Destiny

25. Destiny's Play - II

Here we start for the 4th and the last arc of the story...

3 new characters have been introduced here.
Dr. Vasant, Dr. Satya and Dr. Satya's Love Interest, Vidya

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Bombay was being lashed by the fury of the monsoon. The sky was overcast,
and the unrelenting downpour had cut off parts of the city. Dr Vasant wondered
how high the water had risen in the vicinity, and peered out of the window.
He had been busy in the operation theatre since the morning. Emergency cases and his other duties had kept him so occupied that he had forgotten to have his lunch. It was almost time for dinner by the time he came back to hia chambers.

He could see Bombay Central station and its surging crowds in the distance. As
usual, people were rushing to catch the local and outstation trains. The rain had
brought great relief from the scorching heat of the summer, although it also created havoc, especially in the city's slums.

Vasant bit hard on a small stone in
the sabji halfway through his dinner, and winced. He was getting tired of eating
the same thing every day-thick chapatis that were difficult to chew, curds with
sugar, dal that was too oily, vegetable gravy with too much masala, and rice that had been cooked without the stones being picked out! He had been having the same dinner for so many years that he had started hating the thought of his
evening meal. He yearned for his mother's cooking, but that was beyond his reach now.

Rainwater started streaming in from a broken window-pane. It formed a
puddle and lapped against his feet. The cold rainwater reminded him of his
childhood, of standing in the first shower after the hot summer. As children, they
had believed that getting drenched in the first rains would bring them good luck
and good health. But his mother, Sushma had not agreed with them. 'Vasant,
come inside. Don't get wet. You will catch a cold.'

She had worried too much about diseases that never struck. But still, melting under his mother's love and care, he had always heeded her words and gone in.

The knock at the door interrupted his reminiscences. 'Yes, come in.'

'Doctor, an emergency case was just brought in,' the attendant announced
without any emotion.

Vasant looked at his dinner plate and said, 'I will be there in a minute.' While
he was washing his hands, the Bombay Central clock struck eight. He donned
his white coat and headed for the emergency room. Sister Parvathi Ammu met him outside the ER. She looked at him and exclaimed in surprise, 'How come you are on duty again, doctor? Where is Doctor Satya?'

Vasant just smiled before walking into the ER.

Satya, like Vasant, was from Karnataka. They had known each other for the
past three years, but their attitude to life was very different.

'Oh, Vasant! You don't know how to enjoy life. You should have been a sage!
I'm on duty on Sunday, but I have some urgent work. How about an exchange?
You stand in for me on Sunday and I'll take over your shift on Tuesday.'

He had not even waited for Vasant's reply. He had assumed that Vasant would
agree, and merrily gone his way.

The Sunday duty exchange between them was quite common. Vasant knew
very well what Satya meant by 'urgent work'. He would roam around with his
junior, Dr Vidya, watch a movie at the Liberty or stroll down Marine Drive.

As soon as Vasant reached the ER, a police constable came up to him.
'Doctor, there has been an accident. This lady was crossing the road towards
Bombay Central when a taxi jumped the red light and hit her. It was not her
fault; she was at the zebra crossing. The taxiwala ran away but we caught up
with him at the next signal and he is now in the lock-up.'