As I approached towards the parking lot of this super specialty hospital,it was already ten to eleven. I had an appointment at eleven thirty with the gynecologist. I had taken the appointment one month back. I was advised to carry my medical file along with me. As I collected the cover containing that,locked the car and approached toward the lift,it was almost eleven. Ten minutes took the registration process and I was asked to wait in the lobby near the doctor's cubicle. The department was what you call state of art, with a faint smell of disinfectant. I settled myself on the comfortable sofa and picked up some magazines to spend the waiting hour. I smiled inward,enjoying the facilities and the attention from staff members. I had almost 20 minutes to spend,enough time to think of something which was bothering me from the time I entered this place.
Twenty years back,my ancestral small town lacked all the facilities one needs to survive decently. It had few small grocery shops,a market which opened twice in a week,a health center which used to be closed most of the time,and a practicing,aged homeopath. Twice in a month mom used to take me there. One day,I went to the grocery shop along with my aunt to buy biscuits. Aunty had a peculiar allergy from ants. That day,while purchasing those items,she was bitten by a big ant. Within seconds,she collapsed on the floor. She was not able to breath,her face turned swollen and she started writhing. People gathered around,all discussing anxiously about the necessary action to be taken,but nobody dared to touch her. They thought that she was bitten by a snake! I was too small to handle the situation, but I told them it's not snake,but an ant. They took her to the local homeopath and the shopkeeper made me sit in his shop. He took his cycle and went to inform in my house. The homeopath's chamber was just across the street,I could see aunty lying on the wooden bench. She already lost her consciousness. I was praying for some miracle,when mom appeared with grocer uncle. She arranged for a rickshaw and with great difficulty placed aunty on that. The homeopath told her to visit the local hospital for some anti-allergic shots,it seems the homeo medicines were not working. The hospital was some 20 km away from the place,and no other means of transport were available at that time. I was seeing everything,but mom had no time to turn her attention towards me. Each minute was valuable. As they started towards hospital,I ran to her and asked ," What shall I do now?" She turned and said," Sit at Homeo Dadu's shop,while returning we will pick you up." The rickshaw sped away,and I returned to Dadu's shop. He had few patients waiting for him. He smiled and showed me a chair. I sat there,and stared at the road. I was waiting for mom.
The sky was covered with thick clouds from afternoon. Half an hour after entering the shop the storm started. The wind brought dust,leaves and saw-dusts from the nearby carpenter's shop inside the chamber. Slowly the rain started pouring in. First drizzling,then hammering on the tin roof. The patients were gone,Homeo Dadu placed a small bucket in one corner where the rainwater was sipping in. The power was long gone,he lit a kerosene lamp which made strange shadows on dampened walls. I was looking at them, fascinated. Hour after hour passed,but there was no sign of mom. Dadu tried to start small conversations with me,but I was too much preoccupied with my present state. Everything seemed like forever,the world stood still on that rainy night inside that homeo chamber. The clock struck nine when the time was over for Dadu. He had to shut down,but where could he leave me? He decided to drop me off. I was thinking it would be better if he did so few hours back! When he was locking the door,a rickshaw appeared at the corner of the street. It was like seeing a faint light at the end of a tunnel. As it came near,I saw mom and aunty,in much better shape. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. They thanked the doctor and picked me up. We reached home within 10 minutes.
That day I realized,what real insecurity was. Those few hours spent in that chamber were the toughest exercise of patience. I was thinking,if proper hospitals and treatment facilities were available at that time,all of us wouldn't have suffered that night.
I jerked awake from my dreamlike state,the receptionist was calling my name. I have to visit the doctor now. I left the warm embrace of that comfortable sofa and walked towards the doctor's cubicle.
