Bitter Steps to better life

Chapter 4 - Was my issue more serious than others'?

My mother wasn't eating properly for two to three days. She began having frequent vomiting. We didn't give it much thought because we assumed it must be a common illness, but it eventually lasted for three days. She struggled to walk correctly and was easily exhausted. She used to sit in the middle of the road whenever I took her for a walk.She had swollen legs.

One of my brothers had left that evening to go play football. She wasn't eating anything, so we had brought juice. She began throwing up more frequently than usual on that particular day as she drank water. My older brother was unable to take it anymore, so he immediately dialed 108 and requested an ambulance. My neighbors hurried to our house when they saw the ambulance. They began enquiring as to what had occurred.

My brother came back home in the middle of the game, so why didn't we tell them? She was asleep when my older brother woke her up and helped her stand up, but she was unable to do so. After some time, she stood up and began to move. She reached outside the house and went back inside after spotting an ambulance. She was wasting time, which irritated the ambulance's driver. After that, they told her to sleep on the stretcher they had brought. They carried her and placed her in an ambulance after we had adjusted her on a stretcher.

They connected saline to her hand while administering her a few injections. The roads were crowded with rushing cars and it was pitch black outside. Outside, I could make out twinkling lights that resembled starlight. We became icy due to the brisk breeze that was blowing. The nearest government hospital center was taken by them.

We entered the hospital in a hurry. She was placed on one of the beds with the saline still attached. We were instructed to take her to GMC by a visiting doctor. He handed it to us after writing something down. At 10:00 p.m., he said, the ambulance would take us there.

We thought to remain here until then. He also advised us to present the written documentation so that medical personnel could take the patient to the emergency room. Outside, my brothers were awaiting. The woman who was renting at our home made a tiffin for us and sent it with my brother's friend. I was inside, seated next to the bed. Saline was dripping into the bottle one drop at a time. There were plenty of mosquitoes inside the hospital despite its cleanliness. I draped a bedsheet across my mother's legs. It was a very quiet place. Once at the hospital, one of my uncle left to go home. In addition to telling me to go home, my father called to say that he would arrive here by tomorrow morning.

Buses weren't available at that hour of the night. I'll be spending the night at my aunt's house, my aunt told my father. I was picked up by my cousin. He dropped me off close to his residence. They were staying in a rented apartment, so I went upstairs. Due to a festival, my auntie had prepared puri, Goan-style chana ros, rice, dal papad, and kheer. Puri, chana ros, and kheer had filled my stomach to the point where I was unable to eat rice. An orchestra was playing that day not far from her home. We went to the concert after finishing our meal. Nothing to sit on in the way of chairs. We were so entranced by the songs and their lyrics because it was so loud that we were unable to pay attention to anything else. We left for home after an hour. On their divan bed, I slept. I was uneasy and kept looking up at the roof. I was unaware of the moment my eyes closed, lulling me into a deep sleep.

The following morning at 5:30, my uncle's cell phone rang; it was my father calling. He instructed them to take me home. I stood up and washed my face. I was asked if I had the means to travel back home by my aunt. I told her I had nothing with me. Uncle gave me some cash so I could go home. I arrived at my house in a short amount of time, freshened up, and got to work putting together the afternoon's meals. By doing some of the cooking, my father assisted me. I made food, packed a tiffin for us, and left some food for my brothers afterward. My father started speaking to me while we were en route to the hospital. He questioned us on a number of occasions, including why we didn't take her to the hospital sooner. I simply said "okay" and disregarded it.