#HimalayanWritersRetreat
“It can’t be true”
“But that is what your report says,” the man in the white coat told Dasappa. To Dasappa the man in the white coat was a demi-god, he did not know that the man was a technician, to make matters worse the man handed the report to the “Nurse-amma” she looked at it, and shook her head.
All that Dasappa heard was, “AIDS, Cancer…”
It all began with loosing apetite and weight. Like most men of his socio-economic profile the visit to the doctor was bottom in the list of priorities. He postpone until that particular load was delivered for the doctors in the destination town were better, or it would be late after after delivary and he needed to drive back. After 8-12hrs of driving he would be too tired on Sunday to make the trip to town, the medical outpost at Zuarinagar was closed on Sunday.
Last week-end at home his mother began abusing him, she was of course drunt yet it hurt that his mother resented his progress in life. he had married Belliamma who had passed matriculation she valued education and so did he.
When his daughter Manisha turned 12, instead of marrying her off as most people in his community did, he sent her to the Navodaya boarding school that the government ran for the migrant communities. Manisha had made him proud, now his son was all set to join his sister.
“It is this woman,” his mother ranted pointing a waggling finger at his wife.
“Dasappa…” his wife laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“Dasappa…yeah…convent madam, how dare you call your husband by his name.” His mother was panting now,
”and who are you to come between my son and me,” words and tempers flew, at a point his mother grabbed Belliamma by her hair, Dasappa tried to intervene. The scuffle ended with his mother falling down the stairs.
She was brought the Goa medical college where she was declared safe but with broken bones she needed care. She had to lifted and tended too, Dasappa had taken a week off to attend to her.
“Now that you are in the hospital, go see the doctor,” his wife had nagged him.
Dasappa gave in, he was apprehensive at the doctors office, the doctor didn’t bother too much with him. A poke here a press there, the stethscop on his chest, he then delivered the final verdict.
“Kudithiyenu?” the doctor asked, and Dasappa assured him that he did not drink alcohol let alone being an alcoholic.
“hmm, get these tests done”. The tests were done, the results brought Dasappa’s world crumbling. The only thing the couple gathered from the man in the whitecoats words were AIDS and cancer.
“but my husband is a good man doctor, he does womanize or drink…” Dasappa’s wife almost pleaded the technician as if he could make the report go away.
“It can’t be true ” Dasappa declared aloud.
“That is what the reports say” insisted the man in the white coat, ”anyway the doctor will confirm it.”
The couple walked down towards the door that the technician asked them to go, Dasappa’s mother in the post operative ward was duly forgotten.
“arrey Dasappa why do look so sad,” asked an young doctor who was on rounds.
Dasappa handed him the reports and said,”that doctor in that room said I could have AIDS or cancer. How is it possible?”
“he is a good man ” Belliamma kept muttering. As the doctor read through the report.
“of course belliamma,” the doctor assured, “you have nothing to worry”
“but the reports say AIDS and cancer”
“can happen if you do not take treatment,” the doctor repeated, “as of now you have Jaundice or Kamalay as you know it. I’ll write out the medicine, let him take it regularly.” The doctor said handing the prescription.
“Oh! Yes come back for check up after a month, follow the diet carefully.”
Tears of relief flowed down Belliamma’s cheeks, and Dasappa released a sigh of relief, the world was back to normal with Dasappa’s mother yelling for attention in the ward.
The Doctor became the Savior, the Medicine the ‘prasad’ or panacea for all illness. The half baked technician appropriately cursed.
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