The year was 2008, mid October and it was that time of the year when everyone starts to think of their resolutions for the next year. As for me, I was about to take one. 2 funerals was a lot to take at that point of my life. The pretentious maturity in me was to have a raincheck after what happened. My best friend’s father and my own grandmother decided to go to the place beyond the human vicinity. In a span of 3 days I had to grow up to be responsible. Why is that..?? Let me explain…

I was involved in the household works of both the funerals. It started on a quite Thursday morning when my friend, Akhil called pretty early. The moment I picked up the call I immediately asked him “where is the match?”, because that’s when he calls me. But instead I was in for a surprise. Not a pleasant one in any standards. I rushed to his place without trying to think if he was pulling a fast one on me. As he was the only male in the family after his father, we (his friends) took up the responsibility of doing the running around.

The break of the second sad news

Now there is a little flashback to tell on how we became best friends. His father and my father were best buds in their college days. Result of which was our regular weekend trips to their place in my childhood. Akhil and I shared a very common ideology since childhood, may it be girls, cricket and movies or for the matter of fact all the dirty things boys do. Over the years they shifted close by to my place which only made our friendship grow stronger to an extent that we started calling it brotherhood.

I spent the next day at their place. I was woken up by the call of my mom, only this time it was 12 noon. I knew there was something fishy the way my mom spoke. The exact words were if I can recollect correctly – “come to Andhramahila sabha.. grandmom is sick!!”. I think anyone could have taken the hint. I went into my grandmom’s room, saw the CTR which was placed beside her and just then the wave on the screen turned into a line. It was a massive one. My dad taught me the previous time my grandma was in the hospital of how to read that machine. I couldn’t take it. Sankeert who was accompanying me met me outside and it was he who I thought I could break the news to first. I told him what I thought was happening and turned around to see my dad come towards me. He asked me to make the arrangements at home. Fresh from the experience of such scenario I was pretty fast at arranging for the rituals.

The journey to 45 mins of Black Out!!

I was immersed in taking care of the whole house as my dad and his brothers were not allowed to participate in these things. I forgot about my college, I forgot about my health and I forgot about my smoking. It was quite a shocker for me to digest so much of grief in such short span. But something pushed me. The various memories of both these people haunted me. The message of my Akhil kept repeating in my head all the while – “so now we both sail the same boat!!!”. It was more like a reminder of our brotherhood. In the whole dump of condolences there was one respite of normality which happened to me. My HOD from college called. No no… it was not an honor to get his call, it was a curse. “Sadhu, there are 3 months of college left.. if you can manage to come.. I’ll see to it that you can attend your exams or you will be detained”, this was a threat I heard all through my engineering but seldom.. in fact never did it scared me. But I decide to go either ways coz I needed a change. For the first time in my life I was thriving for a routine.

Too much into comfort zone

The very moment I decided to go to college I suddenly felt light on my feet. I was back to being my happy go unlucky guy who looked at college as a place where rebels are born. I told myself that I will go to college the next day and slept. The very thought soothed me. I dreamt of my friends, my sleep in the class, my victories in bingo and the sight of my love. By the time I completed my portion of dreams I already missed my bus. I decided to go on my RX 100 which was a tough task but I had time on my hand. I knew I was missing my first class so I had a good 2 hrs to go. I started off from my place and mind you my college is 40 kms away. I covered 15 odd kilometers and looked at a café on the road side. I thought of stopping for a smoke but as I am a peoples person, I thought “let’s call the guys once I reach college. Ill give them a reason to bunk!!”. Trust me that was the last I remember… the next 45 mins were………………………………………….

Pool of blood and a bottle of water

I gained consciousness with me in the position where my elbows were on my knees and about 20 people in front of me. I thought for a second that I was in some kind of protest! One guy came running to me and started showing his hand and shouted “how many fingers are these??”. I shooed him off saying “I know numbers dude!!!”. Confused and scared that guy went away. I was amused by my position and looked down… I realized I could only open my right eye and all it could see was a pool of blood which was being filled by the blood dripping from the left side of my face. And you have to excuse me for the next few words “OHH F***ing SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” was what I thought.

Surprisingly… calmly I called that guy back and asked him to show his hand again.. he obediently raised his hand and this time I concentrated. I could see his fingers but my brain stopped working. I went into a daze. My thinking ability freezed for a second and I tried hard to recollect what happened. I could only get an image of my bike wobbling badly and I hit the brakes hard. That’s it that was enough to give me the whole picture. Another guy joined the first guy and handed me a bottle of water. As I was about to drink the third guy came rushing, snatched the bottle from my hands.

