Deception

What would you do if you met your long-lost mother? You would hug her? Cry on her shoulder? Spend rest of the life with her? Well, Vidhi did not think like that. You must find out what plans she had.

Vidhi sat and released a long breath. Finally, she had time to sit calmly. She clicked open her tiffin box and wished to eat lunch without any disturbance. She took the first bite of the veggie sandwich, and while chewing it, she shrugged her shoulders as if tiredness would slip off her shoulders. She took the second bite when the emergency alarm started off, filling the room with red light. She instantly put on her mask, wore her sweat-drenched PPE kit again, and ran towards the emergency ward. Vidhi saw Dr. Vishal and Dr. Santosh examining an old lady who lay unconscious on a stretcher. Dr. Vishal asked me to check her blood pressure while he was checking her breaths. "Sir, at 130/85 mmHg, maybe she fainted because of high BP." Vidhi said. "Yeah, I think that too. But then how come her breathing is not consistent?" Dr. Santosh interrupted, "Put her on an IV. Let her condition come back to normal." Vidhi did as asked; she injected Viggo and attached it to a bottle.

 

Because the lady was old and her condition was uncertain, the doctor assigned Vidhi as her personal nurse. Vidhi shifted that old lady into a separate room. She checks the old lady’s purse to get any contact details for her relatives, but it only has a few currency notes. Vidhi brought her lunch and ate it, expecting not to be disturbed again. She successfully finished her tiffin. The old lady still lay unconscious; her drip was finished. Vidhi detached it and checked her blood pressure again. It was normal. Her breathing was normal. Vidhi called the doctor, and he suggested she let her rest. Vidhi sat wondering why this old lady had no phone and no ID. She wished someone from her family would come and see her. In her nursing career, she had seen a lot of patients with no caretaker, no family members, and no relatives. This hurts her more than anything. She cannot see someone suffering alone. Her thoughts were disturbed when her mate knocked on the door and called her to company in a delivery. The baby’s neck was entangled in the umbilical cord, and the mother was in intense pain. Vidhi quickly assigned Radha to take care of that old lady. As she entered OT, she saw a man holding her hand and caressing her head. Vidhi smiled under the mask. Everything was ready. As the surgeon entered the OT, Vidhi gave LA to the women in labor. The husband was still holding his hand, but he tightly shut his eyes as soon as he saw the surgeon holding a scalpel. The surgeon made an incision in her lower abdomen to access the uterus. Then he made a horizontal incision in her uterus, and he carefully delivered the baby through the uterine incision. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. Vidhi got the baby free of it and clamped the cord to cut it to separate the baby from the placenta. The surgeon, with the help of another nurse, removed the placenta and membranes from the uterus. Vidhi wrapped the baby in a clean white towel. The father of that baby had his eyes shut until he heard his baby crying. Vidhi congratulated the father, saying, "It’s a boy." She spoke. He still held tight to his wife’s hand with a smile on his lips and tears in his eyes. While Vidhi was cleaning the baby, the surgeon sutured the uterine incision and closed the layers of the abdominal incision with absorbable stitches. Successful delivery.

 

Vidhi shifted the mother and the baby to a separate room and supplied her post-op pain relief medication. The family was celebrating the birth of their new family member, and the baby’s cousins were choosing a name for him. They served laddus to everybody present in the hospital. Vidhi guided the nurse to let the baby and the mother rest and only wake the baby when the mother feels ready to breastfeed him. Vidhi, on her way to that old lady, thought how cruel this place is; in one room, people are celebrating a new-born baby, and in the other room, there is no one to take care of that old lady. A father whose son met with an accident also smiled when he heard the news of the new-born baby. This shows how we are raised: we become happy in the happiness of others, forgetting our sorrows. When Vidhi entered the old lady’s room, she saw Radha feeding porridge to that old lady. Radha introduced Vidhi. "Aunty, she is Vidhi. She has been taking care of you since you arrived here." Vidhi impulsively folded her hands and wished her "Namaste". The old lady slowly raised her trembling hand and called Vidhi to come close. Vidhi did as asked. "Thank you, Beta," said the elderly lady. Vidhi fumbled those newly wrinkled hands and guessed her age between 60 and 65. "Where do you live, aunty?" Vidhi asked. "Jaya Colony." She answered in a weak, trembling voice. "With your family?" Vidhi asked. The old lady smiled in return and said "Alone". Vidhi and Radha looked at each other in shock. "Where does your family live?" Radha asked. The old lady turned her eyes from Vidhi to the ceiling. "No family," she said as a drop of tears started running towards her ear. Vidhi felt weak in her stomach; a hoick hit her heart. Vidhi gulped down the limp in her throat. "For how long have you been living alone, aunty?" Vidhi asked. "Since my daughter died." Vidhi couldn’t control her tears anymore. She at once left the room. Sobbing restlessly in the corridor, Radha came to console her. "How can anyone leave their mother like that? She’s been living her life alone," a crying Vidhi said to Radha. Radha rubbed her hand on Vidhi's back.

