“ Why... So... Serious?!”
thing to drop off my children?”. Or it might have been a marketing strategy, I don’ t know!
It helped however, since we had to pass two railway crossings to reach the school. Initially, the station master used to open the closed gate, if possible, but later he figured out the truth( Damn!)
My companions:
Annamma sister: a lady of 60 years who was‘ extraordinarily sensitive’ while watching movies( She used to cry when the hero got hurt like he was her own son and clapped and whistled when the hero won)
Sajith: The X-ray technician who was my cricket buddy and chess guru. I used to trouble him asking for my x-ray on a daily basis( I used to wonder why he kept declining;“ isn’ t it all about clicking a button?”)
Shafina: The poor soul whose regular duty included jotting down the stupid stories I used to make.
Gemini: A black guy( yup, racism) who took the terrible decision of switching off the fan after finding out a thief in his room at night. Apparently, his next step was to slyly get to the next room, ask for help from the security and catch the thief( Hmm... quite a plan!).
Alex: Another X-ray technician( X-ray techies are kinda cool. And male always!) who became one of my best and last friends at the hospital.
I’ ve named just a few out of the enormous list. The Patients-
What’ s a hospital without patients? Here are a few of them.
Esho: This old man used to give me the creeps. Carrying a clothed bag, this man was allegedly‘ the mama’ s child’ kidnapper. Nice idea of my mother to keep me at home. It really worked.
The Kidney Boy: This boy, about 5 years older than me, joined our‘ cricket club’ one afternoon. 7 days later, I got scolded by my parents for allowing him to play. Apparently, he had a serious kidney condition and a( the thing used to give daily injections. I forgot its name) in his hand. He was cured later.
Kamal‘ Pasha’: This guy spent a week at the hospital and the food in the canteen impressed him. Strode he to my mother’ s cabin the next day and asked about renting a room there( Thug life!). You must have figured out by now that my parents( and the people there) were kinda crazy. She agreed, and he spent the next couple of years there.
The list is unending and I must stop. I must have missed at least 10-15 characters whom I’ d like to mention but time and space are against me.
So I welcome you to THE CLIMAX.
I wish if I could have a twisty climax but I don’ t have one. All I can do is to reassure you that such a hospital and such people do exist and whatever is written here is 100 % true. So before I sign off I would like to tell you that secret. The fundamental question. The ultimate question.
Why did I take the trouble of writing all this?
The answer is not an emotional one but rather a sarcastic one. It’ s to ask a question that crept into my mind while reading my friends’ write-ups in the last few years’ mags. A pretty simple question indeed.
“ Why... So... Serious?!”