Prescribed Insanity

Chapter 1: The Tooth Hurts

"Remind me why I chose this profession," Khushi Kumari Gupta groaned, covering her face with the pillow that she had been comfortably hugging all the while.

"Because," Payal calmly replied, "you have been assuming the role of a dentist in all our childhood games, because you are probably the only person who watched Colgate advertisements with that kind of unholy interest, and because you have spent an awful lot of time pursuing a BDS degree so it would be a shame if it were all to go waste".

"Psh. That is no reason" Khushi grumbled. "No one told me back then that it might require you to wake up at eight in the morning."

"That way no profession would be good enough for you," Payal chuckled, slipping her arm into the straps of her brown shoulder bag.

"You are right. I heard NASA apparently pays people for sleeping on space missions for a good 70-80 days. Actually pays for it. See now why did no one tell that to me back then."

"I know. What a shame. Now GET up and lock the door. I'm already running late for school."

"So what. Aren't you like, a teacher? Who's going to take your case?" Khushi shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

"Have you met Surendra Bakshi? Have you known what a real life ghoul can potentially look like?" Payal raised her brows pointedly.

"The principal dood?" Khushi asked.

"The one. The entire faculty prays for him to get married."

"See now this is what I never get. This whole logic. It's like the sole solution to a guy's f**kupedness is to hitch him to some unsuspecting soul who is perfectly sane herself and then burden her with the expectations of relieving him of the same f**kupedness. And heaven forbid if the girl has even a minor flaw in character. Gasp. Choke. Death. How will she ever get married? Gee. What is even the point of her existence?" Khushi dramatically placed her palm upon her chest.

Payal chuckled, "Sad but true. You will be very surprised to know how well the narrative sells though."

"If I have been spending my whole life trying to keep my sanity intact in the face of life's natural challenges then excuse me not, I do not want a man-child to provide psychopathic treatment to, who clearly has not bothered to put in as much efforts."

"As you shouldn't," Payal nodded. "Also Khushi, you really need to get up and lock the door now. We can discuss problematic narratives later on. "

Khushi unwillingly threw the duvet off from herself and was about to get off the bed when her phone began to ring.

"Aaand Monday day has officially begun" she sighed, swiping the call icon on her phone.

"Haan Dilip bolo".

"What? Who?"

"Arnav Singh Rai- what?- Raizada? Oh right. Wasn't his appointment not till much later in the evening?"

"What urgent case?"

"Arre I have patients lined up no! Tooth ache is tooth ache. Sabko utne hi urgently dard karta hai."

"See I would have accommodated also, but the clinic slot is full for the whole morning and then I have to rush to the hospital and I am already running late."

"Well, why didn't he get the appointment earlier then? No no we can't mess up this one. It's my father's referral. Family matters. Ugh. Okay check if someone has canceled on their appointment. If they have then shift him, otherwise just tell him to pop in some pain killers for the while."