 

Vidhi chose to stay with the old lady all night and if she needed her. Vidhi fed her dinner and asked her to sleep. She then ordered her food online. Vidhi was lying on the sofa beside the old lady, and she didn’t know when she fell asleep. The old lady woke up at midnight and saw Vidhi sleeping on the sofa. The old lady got up and blanketed her. Took off her mask and caressed her forehead.

 

When Vidhi woke up, she saw that old lady already having her breakfast on her own and Radha preparing for another dose of drip. "Good morning, Aunty. It seems like you are feeling good today." Vidhi said. "Good morning, Beta. All thanks to you girls who are taking so much care of mine." The old lady said it with a warm smile. “Enjoy your breakfast and take a rest; I’ll just get freshened up and come as soon as I can." Vidhi said. "Take your time, Beta; I am feeling much better here than at home." She spoke. Vidhi smiled and packed up to leave.

 

When Vidhi came back to the hospital, her manager asked if she was late. Vidhi told him she was in the hospital all night and left just an hour ago to rejoin again. Radha called her, and her face looked tense. "I talked to an old lady; she told me her sad story. She is responding well to medication, and the doctor might discharge her today, but I feel she doesn’t want to leave. She desperately needs company. There’s no one to take care of her. I almost cried when she told her story." Radha shed tears while narrating the happenings. Vidhi took a deep breath and said, "I will take her home." "Are you serious?" Radha asked with shock clear in her eyes. "I didn't know when I fell asleep on the sofa last night, but when I woke up in the morning, I had covered myself with a blanket. I don’t know how, but I feel a connection with her." Vidhi said. "Within a day, you have started to feel a connection with a stranger, old lady?" Radha asked with raised eyebrows, forming a question. "Maybe... "Neither I nor she have anyone; we will be good company for each other." Vidhi said. "I will advise you to think twice before you act." Radha advised.

 

Vidhi went to that old lady’s room and found Dr. Vishal examining her.

 

"Vidhi… I think she is fine now and is ready to go home. Get her discharge papers ready." Dr. Vishal declared.

 

"Yes sir." She said it with a tight-lipped smile on her face.

 

As soon as the doctor left the room, the old lady started crying and said, "I don’t want to leave you. Beta."

 

"I have a surprise for you."

 

The old lady suspiciously looked at Vidhi, expecting a bomb.

 

"I am taking you to my home." Vidhi presented her with a surprise that was unimaginable to her.

 

A ray of sunshine shot across the old lady’s face and quickly vanished, as if she realized something. "What happened? You don’t want to live with me?"

 

"Will your husband allow me to? Will your family let me live with you?" the old lady asked with an upset face.

 

"Oh, is that what you are worried about?" Then I have one more surprise for you. I also live alone. Just like you."

 

"Why? Where is your family? Why would you leave them and live alone? Why?" The old lady showed concern and asked a set of questions.

 

"I think we should first go home, and then we will talk about it."

 

"Beta, I loved your company and the way you took care of me, but I don’t want to disturb you in your personal space. It’s okay. As I have been living alone for so long, I can continue it. But I cannot create a mess in someone’s life. You are so sweet to offer me your place, but I insist you drop this idea."

