The Harrowing encounter

V ardha was flabbergasted. Misfortune visited their abode like an uninvited guest, refusing to reverse its direction. She had just received the worst news that would plunge her into adversity. Her husband had been caught.

They had been married for 35 years. Unfortunately, she could never bore the fruit of motherhood. It was one thing that eluded her and prickled her brain throughout her married life. She was 50 years old. Her Husband, Nitya, was a decade older to her, but could easily passed over 70 years and worked as a welder in a local shop ever since he chose not to pursue his education.

Ironically, their habitat was set in an idyllic Goan village known for its beautiful Portuguese styled mansions. Their meagre earnings ensured they could only afford to live in a 1 room rented place with just about enough room for the couple to move around.

Nitya was drinker, a very heavy drinker. We have tea / coffee in the mornings, Nitya would turn to alcohol to quench his morning thirst. After work, he would spend hours together in the local bar, till he staggered his way home. Vardha tried her best to dissuade Nitya from drinking, but all her efforts went in vain. There were days, when Nitya would beat her so that she could cough up some money to fuel his drinking habits.

A year ago, Vardha was fired from her job of 20 years owing to the Coronavirus pandemic. The firm was hit hard economically and she was deemed surplus to the requirements. From then on, she tended to the daily house chores and looked after her husband with abundant care. Nitya himself was diagnosed with serious liver damage due to prolonged years of alcohol consumption. In spite of medical advice to take ample rest and discontinue drinking, he heeded neither. He worked everyday till his arms felt frail and drank till his legs stuttered. Vardha was very concerned with his health.

She spooked when the first wave hit, with plentiful precautions, they managed to escape from the clutches of the deadly virus. As situation eased out, the couple, as with others, let their guard down. They would attend weddings, mingle freely with others and roam markets without wearing any masks. Until the second wave hit the ground running with gusto.

On a pleasant day, when everything seemed calm on the exterior, Vardha was feeling a sense of uneasiness. She tried to ignore it nonchalantly, but the sensation stuck to her through the day. Just as the day was winding down, she saw her husband stuttering his way home. Although bit early, he seemed himself as usual. She was surprised when he told her that he had come straight from work and did not go his favorite hangout spot. He was feeling feverish and disconcerted.

She checked his temperature. It felt high. He had also started coughing. Without any adieu, she immediately took him to the nearest health center. The medical officer on duty insisted he get himself tested. Results would be known by tomorrow morning. Till then he prescribed a few meds and asked Vardha to closely monitor her husband.

After dinner, she insisted Nitya to take the meds. During the night, Nitya’s temperature was sky rocketing. Vardha applied cold water towel to his forehead. His coughing did not seem to wither down. He was sweating profusely. She feared the adverse effects on his lungs. She prayed and hoped he would somehow push through the night. Regardless of the test results, she would get him admitted. It was the longest night in her life. She did not even bat an eyelid. The whole night she monitored and cared Nitya like a toddler.

The other fear that berated her was her landlords. They had already asked Nitya to be super careful while going to work. It did not miss her that they would be ruthless if Nitya turned out to be positive. It would surely spell doom. Time and again she had reprimanded her husband for talking to the landlord’s kids and insister to maintain his distance. But, like everything else in her life, Nitya would turn deaf to her pleas.

As the sun broke through the clouds, she prepared for admission. By dawn, Nitya seemed to have slept a tad after the night’s ordeal. And then the results came in. Her suspicion confirmed. Nitya had been detected positive to the lethal coronavirus. Vardha was distraught.

Without any intimation to the owners, she took Nitya to the nearest health center. As the center lacked the right infrastructure, they asked her to admit Nitya to the state’s premium hospital. She had prior experience when Nitya was diagnosed with the liver disease. As they reached the hospital, what she witnessed sucked her breath away.

