In Imaginch's hinterland - Part1

Something went wrong

Imaginch struck friendships only after a whetting process. He had developed this over the years and included parameters such as likes and dislikes, strength and weakness, phobias and manias. But one category he definitely avoided becoming friends with those belonged to the medical fraternity. This exclusion was not out of hatred but purely because of his morbid fear for medicines, hospitals and of course the doctors.

The friend in question was unique in one respect – views everything with a bit of scientific mind. He has taken it so much to his heart and wears the same glasses even while selecting ingredients for cooking. He has a neatly stocked cupboard in the kitchen stacking varieties of carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals containing food items. These were kept in seven different coloured containers, for use, day wise.

In addition he has an exclusive setup for mixing his own mineral water. Not to break his allegiance to the periodic table, he tried to use all the minerals except those unfit for human consumption. Even if he does not drink that much water in a day, he never fails to prepare his brand of mineral water at home every day. With 5 liters of purified water he mixes vitamins and minerals potions from drops & syrups prescribed for children. By the way, this spinster happens to be an excellent cook.

The force of curiosity was such; he was pushed to the brink of a war with his exclusion principle to make a onetime exception of entering the fiefdom of medical fraternity. He prepared himself to meet the friend in a multi specialty hospital to get the firsthand information on what went wrong and how. He felt a special friendship deserved that much. the one thing that puzzled him was how a health conscious person could take ill just like that!

The two gentlemen standing at the entrance reminded him of Dwarapalaks guarding the sanctum sanctorum of the main Deity. One gentleman sported an instant smile and welcomed him in to the hubbub of the hospital. The other man, looking a little bit serious, was waving the cabs away from the portico to keep the arrivals area clear.

With lead laden legs, Imaginch approached the reception counter and enquired about the patient to get information on the floor and room number. This act itself took about ten minutes and during the wait time, his mind traveled back and forth in the corridors of the hospital to outguess the information he was likely to be furnished with. This mind game helped him to keep his impatience in check, during such waits. Still he had no clue as to why the friend called him only from the hospital and not before that. After interminable minutes he learned that no such person answering his friend’s name has got admitted in the last few days.

This information unsettled Imaginch. He cursed himself for not remembering to call the friend on mobile instead of knocking at the doors of the reception counter. His mind raced ahead to count the number of possible illness that could have struck the friend without warning and requiring hospitalisation. He looked at the empaneled list of doctors and their specialties to confirm whether his imagined illness of his friend had an able team of doctors to deal with it.

His calls did not reach the friend and the mobile kept on saying ‘the person you have called is speaking to someone else’. Imaginch’s anxiety rose up and he started moving here and there in the corridor , nearly colliding with those entering and exiting the reception area. This made him to stop near the pharmacy where people were standing in Qs with prescription slips and he felt like being part of the mêlée in an ‘advance journey ticket booking counter’. Going by the list of empaneled doctors, he was confident that as many pharma company products would be available at the counter.

A brief vision of doctors in their consulting rooms and wards, wearing logos of pharma companies on their clothes, appeared and vanished.Before his mind’s eye could take him in to the sanctum sanctorium, i.e. the operation theaters, the friend called up on the mobile. Relieved of the nightmare of the theaters, Imaginch chided his friend for not keeping him informed and having kept him anxiously waiting in the reception area of the hospital. He launched in to a monologue listing out all the illness he could remember without giving the other person to say anything.

The friend, having invited an avalanche express, remained in mute silence for the break in the flow of words to cease. Coming down the stair, he looked at Imaginch and said, “I am fine and nothing to worry about my health. I had come here to admit one of my friends. He needs some advice regarding a family matter. I called you because I thought you are in a better position to do so. I never imagined that would bring all sorts of anxieties to your mind. I am sorry!”

Imaginch pulled himself to the ground for the speed with which he had come to a wrong conclusion. He was pensively trying to analyse what went wrong, as he exited through the doors without even bothering to acknowledge the presence of two men welcoming and directing cabs.