 

Vidhi came near the old lady and sat on her knees. Held the hands of the old lady. "Aunty, I have been living alone since childhood; I don’t know who my parents are. And the way you gave me your blanket last night. For the first time, I felt what parental love feels like. You need a child, and I need a parent. Why don’t we complete each other’s empty spaces? First, I decided to take you to my place, but now I am asking that you come and stay at my place. Please" Vidhi requested with folded hands.

 

The old lady hugged Vidhi tightly, and they both cried.

 

 

 

Vidhi welcomed that old lady into her home. The old lady saw a compact 1BHK flat. Immaculately kept whitewashed flat with all necessary things visible and handy. Vidhi lived alone, but her home looked like a family home. The old lady only had praise for Vidhi’s place.

 

“Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you some snacks.” Vidhi said.

 

The old lady felt like she had returned to her own home after decades. She kept gazing at clean walls, paintings, and furniture, and finally she sat on the bed, wondering how she kept them in her hectic schedule. Vidhi brought her a glass of water with two laddus. Vidhi sat near the old lady’s feet.

 

“How do you maintain this place after having such an uncertain and hectic schedule?” The old lady couldn’t control herself from asking.

 

“Both jobs that I do are my favorites." Serving patients and taking care of my home" Vidhi replied softly.

 

The old lady cupped Vidhi’s face with both her hands and caressed her cheeks with her thumbs.

 

“Can I call you Amma?” Vidhi asked while in the embrace of an old lady.

 

“Only if you let me call you ‘Shona’.” The old lady presented the name exchange offer.

 

“Yes, please. I’ll be glad.” She flashed a smile.

 

“I feel like I am at home again.” The old lady's eyes were filled with tears.

 

“What’s your name, Amma?” Vidhi tried shifting topics.

 

“Sandhya Sinha”

 

Vidhi shrank her eyebrows for a moment, wondering if she had heard this name before. Then she shook her head and came back to keep the conversation going.

 

“you said you don’t have a family... Why would you say that?”

 

“It’s a long, sad story, Shona. Some other day. By the way, you didn’t tell me your name either.”

 

“Vidhi”

 

The old lady skipped a beat. She was afraid if this is what she was thinking. She preferred to ask a question.

 

“Surname?”

 

“No parents, No surname.” Vidhi shrugged her shoulders.

 

Her fear started taking shape. She had a few questions, but she chose to take her time. She got up from bed and walked towards the balcony.

 

“I never told this to anyone, but as you are my nurse also, I should tell you.” The old lady said.

 

“What is Amma?”

 

“I am suffering from a brain disease called intracerebral Hemorrhage’ (ICH). I discovered it just a week ago. I had an old brain injury that has now led me here. I don’t have time; it may be 1 more month only, or it can be anytime. Apart from that, I am so happy that I got you to spend my last month of life with.”

 

Vidhi put her palm on the old lady’s lips. “Shut up, Amma; our hospital has the best brain surgeon, Dr. Ashish Kaushik. He will cure you, and I will take care of you."

 

Vidhi was confident that she would save Amma, and Sandhya was confident that she would die soon.

 

The next day, Vidhi left for the hospital, reassuring her Amma that she would be all right. Sandhya started a house search. Carefully opening and closing drawers and placing things in their place without a slight disturbance She went to the cupboard and searched the locker first; there were bundles of currency notes and boxes of gold jewelry. It was all worth around 5 Lakhs. The woman, who had been in search, in hunger, and in greed for money all her life, was shocked to see so much money. But what she was searching for was more precious than money and gold. She checked the whole cupboard but was unable to find her ‘precious thing’. Sandhya looked at all the money Vidhi had kept unlocked. Sandhya realized how much Vidhi trusted this few-day relationship. Sandhya gulped down a glass full of water and jumped out of bed to continue what she was doing. She suddenly felt a heavy head. She held her head tight and fell on the floor as excruciating pain took over. Unconscious.

