The Mind Games

”H“ave you heard of a shocking news, Abhijit?” exclaimed Madhur at office lunch hour.
“Oh, please do not start about Corona or Politics amigo. It only gets my heart racing in the opposite direction.” blurted Abhijit, while trying to get a mouthful of rice lentils.
“This has nothing to do with either. Unsurprisingly, this time it is about the vaccine. It is killing people man!”
“That’s bullshit. Now you are just playing. The vaccine is meant as a defense against the virus. Get your facts right bro. Are you hallucinating or what!? Just have your lunch, I have a meeting coming up in 30 minutes.”
Ignoring Abhijit, Madhur proceeded: “People who have been fully vaccinated with 2 doses are suffering from heart attacks. This is especially rampant in the mid age group between 30s and 40s.”
“What stuff are you reading, Madhur? Stop watching the overhyped news channels and ghastly antisemitic videos. Start something productive, like stock trading, mutual funds that will get you the mullahs.” Snickered Abhijit.
“Ignore me at your peril. I had a doctor friend, Dr. Satish Armade, aged just 32 years. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest last night in his sleep.”
“Oh, that is terrible to hear. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Yeah. I heard of another young man, Mr. James Azavedo, aged 35 years. He was an athlete. He too suffered a heart attack. Is that not terrible?”
“That sure is. Nobody deserves to die so young.”
“Wait till you hear the parting shot. You know what both had in common? They had taken their vaccine doses, complete with 2 doses.” Madhur exclaimed matter-of-factly.
Abhijit, who was feeling uncomfortable with each passing minute, “You are a nut, you know. I’m not even sure whether to take you seriously anymore”.
“What, you think I’m bluffing? Go figure out for yourself then. Hear me, this vaccine is going to get more of us, then we know. The government is trying to hush up the whole matter, so as to dissuade panic amongst masses. This is a major scandal man, wait till the lid blows over.”
Hey, isn’t your 34th Birthday due next week? By the way, when did you take your vaccinee doses?” Smirked Madhur, with a sinister smile.
Without any further comments Abhijit picked his plate and led himself to the wash basin, while ignoring Madhur in totality. He could hear Madhur’s laughter ringing across the hall, till he left the canteen.

During the meeting, as Abhijit was finding it to be a daunting task to concentrate in the meeting, his thoughts invariably drifted to the afternoon conversation with Madhur. The maggot had managed to penetrate his head without any incision. He obliged to think about the manner in which people breath their last. He did not like the direction his thoughts were taking. He shook his head and almost blurted out an expletive towards his friend for tinkering with his mindset. He caught his tongue just in time during the meeting.

Reaching home, he relaxed while watching TV. He would cook bit later, might even think of ordering online, if he felt lousy. As he flicked through the channels, he saw flash news appearing in huge red letters. An ultra-famous, mega rich Bollywood star expired in the evening. It was established that he suffered from a heart attack while coming out from the gym. He was only 40 years age and one of the fittest men in the industry. Abhijit had just watched his movie couple of days ago and had loved the star in action. He had even thought of joining the gym to try and emulate the athletic body on show. His tummy would have to manage veggies to ensure a transformation from family pack to a fabulous six pack.

All of Madhur’s word came rushing back to him. He predicted the reason for the Bollywood star’s heart attack, pinging it on the vaccine. Just as he was brandishing this train of thought off his mind, the news flashed saying the megastar was vaccinated against COVD just a month ago. Abhijit sat bolt upright. Madhur’s intuition were sounding utterly ludicrous.

Rain started pattering outside. Ominous dark grey clouds, drifted in the twilight sky. As nightfall approached, an uneasy silence ensued, a grave solemnity to the existential period. Abhijit was feeling restless. He hated Madhur for driving him insane, as the thoughts of COVID, Vaccine and heart attacks swirled in his muddy mind. He skipped dinner and only had few fruits to go with. To swing him out of his slandered mood, he talked to his long-distance girlfriend for some time and then parked himself on the bed, to watch a recent Bollywood flick.

Late night, Abhijit woke up with a disconcert. He was sweating, his palms and feet had gone cold. He was feeling a slight pain in his chest. That found creases of worries on his forehead. What the hell is happening to me? Am I having a heart attack? How does one feel an attack is coming? What should I do? Whom can I consult in the dead of the night? The questions came in waves without any clear resolves. Abhijit was finding it difficult to breath.

He pushed himself off the bed and fetched water. The ache in his chest had not subsiding. Madhur’s words were now ringing in his ears. He thought deeply, it was around 35 days, since he took his 2nd dose of vaccine. Could the vaccine have created a havoc inside him. Expletives flew like sparks from him. He tried to call his girlfriend, but the call went unanswered. He tried to call his parents, but was not able to reach them. His exasperation knew no bounds. For sure, nobody is expected to pick calls at 1:00 am.

He lay on his stomach with an arched back. Time stood still as he held on to his dear life. The pain in chest shooting barbs had now traversed across his body. He fumbled with his phone to dial the emergency number, but alas, it was not accessible. Fear gripped him as death sniffed at his back and held on to Abhijit precariously. He rolled around the bed, steadied his breathing, what seemed like an eternity.

Night was beginning to give birth to day. The skies had started bleeding red. Not a soul moved in the vicinity. Abhijit woke up gingerly. His bleary eyes took a while to adjust to the surroundings. Last night’s heroics and stoicism were still fresh in him. He thanked his lucky stars for keeping his breathing intact. The pain in his chest had disappeared, but the tingling in his mind had refused to subside.

The first thing that Abhijit did, he called in sick with his manager and excused himself from an official day. Next, he drove to the nearby hospital and asked for a thorough check-up. He could not remember the last time he did medical check-up. Madhur called up twice, which he royally ignored. He was in no mood to discuss his whereabouts with Madhur, he will be bemused further and will only say I-told-you-so matter of facts.

Abhijit spent half a day amongst the din of the medical fraternity and their equipment with various tests performed on him. He was feeling relieved and anxious at the same time. What if they found something? What if a major surgery was needed? Last night’s incidents were still bearing heavily on him.

To his relief, all his results from the tests indicated his vital organs were alive and healthy. He had no morbid conditions whatsoever, except for bit overweight. The doctor suggested a vegan diet and daily exercises to keep his health and fitness in check. Abhijit was only too relieved to hear the news. He was still perplexed about last night’s happenings. When he inquired with his doctor, he informed him that it was a gastric issue.

With renewed vigor and a peaceful night behind him, in the knowledge that all is well with him, Abhijit joined office the next day. He was willing to have a fierce conversation with his friend and nemesis, Madhur for chiding him on vaccines and heart attacks. He would dish out to Madhur a taste of his own medicine. He could not wait to pull the carpet under Madhur’s legs. As he got busy with work, he could not find time to meet his friend. At lunch, he did not see Madhur. Usually, Madhur would inform him of his absence from work. He had not heard anything since yesterday.

Just as he was returning from canteen, he overheard the gossip mongrels. And it shocked him. Madhur had suffered a cardiac arrest last night and had been hospitalized. He was admitted to the ICU and fighting for his life. For all of Madhur’s premonitions, this would leave the sourest taste in both their lives.