My first attempt at Fiction

She couldn’t take her eyes off Sid. He was playing with his friends, and she was staring her from a distance. He was thinner than most of his friends, had a balding patch, and panted often while trying to exert. All this was a pleasant sight for her. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she couldn’t decide if it was because of the happy times that she had presently or for the most depressing times she faced a year ago.

*-*-*

“That’s not possible. This can’t happen to him. He is only 7 years old!”, Priya asked the Doctor with the ferocity of a tigress. Those who knew Priya would have been surprised at her outburst. She was meek and docile, never the one to raise her voice. But the threat to her son exposed a completely new side of her personality. She was shocked at the news. In fact shocked is an understatement to describe her feelings. She was flustered and angry – angry with the divinity, angry with the doctor, angry with the colour of the wall – angry with the world at large.

Sid was diagnosed with leukemia. Priya was in denial. She wanted a second opinion. When even that provided identical results, she went half-crazy. She wanted to blame it on anyone and everyone. She hated Riya, her best friend because Riya’s son, Rohan was hale and hearty. When Riya came to console her, she secretly wished Rohan had this disease rather than Sid. She could not believe that this was happening to her son. The world spun around her.

The next few days were horrifying for her and her family. Mahesh, her husband had to bear the maximum. Balancing between Priya’s violent mood-swings, hectic office schedule and the fact that his young son’s body was being eaten away from within was a mind-numbing task. But somehow all the turmoil around had motivated him to act fast and decide in a haste.

Because Priya insisted, and insisted hard, third, fourth and fifth opinions were also taken, post which she almost shifted to depression. Had it not been for strong family support and extreme love and care that Mahesh displayed, her return from that stage was difficult. Guess only love and care is not sufficient to avoid a person from sinking. One day, out of sheer frustration, Mahesh went to Priya and showed her Sid’s condition. “Am I supposed to take care of him or you? If you stay this way, there is no chance that we can save him.” he yelled, and cried and sobbed. Looking at Mahesh, Priya came to senses. They cried together. At least now their enemy was same and their energies were not scattered. They got up and decided to take on the raging bull that was coming to take their son away.

The cancer had already started acting on Sid. The otherwise super active Sid now looked dull and tired all the time. His charming activities that livened up the whole house had stopped, save a few moments when Mahesh used to return from his office, and take him for a round on his bike. The doctors suggested a bone marrow biopsy in which marrow samples were to be removed from the back of the hip for testing. Many such tests were performed to decide on the direction of the treatment. Like every kid, Sid too was scared of needles. But for every test, he had to face them. While initially he cried out just at the sight of them, the ubiquity of the syringes in that phase of his life got him used to them. He did everything that was asked without a shade of resistance.

Sid did not understand why all this was happening, why his parents were letting these strange men and women in white overalls do this to him. He was told that he had a “small disease” which will be cured very soon by them. Children are innocent but not stupid. One day when Priya was alone, he asked, “Mamma, am I going to die?” Priya was shell-shocked. She had been preparing for such a query since long, but when the question came, she could not react. She kept staring at her son with a stunned silence which never seemed to have an end. “I don’t want to die Mumma” said Sid and hugged her tightly to receive some comfort and reassurance which Priya was completely devoid of. Fortunately, Mahesh turned up and handled the situation. Priya had nowhere to go. She went to the terrace, and out of sheer helplessness cried and screamed at the Almighty. She wanted to die; she wanted to kill. None happened.

Sid was admitted to the hospital. Chemotherapy was started. Initially Sid took the drugs through his mouth but later all of them came out with vomit. So they had to be injected into his body. It was a horrifying scene with numerous bandages on a 7-year old body.

Sid’s body showed positive reaction to the medication. There was celebration. The next week the reactions were gone. The celebration ended. Priya, Mahesh and Sid played hide-and-seek with leukemia for more than a year. Their life had become like an oscillating pendulum. When it was on their side, they celebrated, and when it went the other way, they held their hands, cried and prayed together. Priya searched everything on the internet, joined numerous support groups and went to every temple in the city. She did everything that anyone told, from logical to utter non-sense. “There is nothing to lose. Better give a try” had become her motto. Bad times had brought them so close that they seemed to be one. In one year’s time, even leukemia had become part of their extended family. The fight continued.

*-*-*

Sid returned to her – tired but beaming. Priya gave her a loving hug. They rushed towards home. Mahesh was coming to pick them up. They had an appointment with the doctor.

Comments

47 said…
For a first attempt...its awesome. however, try and not use the facebook/ twitter english in writing.
March 4, 2012 at 7:24 PM
Yash said…
Thanks. Will try to :)
But can u pl point out which part :P
March 4, 2012 at 11:46 PM
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