 

Three hours later, her eyes twinkled, and her vision slowly turned from blurry to clear. I am still alive. She murmured but was confused about whether she was declaring or asking herself. She looked at the wall hanging clock; 3 p.m. it showed. She continued her search. It took her one hour to find her treasure, and she cursed herself that she hadn’t checked the most obvious place. She held an old envelope. Vidhi,” it wrote. She opened the envelope and emptied its contents to find two old pages. Without even reading a word, she knew what it had written. She fumbled on those pages, and the flashback reel played in front of her eyes.

 

Sandhya was a 23-year-old college girl who was enthusiastic about her new phase of life, excited to make new friends and enjoy life to the fullest. She had earned this college not only as a dream but also as a gift. Her parents had promised to let her go to another city for further studies only if she scored in the top 10 of her previous college toppers. She came in 2nd. She chose Amity University, Kolkata, for her MBA. She performed well in her first semester and made her parents proud. She had a huge crush on her classmate, but she never let him, or his thoughts distract from her studies. Before the end of the second semester, her batch was sent on a trip to Agra. On their way to Agra, Manish, Sandhya’s crush, conveyed his feelings to her, which she couldn’t deny. The only thing they asked each other was to keep everything between them a secret. In the dense darkness of Agra Fort, they were holding hands when Manish tried to kiss her. She first felt shy, but when he forced her a bit, she thought it was necessary. When Manish realized how innocent his girlfriend is, he tried taking advantage of her. He took her to an empty bus and started tasting her skin around her neck. Sandhya lay like a tree stem, pressing her eyes closed. She let him grope her all over. When did she doubt if it was right? She stopped him. He replied, “Don’t you love me, or don’t you trust me?” She suppressed all her doubts and gulped down her guilt to prove her love. He penetrated her, injured a naive soul, and proved that ‘lust can conquer over love.’ While going back to college, Sandhya always thought Manish would soon marry her. When the bus dropped them off, she asked him to stop and asked him if he would marry her. “Do you think I will marry a girl who is ready for intercourse in only 2 days of a relationship?” he said. Her face went pale. “Girls like you are s***s, and I belong to a reputed family. S***s only please men and do not dare to marry. He added. Her world broke into pieces. Her grief, guilt, and anger only increased when, weeks later, she found out that she was pregnant. She told no one about this. She didn’t even tell Manish about it. She chose to keep the baby and suffer alone. During the middle of her last semester, her baby bump was visible and it was impossible to cover with clothes. Dean rusticated her. She barely spoke to anyone from her family, but now she had no other choice left. How will she face her parents, who sent her to bring pride, respect, and money home, and she brought a child with no father? It was nothing less than a heinous crime in her own eyes. She dropped her dream last semester. All her friends parted ways with her. She saw Manish every day but never said anything. Neither Manish nor I cared enough to talk.

 

Sandhya woke in the middle of the night. Her baby kicked once but then probably slept. She started walking barefoot, reached the road from her room, and kept walking. She reached a hospital and paid them to deliver her premature 8-month-old baby. It was risky, but somewhere she knew that her baby would survive, so she did. Sandhya delivered a baby girl. She requested a nurse keep the baby for about two to three months only, then she would take it. The nurse agreed, but at the cost of bundles of money, which she might need 10 years to collect and save. Sandhya promised her. Sandhya took a one-week rest and returned to college. Everyone was shocked; everyone thought that the baby had died, and everyone asked her questions. She preferred a straight and silent face. She topped her class. Coincidentally, Manish was second. She got a high paying job offer, but she rejected it. She took care of her child. Three months later, when she was invited to attend convocation from college, she received her award and waited on stage when Manish came to receive his award. She slapped him hard. Applauds that were seconds ago appreciating their achievement were now wrapped in a pin drop silence of shock. Sandhya took the mic to declare what Manish did with her. Manish was arrested after the end of the program.

 

Sandhya took a job as a chef at a local restaurant and left her baby at the orphanage. The nurse who promised to keep her baby was poking Sandhya to pay her amount. Sandhya knew she could not afford that much money. So, she chose to be a criminal. One day, a nurse came running at the hospital gate on the call of Sandhya. She found a black car and entered it. The nurse was dead that night. Sandhya knew her parents would try to find her at all costs, but she had no dignity left to face them at any cost. She faked her death. She sent the body of the burnt nurse to her home with her own half burnt Aadhar Card and other identities. One incident changed a naive soul into a devil's soul. Who can now even kill herself to face the world. Sandhya was just living; she was dead in the memory of her parents; she was in the records of the police; and now she was free to do anything.

