It was dark when he got to the home of his patient. The friend of the woman was the one who directed him to check on the boy. The house was located on the outskirt of the city. Everywhere was supposed to be quiet if not for the shameless men and young girls who stood by the corners, romancing. Now he understood why his family was against the people from the slums.
Karan came down from his bike and removed his phone. He dialed the number that Mrs. Khan gave to him, a few hours ago. The call was received by a woman. "Ma, I am in front of the house, you described."
"Doctor, I will be opening the door right now," she told him, hanging up immediately. Twenty seconds later, the door opened and a woman came out of the house with her eyes darted.
"Doctor Karan?" she called as soon as she saw him.
He walked to the front of her house and asked if she was Mrs. Kamala Kapoor.
"Yes sir. You are in the right place, I just spoke to Mrs. Khan a few minutes ago. She said you were on your way" the woman explained.
"Yes ma" he was impressed with politeness. She was different from the people he met earlier. If only that dancer was nice to him, his day would have ended well.
"Where are my manners? Come in please" she chuckled, creating a way for him to pass. Karan walked into the half-space, which he had no choice but to call a living room. There was no sign of electricity. A candle stand was kept on the floor next to a mattress. On it laid a slim boy. He must have been the Krish, Mrs. Khan told him about.
"Krish, I would like you to meet doctor Karan" Kamala did the introduction. "Will you say hi to him, dear?"
The sick boy sat up and coughed. He was a child of five years old. His body was so thin that Karan thought he was suffering from kwashiorkor. But that was not the case.
He went on one knee and brought out his hand forward, he offered Krishna a handshake and he accepted it, from the look of things, they were going to be best of friends.
"What should I offer you, Doc?" Kamala's sweet voice interrupted them. Her kind reception marveled at him. She was very different from the people, he met today.
"There is no need for that. I had a stressful day, already. But, your politeness melted my heart. Please don't bother yourself with what to offer me" he told her. "Prepare a meal for Krrish, he will need it after the injections."
Speaking of injections, Krishna let go of the doctor's hand. He was scared of injections. They were so painful. The worst thing was that they had to go through his buttocks without him touching them.
"Don't be scared. I will make it less painful. I promise" Karan assured him. Gaining children's trust was a difficult task for him. He was not used to them neither did he like them!
******
She started trekking home enduring all the insults from her peer group. If not for the teacher, All the girls present would have been admitted to the hospital by now.
Darkness filled the city as she trampled upon stones on her way home. Kamala was going to be disappointed. The money from the competition was supposed to be used for Krish's treatment. But it's turned out to be just a dream. She missed both the competition and the money.
Priyanka shifted all the blame to the bike man who ruined her dress at the beginning. He seemed to carry such a stroke of bad luck that affected her life too. She promised to shout at him the next time they meet. But will they ever meet again? No! She never wishes for that to happen.
"I hate you, Priyanka. I hate the life, you live!" she dropped to the floor and sat by the roadside. Her eyes were filled with pain and misery. They seemed so empty at the same time. Different vehicles horned at her. Some asked if she could join them for a ride, while others cursed her for sitting on the road. But she did not care.
The grief, she had nursed over the years has to go away. After the death of her father, Kamala stood in as the breadwinner of the family. She took care of the house chores and the job at the dancing house.
When Priyanka clocked fifteen, she joined them in the business, while her mother retired to look after her sick brother, Krish.
More tears popped out of her eyes as her heart squeezed within her chest. This was the only time, Kamala was not going to intervene or console her.
Life became a living hell for them as each day passed by. She forgot about wearing nice clothes and shoes. What was important now, was how to provide meals on their table and most importantly, drugs for Krishna.
When she was done sobbing, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and started heading home again. As a young girl living in the slums of Dehli, it was not safe walking on the road at this time of the night. It was already 09:00 pm and this particular road was not always active at this time. She couldn't see properly, because there were no headlamps.
When she got nearer to her house, the road was quieted. From a distance, the door of her house was opened. A man was standing outside with her mother. He was outfitted in black. It reminded her of the man who caused all her troubles today. Bitterness and anguish surfaced in her eyes as she recalled everything that had transpired or rather was yet to transpire...
Clenching her fists, Priyanka increased her pace. It was not enough for her; she ran toward the house and yelled "what are you doing in my house?"