There were hordes of patients, atleast 500 of them, at the hospital, which she realized were trying to get themselves admitted. The crowd was hustling and clambering to register themselves at the wards. It would be a herculean task to get admission. If it was not for Nitya’s worsening condition, she would have called off the fracas and taken him home. But Nitya could barely stand up and leaned for her support while walking. She made him sit under a tree and plunged into the crowd.

After almost 3 hours of pushing and pulling, she finally managed to register Nitya’s name. However, she was cautioned by the staff. There would be no beds available and they would need to manage with the available space at the wards. As she entered the assigned ward, she almost collapsed with giddiness. All the beds had already been occupied. While the rest were lying on the floor covering every inch of available space. Only leaving enough room for the medical staff to move around. The commotion inside the ward felt as if she was visiting a fish market.

Luckily, she found a vacant space in a corner. She spread out the bedsheet and helped Nitya to lie on the floor. She hoped that help would arrive at the soonest. As minutes transformed into hours, there was no sign of the medical staff. It had been almost 2 hours since they arrived. Finally, she went and met the head nurse to enquire about the situation. The nurse politely told her that doctor should be on her way and they will attend to her husband.

Half an hour later, the doctor arrived. She checked Nitya’s temperature, recorded his heart beat and checked his oxygen levels. It was dropping sporadically. She immediately asked the Nurse to inject IVF to stabilize his condition.

Situation seemed to have ease out, only for sometime. Nitya slept peacefully, while Vardha sat next to him. She was feeling hungry but decided not to lend ears to her grumbling stomach as her eyes were set on Nitya’s condition. Eventually, her eyes felt heavy and she dozed off submissively.

Just after nightfall, she was startled, awakened by Nitya’s violent push on her hands. She opened her eyes, groggily. It took her a few seconds for her senses to register. She was horrified to see her husband gasping for breath. His lungs practically moved beyond the rib cages. She immediately rushed to the ward counter.

To her shock, the Nurse was not to be seen. She looked around the ward to see the Nurse on duty was already tending to another patient, who was also gasping. She tried to turn the Nurse’s attention towards her, but the medical staff was busy and replied that she will tend shortly. Vardha was on the verge of hysterics. She almost grabbed the Nurse by hand to take her to Nitya. The Nurse politely but firmly reprimanded her. Within the next few minutes, the Nurse finished tending to the patient and followed Vardha to Nitya.

Nitya’s condition was in tatters. He was writhing uncontrollably. Opening his mouth wider and wider each time, trying to suck in more air if possible. All this while convulsing irrepressibly. Vardha almost collapsed with sheer terror. She propped on the wall for support. The Nurse quickly got down to business and with coolest of the shoulders tended to the patient with impeccable deftness. Vardha could barely watch her husband. She cried innately. The Nurse sent for the doctor immediately.

It had a been a grueling night. The doctors did not get his pulse twice, the oxygen levels plummeting. But, Thanks to the timely interjection of medical facilities, the team was able to resuscitate Nitya. Vardha had practically lost all hopes of Nitya surviving the tribulation. It was a miraculous escape from the deadly virus. Nitya was admitted at the hospital for more than 2 weeks. During the time, Vardha herself got infected, but escaped with only mild symptoms, all the while looking after her husband dutifully. The medicine bills had pretty much wiped out their entire savings. It was time to get back to their village lives all over again.

The couple had pulled it off albeit with plenty of help from the medical unit at the hospital. Alas, in their village they were deemed an outcast. She was informed that after Nitya had been infected by the virus, almost 70% of the villagers had followed suit. The infection had shaken the villagers alike. They blamed Nitya as the source for spreading the virus. The couple were refused entry back into the village.

Without a home and penniless, Vardha and Nitya looked at a bleak and distant future. Vardha, forlornly looked into her husband’s eyes. Nitya apologized profusely for treating her with disdain, as he blamed her for their childless marriage. As he held Vardha’s hand tightly, he promised to quit drinking and work towards building their lives.