 

After two years, she visited that orphanage with her daughter. She couldn’t hold back her tears. She saw her daughter from a distance. She wrote a letter and asked Nanny to give it to her whenever she leaves this place. Sandhya was financially stable now; she could have fed her child without any problem, but her child was the seed of her only guilt in life. How will she nurture the blood of the one who destroyed her, betrayed her, and even finished her existence?

 

After all those years of loneliness, she has finally met a girl who calls her Amma without knowing that Sandhya is her mother.

 

Sandhya was decorating dinner when Vidhi arrived. “Why would you do that? Amma. I would have cooked. You need rest.” Vidhi said it with hidden excitement and projected sadness.

 

“How do I let my daughter enter the kitchen after a hectic day?” Sandhya smiled.

 

Vidhi almost cried. This feeling of being loved, cared for, and above all, called daughter She urged her towards the washroom to hide her tears, but Sandhya sensed it.

 

“What has my Amma made?” Vidhi asked, escaping her tears and the washroom.

 

“You don’t need to cry, Shona. You have cried and fought enough; now your mother will do it for you.” Sandhya caressed her head and served her Kadhi Chawal.

 

Six months passed. Every day before going to bed, Sandhya thought this was her last day, and Vidhi prayed that it would not be her Amma’s last day. Sandhya had yet to tell Vidhi that she was her real mother. Vidhi had yet to tell Sandhya about the letter she had received. Both had this secret but hesitated to reveal it.

 

One day when Vidhi was at the hospital, Sandhya suffered a mild headache. As the sun kept rising, her headache increased like hell. Sandhya tried calling Vidhi, but it went unanswered. Sandhya herself decided to visit the hospital the same way she did last time. She was determined that she could reach the hospital safely, but her body wasn’t as determined as her mind. She took support from every possible thing she could see through her blurred vision. People saw her struggling but chose not to help. She somehow reached the hospital and asked for Vidhi. The receptionist admitted Sandhya and updated her about Vidhi, who was a senior nurse in the ongoing operation on a brain tumor.

 

Sandhya lay unconscious on the bed. A drip is continuously entering her veins. With the setting sun peeping through the window, Sandhya’s unconscious body jittered a bit. The setting sun was slowly snatching life from her body. She slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt like a dense, heavy weight. She used all her might to raise her hand. Unsuccessful. She gave up. Her face fell pale. Not only because she couldn’t lift her hand but because she felt she couldn't hold life anymore.

 

Vidhi successfully finished the surgery. She looked at her hands�"white gloves drenched in blood. Her apron had blood stains too. Successful surgery gives a different kind of pleasure. A sigh of relief she released before exiting OT. She took off her mask when she saw Radha hastily approaching her. Before Radha could speak, she said, “I am really tired now; please handle if there is any serious patient.” Vidhi said. Radha fought for breath and then said something that snapped her tiredness and pleasure away.

 

Eyes wide open, mouth open, a house fly buzzing around dried lips the corpse held tight to a letter they never talked about. Vidhi felt weak on her knees. She lost the only person she loved. The only person she thought was hers Vidhi sat in silence, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames that consumed her mother's mortal remains. The crackling sound filled the air, mingling with her thoughts as memories of Sandhya flooded her mind. The warmth of the fire mirrored the bittersweet mix of emotions that consumed her.

 

As she watched the smoke rise and intertwine with the heavens above, Vidhi felt a deep sense of loss wash over her. It was as if a part of her own being was being carried away, carried towards an unknown realm where her mother's spirit would forever reside.

 

Tears cascaded down Vidhi's cheeks, their salty streams tracing the contours of her grief-stricken face. Each tear carried a myriad of emotions�"sorrow, longing, and the ache of separation. The weight of the moment pressed heavily on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

 

But was it all true or a very written story? An evil smile was etched on her face when she acted to cry beside the burning body of Sandhya. “Finally,” she said in her mind. The frequency of her sobs increased suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Radha; she unknowingly tried consoling a devil's soul. Radha and everybody present thought they were caressing her wound, but they were patting her back, appreciating her for her years of dedication to her masterplan. Vidhi saw her kind of flashback in that raging fire.

