BEATITUDE - A Short Story #BlogchatterA2z #shortstory #fiction @Blogchatter

BEATITUDE - Age 5

As far as I remember, it was my fifth birthday when I first met Janaki. Baba (my father) had organized a small party to celebrate my birthday. It was just a few of my friends from the school and the locality we had shifted recently. Baba was in the Army at a high rank in the vigilance department. Though at that age I was not too familiar with his frequent postings but gradually as I grew I learned it very well. Maa (my mother) was history teacher in Army School. My parents got married 7 years ago. I was their eldest child. I had a younger sister, Mishti, who was hardly a year old. She was in Maa's lap in that party. I was just moving here and there and enjoying with my friends.

 

Maa called me - "Hey Debu, come here for a while." Janaki was standing there, talking to Maa. "Janaki, this is Debu. He will be joining school next month with the start of the next session." Janaki sat down, held me from my shoulders, and hugged me. It was something extraordinary. Her touch was as serene as Maa's. Maa was quick to notice Janaki's BEATITUDE spark the moment she hugged me. Janaki expressed her BEATITUDE to me by planting a warm kiss on my forehead. I could see tiny droplets at the corners of her eyes.

Janaki was the newest and the youngest teacher who joined Maa's school. We had shifted to this locality not because of Baba, but it was Maa's transfer to this school that made Maa, Mishti, and I move to this new house. It was a villa provided by the school. Baba was posted somewhere we were not exactly aware of. He had to keep his location secret due to his job demand.

Maa was the first to notice an instant sacred connection between Janaki and I when she saw Janaki's eyes at the time she was kissing my forehead on my birthday. Usually, I was never comfortable when anybody other than Maa or Baba hugged me or kissed me. But Janaki had the same touch as Maa's. It was quite strange for me to understand at that time.

 

Photo credit: Jasmic on Visualhunt

BEATITUDE - Age 5-15

So many things had happened during the last 10 years. The Next month after my 5th birthday, I joined Maa's school. Janaki was the in charge of the nursery section. I could see an element of beatitude whenever she would see me in the school. She was around 25 at that time. I was good at studies as well as in sports right since beginning. I had a very special connection with Janaki. In fact, I had started calling her Janaki Maa. I remember I would rush to Janaki whenever I had any problem in the school rather than going to Maa who was in the same school but in the senior section. Janaki too would take the same action that Maa would have taken. I was about to finish my high school.

 

That year, Janaki was asked to resign from the school. She had developed a medical complication a year ago and the condition had deteriorated to the extent that she was not able to continue. It was something related to her mind. She started forgetting things very fast. Student's names, classes, periods, lessons, roll numbers, almost everything. Doctors were not able to ascertain the issue. Unless they could identify the cause, the problem was difficult to address. Janaki had not married. Her parents had died long back. She was all alone in the world.

 

Maa brought her home in that condition. She started consulting private doctors. I topped in the school in my high school and started appearing in entrance exams. I got admission in Army Medical College. Furthermore, I had to leave home in a month to join a college hostel. Janaki was off-memory most of the time. During the day for a few moments she would have flashes of her memory back with her and during those moments I could feel sparks of beatitude on her face as she would see me. Otherwise, most of the time she was lost, sitting near her room window, looking outside in the lawns for hours. I would hold her hand sitting next to her, but of no use.

Beatitude - Age 15-25

I finished my graduation from Army Medical College in flying colours, topping in the college and getting a good medal. Immediately after that I joined MS with specialization in brain. Soon after completing my Masters, I joined one of the top medical institutes in the world situated in Geneva. I started my research under world's top brain surgeon and under his guidance, I finished my research in 4 years. During all this time I never went home but would have video calls with Maa, Mishti, and Baba.

 

Mishti was in Michigan doing Masters in Computer Science. All three were at different locations. Janaki was still with Maa with no improvement in her condition. Very few times I was able to talk to her when she was in her memory - on condition. I could feel the sparks of beatitude on her face during those very few moments, and mostly she would go off very fast. Janaki Maa is 45 now.

Beatitude - Age 25-26

I have only one mission in life as of now. I have told Maa to take a flight to Geneva with Janaki Maa. Furthermore, I know it would be difficult for them to travel under those severe conditions of Janaki Maa, but it is important. Some special arrangements are made to get them here. Two senior doctors from Army Medical College are coming along with them. Finally, they are here. Brain specialists from Zurich, Basel, Geneva, and Lausanne will be here tomorrow. All examinations on Janaki Maa will be completed by tonight. Tomorrow is Janaki Maa's surgery.

Surgery day

Just a few moments ago Janaki Maa revived her memory as usual for a short while. I was sitting next to her bed holding her hand and looking on her face. She opened her eyes. It was a quick flash of BEATITUDE on her face, and then it went off. For a few moments I could see life in her eyes on her otherwise lifeless face.

 

It's surgery time. She has been taken to the operation theatre. It is going to be a long surgery. Doctors have to fix something related to nerves, tissues, and veins in her brain. I could not dare to be part of the doctors team operating her. I was just praying outside the operation room to God with my folded hands. Later, Maa told me that for all those 4 hours, I was just whispering prayers with my folded hands and tears kept flooding endlessly. 

Next day

The operation went successful. Janaki Maa is still unconscious. Doctors say she would be gaining consciousness anytime after the next 24 hours. 

Surgery day +2

Janaki Maa is back to normal. The moment she opened her eyes, just before that she was whispering my name - "Debu, Debu, Debu". I was holding her hand throughout. She opened her eyes. Maa, Janaki Maa, and I, we all were crying. But these were tears of joy. It was an amalgamation of BEATITUDES. 

BEATITUDE - Age 30

I have joined as faculty of medicine in the university of Zurich. Maa and Janaki Maa have both agreed to shift here and live with me. Meanwhile, I have established a state-of-the-art hospital in India specialized in curing rare complexities related to the brain.

BEATITUDE - Age 32

I am back in India with Maa and Janaki Maa. My new hospital is fully operational. We are admitting patients from all across the globe.

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