A date with Death

This is a true story of my life.

“I’m not feeling very well,” I remarked to my colleague at lunch. “Why? What’s wrong?” Nalini enquired. “I’m feeling very drowsy and having a pain in my head that’s not budging even for an inch since three days!” I grumblingly reply. “What? For three days?” She exclaimed. “Well that’s very serious. You should go to your doctor for a checkup!” She suggested immediately. “Well, I guess I have to. As I think that this is very serious.” I replied.

Nalini and I were very good friends. Nalini got this job a month before me. I applied for the post of P.R.O (Public Relations Officer) and got appointed as one. Nalini works for the same private firm as I but she holds the position of computer operator. I confide all my troubles to her and she returns the favor. I had been overexerting myself for a couple of weeks. I guess that must be the reason that I am not feeling well now. Actually, for the last couple of weeks, I had been following a very difficult routine. I used to wake up at 6.00 AM in the morning, attend my classes from 7 o’ clock to 9.30 AM; then I used to go to my office and hold my position up to 6.30 PM; reach home, write stuff, study for some time; then log on to the net and chat up to 3 AM; and read a book of Visual Basic that I had borrowed from my friend. Though computer programming does not come anywhere close to accounting – which incidentally happens to my field of expertise – I am really hungry to learn programming and studied right up to 5.30 AM. So I didn’t get any sleep. I only slept on Sundays, so that’s why I had slept only two days in a fortnight.

“You should not stay up all night, you are overexerting yourself,” she said sternly as she delicately touched my forehead, checking if I had fever. “I know that you want to learn a lot of things, there is lot of stuff that you have to do, but you shouldn’t compromise on your sleep, even for knowledge and learning!” She pulled her hand away. “I don’t think that you have fever, but I think that you go for a checkup anyway.” “Yes, I think that I should.” She smiled. “Now just sit at your desk and try to do as little as possible till it is time to go home.”

It was the eleventh of August, 2007. I thought that I had been foolish to skip my sleep even though I love sleeping. But it was too late to repent upon it. I just put my head down on my desk and tried to relax. Thankfully, I didn’t get a single customer or a call for the whole afternoon. I somehow managed to drive through the busy main road to my home.

As I reached home, I had to attend a function that had been sponsored by our club. I didn’t tell my parents about my condition. I didn’t want them to worry about me. I changed into casuals and skipped to the hall where the function was organized. As I was just sitting there, I realized that I am going to fall sick very seriously. So then I thought to myself, if I’m really about to fall sick seriously, why not I enjoy myself to the fullest extent? Thinking thus, I hopped towards the bar, drained a drink and got on the dance floor and danced my heart out. By the time my parents dragged me out, I felt my face hot and throbbing, as if my face was beating with my heart. My legs were shaking but I somehow staggered into the car, feeling dead tired. That was something new for me, as during the past weeks, I never grew tired at all. I reached home really longing for sleep, but I found that I had one more thing to do before I dropped off. I had to shift the computer to my room from the hall. The computer had to be disconnected and re-assembled in my room. I dealt with that, with shaking hands and all. I even cleaned a few parts out. Finally, dead tired, I fell asleep.

As I woke up in the morning, I was burning with fever and I was shivering in cold. I still didn’t mention anything about it to my parents. I took a bath as usual in the morning and switched on the system. I then remembered that I had promised my friend Jeet that I would pick him up. So I dragged my scooter out and managed to pick him up and bring him to my home.

Still shivering, I lay down on the bed while my brother and Jeet played on my computer. I was shivering in the hot month of August. Just then, my dad walked in. He saw me lying on the bed, shivering. He immediately sensed that something was very wrong with me as I couldn’t lie down like that whiles my brother and Jeet played. He stepped forward and touched my body before I could react. Within a fraction of a second, he snatched his hand back, as if he had touched red hot iron. Immediately, he took out a thermometer and took the temperature of my body. After reading the temperature, he looked at me and said, “Congratulations Son, you just passed 104� F.” I groaned. It was a Sunday, 12th of August, 2007. So the normal hospital was closed for the day. The emergency service was at hand. My dad took me there. The doctor over there gave an antibiotic and Paracetamol that is highly useful to bring down high fever. But it didn’t work for me. On 13th of August, I underwent a blood test. In the evening, I got great news: - I got typhoid. On 14th, I was admitted in the ward since there was no cabin available at that time. I just walked into the ward, looked around with my red eyes and waited as the bed was prepared for me. I even cracked few jokes with the nurses around there.
After my bed was ready, I lay down. These two days, I couldn’t keep any food down. Everything and anything I ate, came out from my mouth and violently too. I was on glucose immediately and the doctors started a new diet for me: Intravenous injections. Three injections each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had glucose on too; and I asked the nurse that won’t it be possible for the glucose to come through Bluetooth? Every nurse who attended me was fed up.

But my condition didn’t improve. A point came when I crossed 105� F. The doctors were confused about what to do to me next. They added a few new delicious dishes to my diet. An injection at my rear end each with every lunch, breakfast and dinner that I had. But still I didn’t improve. My eye balls went into their sockets. But I never dropped the smile off my face.

