his brother John kept staring from his father to
Samuel.
“Goa?” said his father,
his tone full of surprise, “When did you plan on telling me about this?”
“I am,” said Samuel
defiantly, staring right into his father’s eye, “right now.”
They exchanged silent
looks. A couple of seconds passed without each saying anything. His father took
a napkin and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“Are you alright?”
asked Samuel, noticing how pale his father looked. He was leaning on the wall
for support, with a couple of pillows to cushion the weight of his back. He was
sweating profusely even when both the fans were on in the hall.
“Despite us repeatedly
saying no, he consumed all of his medication together,” piped in Joy. She gave
an angry look to her father and continued, “Today, his doctor gave him pills of
some higher power and TOLD HIM to consume them at regular intervals throughout
the day! But the man has taken them all together. Now, look at him!”
“Why did you do that?”
asked Samuel, bending down to pick up the napkin and wiped the sweat of his
father’s forehead.
“Listen, if you are
going to Goa, make sure you leave the gold chain back home,” his father added, “for
safekeeping.”
Samuel smiled. Even
when he disrespected his father, he still cared for him.
“I will call you, once
I reach there, ok?” said Samuel in a reassuring voice.
“Have fun,” his father
smiled back.
He reached his home and
ran upstairs to his apartment. To his dismay, the door was locked. His neighbours were
out and stared at him as he rushed to the corridor’s window.
“Your brother and
sister just left in the rickshaw,” one of them informed urgently.
Samuel ran back to his
scooter. He was about to call Joy when his mobile started to ring again.
“Joy!” he exclaimed, “Where
are you guys? I just reached here.”
“We are headed to
Millat hospital. Dr. Shaikh came and told us to take dad to the hospital
immediately. We are reaching there in a couple of minutes”
“Ok, I am coming there.
Just keep me informed,” he finished the call and started his scooter.
‘Oh God! This can’t be
happening!’ he thought. His mind started to race. Once again, he felt the
sensation of fear rising in his throat. He wanted to pause and take a deep
breath. But time was of the essence. He rode to the hospital which was a mere
10 minutes away from his place.
Millat hospital is
located on the Swami Vivekanand Road in Jogeshwari west. It is situated exactly
opposite to the 24 Karat theatre. According to Samuel, it was one of the most
cleanest places he had ever seen.
He reached the hospital’s
compound. There were a couple of people loitering by the entrance to the
casualty ward. He ran to the entrance. There were steps leading downwards. A
large banner placed near the entrance stated that everyone had to remove their
shoes before entering inside.
Samuel took them off
and descended the steps in his socks. He quickly scanned the waiting room for
any sign of his brother and sister, but they were not there. A sole nurse was
walking past the many counters.
“Excuse me sister?” he
approached her, trying to keep the shiver out of his voice, “where is the man
who arrived right now? Have you taken him inside?”
“Who?” asked the nurse,
unperturbed by the urgency in Samuel’s voice.
It took a second for
the impact of that one word to hit him. The nurse looked at Samuel
nonchalantly.
“Who are you looking
for?” she asked him, in a bored voice.
“A-A-patient has been
brought here right now,” he implored, hoping for the situation to make sense, “He
is accompanied with a girl and a boy -”
“Oh yes!” she piped up
suddenly, interrupting him; “We turned them away. The doctor doesn’t come in
till 9. They went just a couple of minutes ago.
Samuel felt as if
someone had slapped him in the face. He couldn’t help but stare at the nurse in
disbelief. His eyes betrayed the feeling of shock. Perhaps the nurse felt it
too for she added,
“Look son, there is
nothing we could have done here. Not without the doctor.”
Samuel turned and ran
up the stairs. His mind started to race and he could feel the panic rising in
his heart. He had no idea where his siblings were. A hospital had just turned
them away, without even offering to help them. He started to wear his shoes.
“Looking for the man in
the rickshaw?” asked a man coolly, sitting on the plinth near the entrance, “He is
dead meat.”
Samuel wanted to hit
the man, but couldn’t bring himself to it. He started sprinting back to his
scooter and called up Joy.
“Joy! Where the hell
are you?” his voice shook with anger.
“We are in the rickshaw
right now to BSES hospital in Andheri,” she answered. Her voice sounded hollow,
“There was no one at Millat.”
“At least, tell me!!”
he spat, his fury breaking over Joy, “I wasted time coming to Millat.”
“Calm down, OK!”
responded Joy, sounding a little hostile, “You don’t shout right now and come here fast.”
She hung up. Still
furious over his sister’s ineptitude, he started the scooter and rode for the
BSES hospital.
In all the time lost,
he couldn’t help but think of his father. The man needed help, but there was no
one to help him. His siblings were clueless and he was going around with no
information. All he knew, he had to reach the hospital before it was too late…
It took him another 15 minutes to reach the BSES hospital. It is
situated on the S.V. road that passes through Andheri. Going through the wrong
lane, Samuel veered his scooter in the compound of the hospital.
He ran inside the
entrance lobby and turned left. The reception counter is located at the end of
the lobby and has corridors branching off in both the left and right directions from it. He reached the end and turned to scan the corridors. At the end of the left
corridor, he caught the sight of his younger brother John sitting on a bench.
He reached and tapped
John’s shoulder. Joy sat next to him. Either of them were not speaking.
“What happened? Where
is he?” asked Samuel, his voice bordering on hoarseness.
John simply pointed to
the door opposite to the bench. He looked too shocked to say anything.
Just then, the door
opened and a ward boy came out.
“Mr. Gomes?” he asked,
looking at John.
“Yes?” said Samuel,
stepping forward.
“The doctor is calling
you inside,” he answered. Before Samuel could prod him further, the ward boy
turned and darted back inside.
His legs felt like
lead. He dreaded going inside and find out. But he couldn’t just stand out
there.
The room was small and
was packed to the brim. Just behind the door were a desk and two chairs. A
paper curtain was drawn, shielding the bed. The ward boy, a nurse and another
man were standing next to the desk. It was difficult to get a view of the bed
from the door. Samuel turned his eyes to the man sitting across the desk. The
doctor had a sheet of pink paper in front of him. Samuel knew what that sheet was.
The flat line on the sheet was unmistakable.
“I am sorry,” said the
doctor, looking at Samuel solemnly in the eye, “He is no more.”
