The Hospital

Vivaan's Explaination

The orphanage means a place of stay and education was someone who was orphaned meaning had no family. For orphans, this was the only place that could offer them a place with food and shelter. For many, an orphanage was like a home with family. For some, it was only a temporary shelter. Although the nuns of this orphanage did their best to comfort the children, often the mean children would make life hell for the quiet ones.

For Sneha, this place was also like a temporary shelter but even after that, any place where she lived felt like a temporary shelter. When she joined here, she tried to be friendly and kind. However, the mean kids made her life tough and also bullied her. Since she did not speak much, she quickly became an easy target for these kids. Although she always stood up for herself, the bullies injured her many times to put her down. Surprisingly many times Vivaan helped her and once even fought with a bully. She never thanked him as she didn't trust him. She didn't want anyone to befriend her and then hurt her. Especially him being a prankster, made her suspect that he could do anything to make her look like a fool.

"So Aunty, when is your last day here?" Asked Vivaan as he threw a piece of chicken in his mouth.

Vivaan was now sitting and eating Biryani right opposite Sneha. Sandra looked at him with a very motherly smile. It had been many years but she was still attached to him. Vivaan though left this place but made sure to visit as much as he could. Whenever he came he would make arrangements for a nice meal at lunch or dinner. He would also send blankets, clothes, and sweets occasionally. Sandra felt nice to see that someone did care about the orphanage even after leaving it. Many children once left and never came back.

"By the end of the week." Replied Sandra.

"I will keep another party that day." Said Vivaan, as he continued to eat.

"What? How many parties will you keep? Nobody says anything to you about that at home?" Asked Sandra, shocked.

" Obviously not! Your father and his family would love to brag about charity, don't they?" Asked Sneha, coolly.

"Sneha, do not talk like that."

"No Aunty, she is right! Dad loves talking and showing off about what he and his family does. Any place he goes for charity and the press is ready. The next day it will be all over the news and even on social media. He is a very clever politician also. He knows how to play where. He knows how to use even people like me."

"Vivaan, don't speak like that about him. He took you from here into his home." Said Sandra as she hunched her shoulders.

Somehow even Sneha felt what she was wondering. Perhaps Vivaan wasn't happy staying with this wealthy family. Many times the people who adopted kids end up hurting these kids later on. For all she could know this family might have done the same with him. All of a sudden everyone at the table became quiet for more than a minute.

"Where do you work now?" Asked Sandra, breaking the silence.

"Lakshmi Narayan Hospital."

Sneha nearly coughed as she ate. She couldn't believe her terrible luck. He was working at the same hospital where she was going to join. Sandra however beamed at him.

"Oh! So you both are working at the same hospital."

"Sneha is working at this hospital? I never saw her there."

"I am starting tomorrow," Mumbled Sneha.

"What?" Said Vivaan, puzzled.

"She is joining the hospital tomorrow." Said Sandra, slowly.

"Oh Wow! Which is your first posting?" Asked Vivaan, excited.

Sneha chose to ignore him. She didn't need to tell everything. The more she said nothing to him, the better. She now intended to stay away from him during the work. She was not joining that place to make friends.

"That song you sang earlier, was it for someone from here?" Asked Sandra, smiling at Vivaan.

"Yes, that girl unfortunately doesn't even like opening her mouth. She is very ungrateful, and even now she isn't saying anything. I guess that she is still upset that I made her run around with flour all over her."

Sneha's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she just heard. The guy who just always went around playing pranks was hinting that he liked her. Neither was he ever her friend, nor did they speak that often.

"What is the reason for you to like someone like her?" Sneha asked, raising her eyebrows.

She knew very well that she wasn't like the girls who dressed well and wore make-up. She hardly did any of those. Moreover, she was always known for being too straightforward. Many would even call her rude.

"She isn't like others. She might sound rude but she is very upfront. Unlike others, she isn't fake and she does help out others in distress without expecting anything in return. She doesn't want help from anyone either. She always wants to do things all by herself."

"And you noticed all these qualities at such a tender age of nine?" Asked Sneha, astonished by the answer Vivaan gave.

"No." Said Vivaan, almost laughing.

Even Sandra snorted. It seemed to Sneha that Sandra purposely was trying to fix something between her and Vivaan but she would not let that happen. In a world full of fake people, she would never be able to believe in love at all.

" Really! Now I am curious Vivaan, how did you begin liking that girl?" Asked Sandra, curiously.

"Something happened before I left this place and I realized that she wasn't an ungrateful or a rude person. Somehow that moment changed my thinking about her. So whenever I came I would check on her. I wouldn't let her know that I was watching but with each visit, I understood her better."

"What had happened?" Asked Sandra, widening her eyes.

Sneha could see that she was very eager to hear everything. She was gently but not directly nudging Vivaan to speak out everything but nothing made sense to her. What struck her was the part where he openly said that he had been watching her and that made her extremely uncomfortable.

"How can I tell the whole thing now itself? If the girl wants to know, she must hang out with me." Said Vivaan, folding his arms.

Sneha rolled her eyes before getting up from the table. She had finished her dinner and she did not plan to stay for long now. The guy on her table was getting on her nerves and she just wanted to go back to her hostel room to get a good sleep. She wanted to look fresh for tomorrow and she also needed to wear the best dress she had.

'I cannot waste my time with Vivaan. I joined that hospital for revenge and I will not deviate from my path.' thought Sneha before turning around.