Finally, the doctors ordered another blood test. That afternoon, my dad brought good news again: I had malaria with typhoid. I was very pleased that they got that in the second test itself. I was later told that malaria is not so easily detected in the initial blood tests.

So, now I was the host to two very dangerous diseases on earth and yet, I was still smiling. But it really affected my thinking. The doctors altered some dishes in my diet and added some new ones too. I don’t remember clearly. I only saw a dark shadow in front of me. I saw a person in black calling me by gesture by moving his hands that had big fingernails. I was quite tempted to go, to die, to leave this planet forever. Then I saw a beam of light just next to the hooded dark man. I heard a voice that told me that I had a choice to either stay in this miserable life or go with death. The voice also warned me that I would get a lot more suffering if I chose life. I was tempted to go with Mr. Death. I wanted to leave this place. I didn’t want to have lunch, breakfast and dinner anymore in this hospital anymore. As I thought so, I saw my dad next to me speaking with the doctor. I caught a few words, but that was enough for me that the doctors were not willing to guarantee that I would live or not. I felt my dad upset, I heard my mother cry. And I made the decision. I chose life. I didn’t want to see tears in the eyes of my mother. I chose to live even though I wanted to die. I did something for someone who was still alive.

Suddenly then, I grabbed the arm of the doctor who was there and asked him and opening my eyes just a little, “How are you Sir?” and I smiled. The doctor got nervous. He gulped and went out of the ward as soon as possible. He evidently thought that I had lost it. I just sat up and smiled to everyone at the ward and said to my mother that I’m here. No reason to cry. My mom stopped her tears after some effort. I lay back and slept.

The next day, I was shifted to a cabin where I lay all alone, sleeping and having my diet. I grew immensely weak. But I never lost my voice or the capacity to talk. Everyone who came by to see me, I talked to them as if nothing had happened. But they saw the miserable condition that I was in.

Slowly, I recovered. The doctors said that it was very lucky that they caught malaria in the second test itself and that led them to cure me. I didn’t tell them anything. Slowly, my mother started to bring me light food that I ate without throwing up. I started to feel better and started to have eyes more in the reality than not. But I still remember the agony when I went to do my business the first time since my illness. God, I will never forget that. I had to practically drain all my energy that was still left with my immensely weak body to clear my stomach.

Slowly, with courage, I started eating ‘normal’ food. They switched the injections with capsules. They were really amazed by my recovery. They were proud of themselves. They didn’t give a damn that there was a patient’s will to be well that helped me to be well again. One of my friends dropped in to visit me and fed me with the rumor that, “Linkin Park is going to have a concert in India, on 15th of November.” That motivated me a lot, though I felt a heavy let-down when I found out that it was just a rumor.

After staying in the hospital for a total of ten days and having above hundred and fifty intravenous injections, fifteen injections up my a*s and twenty bottles of glucose, I returned to my room. I continued eating normal food plus the capsules that they had assigned me without anymore rise in temperature. I started to work on the computer again and started to write again. Then one of my friends invited me here, to writerscafe. I gleefully accepted and entered this lovely world of writers. I was still very weak. Even to walk to my computer from my bed and back again exhausted me seeing that both were in the same room. But I used to do my morning ablutions alone. As I entered September, I started to get back my original self. The doctors had told me to eat only light food and no rich or oily food for at least one month. That is hard for a food lover as me; but I did stay away from such food successfully.

So, after seeing Mr. Death so close, I am still alive. I am still walking, working, writing. But I left some part of me at the hospital. I think Mr. Death took it. I will never be the same again.

Author's Note

I know I have made some gramatical flaws innit. I will be more than happy if you point them out to me. Also, tell me what you think.

Reviews

[Bhavya Kaushik]

This is an amazing piece again. Loved the flow and entire style. A total flawless piece with beautiful spontaneity which is itself very much appealing to the reader. I was simply reading the piece with my full interest as If like I was totally in it literally.
An awesomely awesome read.
Keep writing more of pieces like this man!

[swarnita]

This is a damn gud piece...with wonderful humour..
i loved the way u carried the interest of the reader..
n..the end is written pretty well indeed..
keep writing...

[Daisy]

I enjoyed this. I don't think I spotted any flaws but even if u have some that gives the work your own character and personality. I hope you eat properly now!

[Imperfection]

Nice piece. Well written. I like the smooth flow of narration.

Its experiences like these which help us to value life and the lives of other's around us. I'm glad death left without you. We would have been deprived of your writings :-)

There are some grammatical errors here, as you've pointed out but a quick spelling and grammer check on MS Word is going to take care of that.

[[untitled]]

You were dfinitely very seriously ill my friend and I'm very glad you are still here to write this and obviously know how precious life is. Of course, being very practical I know that a lot of the medication you were given has nastly side effects, unfortunately hallucinations being one of them, I have had similar experiences when I was in hospital. I'm glad you got through it all. It's good to read your words because they are very grounding, I like that approach. Glad you found the writers cafe !! best wishes, Pammy.

[Lia]

What did he take? :s I loved this piece. Amazingly written. Thank you for sharing with me! xxx

[Melanie Jane Boicourt S..]

I loved the story. Is it really true.
You are right about the gramatical errors though. There were honestly too many for me to show you right now. I will try to get back to it later.
Love All, Mejasha