Suddenly there was a set up of a debate. Two groups formed to discuss if you can give head injured person water or not. Though I was the only spectator they argued with grit. The guy sitting beside me was trying to get the bottle back but I guess it was for himself. I gave him a couple of numbers and asked him to call them. He doubtfully asked me if I was sure that they’ll come. With a pinch of insult I reassured him they will.

A ride to eternity

The ambulance came promptly in an HOURS time after I might have lost about half of my blood. The guys wished me luck as if I was going for a war. The attainder in the ambulance immediately made me lie down on the stretcher. He started cleaning my wounds. I asked him if I was getting any stitches on my face. He said “it’s all fine don’t worry!!”. I pinned him to the wall of the van, shouted on his face “I’m not scared… just tell me if I’m gonna get any stitches….!!!” “I don’t know, I have to clean the wounds first!!”. He administered saline immediately. When I tried to look at it with my blurred vision, it seemed like blood. I waited for the hospital to arrive thinking how much of blood I might have lost. The journey was endless.

Stitching together the map of my face!

The moment we reached the hospital the attainder ran out of the van. Perplexed and stronger, thanks to the saline; I got down with the bottle of the saline in my hand. I roamed around the hospital asking around where to stitch my face. Not able to figure out what to do I went back to the entrance to see Kashyap and Rana, who by the way are much bigger and robust than me waiting for me outside. The sight of me made them turn into balloons which are yet to be blown. The attainder came around the ambulance with a wheelchair. And I figured out the puzzle why he ran out in such a rush.

After the doctor examined me, he told the nurse to practically stitch my face together inside and outside. I was wondering if he saw my face as his wife’s jacket. In the operation theater it seemed that they underestimated my strength. As the first needle of anesthesia entered my upper eye lid, I myself heard the loudest scream I ever gave in my life time. A troop of attainders and nurses came in to pin me down to the stretcher with very less success. Finally the nurse asked me to abuse her if I want. I was more than happy to oblige her as she injected another 5 needles around my eye. And then she took her own sweet time stitching my face together as she was talking about some family politics with her colleague. With the saline working I was feeling the pain of my body now. The numbness dried out and pain replaced it… intense piercing pain!

More stress to Mom

After the treatment, I came out of the operation theater. I saw a sea of people waiting for me as if I delivered a baby. Feeling like a war hero I greeted every astonished face staring at me like I was a Frankenstein. They shifted me to a room and it was flocked with my friends. Humbled by their presence I took it upon myself to entertain them. With support of the saline now working hard on my body, I started yapping asking them to take pictures, telling them random jokes about me completing the league of accident victims of our bench. This continued for a good 15 minutes when they finally realized I was back and it’s time to leave me alone. While the crowd was clearing out, Nikhil my bench mate and dear friend of mine came close to me and whispered in my ear “yours is the best accident in all of us dude!!!”. With a mischievous smile he left me proud. I asked Ashwin to call my mom and tell her about the accident. When he told her she hardly was concerned. She was like where did he fall now?? When I explained what exactly happened, a grim voice spoke from the other side “where are you now? Did you tell nana??”. I asked Ashwin to give the address and went back to tranquility with thoughts of my best accident and the list of unending apologies I would be giving my mom.

Broken watch, smashed specs, crushed bike and an enemy’s face!!

I woke up with the sight of teary eyes of my mom, a questioning face of my dad and a worried aunt. My friends went to the accident sight and saw that I missed the open sewage by 10 feet. My mom started thanking the infinite gods and the talisman which she recently gave me. My dad saw I was alright and packed my stuff to go home. The moment I stepped out of the hospital I saw my crushed bike. This was the first time since the accident that I realized how narrowly I missed being gone for good. I saw my specs which were in bits and pieces, my jeans torn till knee on my left side (which I still wear) and my watch broken to powder. I was escorted by a couple of friends alongside my car till my place. I was able to breathe freely. The final shocker was still waiting for me at home though. I saw the mirror with a half open right eye. That’s all I could see!! The rest of the face was completely bandaged. I saw a face which I have imagined for my enemies.

All the astonishing faces which stared at me on the road, at the accident, at the hospital were abruptly justified to me. I fell into a shell of my own. I lost my appetite for a good week. That day in the night I could only think of two things

1. How will I ever be normal with people around?
2. Now she has all the reason not to like me!!!!