 

Vidhi was 4 years old when a new nanny was recruited for the orphanage. One day a woman visited the orphanage; she was gazing at Vidhi. The new nanny told Vidhi that the woman was her mother. “Is she here to take me home?” Vidhi asked. No,” Nanny replied. Vidhi saw her again a few days later, with Sandhya gazing at her from the other side of the fence. This distance gazing and meetups continued until she was 15 years old. Every 2-3 months, Sandhya would come and look at Vidhi from a distance. Vidhi craved her mother. She got to know that her mother came only to see her. She felt betrayed. One day, she followed her. Sandhya went to a restaurant. She got to know that Sandhya worked there as a chef. Later that day, Vidhi found her entering a posh society. Vidhi made up her mind that her biological mother was financially stable enough that if she wanted, she could acquaint herself with her. Vidhi cried for days and then decided to take revenge for ruining her life. Vidhi was already good at medical science. She stalked Sandhya to her flat and noted down her routine. Sandhya used to cook food only once a day. Vidhi injected “amphetamines,” aka MDMA or ecstasy, in the vegetables, salt, and food items kept at Sandhya’s place. She used to redo this every week. It always depended on Sandhya about how much quantity she was taking. Vidhi knew it didn’t matter how much or how little she took it; Sandhya just couldn't manage her daily dose. Sandhya’s health started deteriorating. She consulted doctors, and they suggested she not take stress. Sandhya was convinced that it all was happening because of stress, but not because her own daughter was slaughtering her chances of living a long life. Sandhya stopped visiting the orphanage. There was a time when Sandhya would go and see her daughter to feel her warmth, but now her daughter comes every week to make her weaker. One day, while cooking at a restaurant, Sandhya saw something red in the Hakka Noodles that she was cooking. She ignored it and started plating it when she saw a red drop on a clean white plate. She looked in the mirror only to find a bleeding nose. She was rushed to the hospital. Vidhi felt a pleasure run down on her. Her plan is going as planned. The planned drug abuse for the sake of revenge went on for 3 years, and it caused ICH. A curse of Sandhya, in the meantime, Vidhi completed her nursing. She joined a hospital near where Sandhya was staying. Vidhi knew that either now or then, Sandhya would come under her surveillance. The constant, controlled dose of MDMA has now made Sandhya habitual to it. It was time for Vidhi to take care of Sandhya personally. Sandhya and Vidhi were under the same roof now. Sandhya felt guilty for not acquainting her daughter, while Vidhi felt pleasure seeing her mother die. One day, when Vidhi came from the hospital, she took one look at her wardrobe and knew that Sandhya had run a search mission during her absence. The very first night when Sandhya entered her house, Vidhi had placed the letter under the mattress. Sandhya found it as per Vidhi’s plan. The suffering was planned; revenge was planned; doses were planned; this process had determination. One thing that wasn’t planned was death. Sandhya’s death came as a shock to Vidhi. Although it helped her act naturally after her mother’s death, no mother has the right to neglect her child. If you cannot handle the responsibility of a child, take precautions before you indulge in committing a pleasurable crime. Vidhi was always sure of her emotions; revenge was her plan of action, and so was her destiny. The hate Vidhi carried while staying with her mother slipped sometimes. But she kept reminding herself that this lady, who pretends to love her daughter, left her when she needed her the most.

 

two days later. Vidhi read the letter aloud.

 

Vidhi. I want the world to call you Vidhi. (Written 25 years ago.)

 

New entry.

 

“Vidhi, I am your real mother. You have a surname, Vidhi Sinha. I might not live a long life, but I will always stay with you. I realized my mistake when I entered your house. Please forgive me. Your Amma.”

 

Forgive, my a*s. I don’t need you. She screamed her lungs out.

 

I am Vidhi.

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

Feel free to judge this rudely.