A Reason to Live After Life

A severe accident disfigured a middle-aged man. He lost his wife and 5 years old daughter in that accident too. Following the accident, he had to undergo a series of facial surgeries that turned his face into a macabre of horror with no nose, sunken cheeks and a thin opening behind which his eyes danced for vision. He could not walk properly because of spinal code injury. Every now and then he made eerie sounds in the night because of the shock. So, he preferred staying in the hospital than going back home to avoid meeting people. Anyone who knew him disbelieved him to be the same person. His long stay brought him closer to the heart of the hospital staff who never treated him like a patient. For the doctors, he was like a grown-up naughty child. His days were passing with the recollection of pleasant memories of his wife and daughter whereas the nights were filled with the horror of accident shocks. 

A family was allotted to share the cabin with three members. The man owned a big travel agency and was worried about a recent accident because one of his drivers without any license had met a severe accident killing two persons. The driver wasn’t able to get bail. The police were

harassing him too. After so many months, he could find a friend. His six years was admitted to that hospital for her bone marrow transplant. She was allotted the same cabin where the strange-looking man was staying. After seeing the disfigured man the mother panicked in fear and ran away out of the cabin. But astonishingly to the girl, his face appeared rather funny who resembled her video game character. Seeing the reaction of his daughter the father was a bit relaxed as he had no option as the other cabins were occupied. The man convinced his wife telling that they had to stay there until any cabin was vacated. The mother unwillingly adjusted herself with a condition that her child should not talk with the strange man. The man welcomed them by his open smiles and clapping. Their stay was a relief to his long solitude.

Initially the lady passed sleepless nights but after two days she understood that he was no different from any normal human being. The little kid developed good chemistry with the funny strange character. She talked with signs and gestures in the presence of her mother and danced and played around his bed when she was out. The father was also enjoying their dumb show by playing minor roles. The cabin became a castle of happiness for all except the lady until one day when the final report of the girl came. The report had some bad news for the family. The girl’s kidney was fast damaging because of her illness. The doctor told them to arrange one kidney within a week. They hid it from their daughter and others as well.

The worried parents were hopeless as the mother’s kidney did not match and the father’s diabetic body prevented him from donating. The

mother kept silent most of the times and the father was busy in search of a donor. He was even ready to pay lacs of money to the person who could save her life. Unaware of all the turmoil of the parents both the patients were enjoying each and every moment of life. Both started sharing food. They perfected mime in front of her mother. In the night the strange man murmured and babbled taking the name of the little girl that annoyed the lady. Again, he insisted on her husband to change the cabin.

One day in her absence both were playing horse riding games.

The girl was riding on the man and singing a song. The strange man added music by whistling. Then suddenly she fell on the ground. In the meantime, her mother reached and got infuriated at the sight. She immediately pulled her daughter and shouted at the man by using abusive words. She told him angrily, “You devil, You will eat my little girl one day.” The man did not show any reaction and jumped over his bed and covered his body by a bed-sheet. The girl giggled at his reaction. The lady narrated the entire episode to her husband and gave an ultimatum to change the cabin neither she would shift to a different hospital.

After discussing the hospital management they planned to shift to a single cabin above the present floor. The lady dragged her daughter out of the cabin who was not ready to go. When they left the cabin the strange man acted like sleeping by putting a bedsheet over his body. After a few days of happiness, again he was lonely.   

The health of the kid deteriorated fast within the next five days. The helpless couple could not arrange a kidney. Finally, the doctor

advised to perform the operation even without the kidney but warned them of the life-threatening consequences after it. She might be partially paralyzed or had to put on dialysis till she survived. They had no other way except praying to God.

On the operation day, the mother visited all nearby temples and all of their relatives came to support her. The anxious father waited outside the operation theatre in dead silence and a photo of God in his hand. The operation lasted for 6 long hours and the doctor came out to announce that the operation was successful. A noble dying person had donated his two kidneys to that girl with his last wish that the name should not be disclosed to anybody. On hearing this, the father ran towards the old cabin. He opened the door with a bang. A family photo was hanging in which a handsome man, his beautiful wife, and lovely daughter were sitting on the bonnet of red Honda City.

A message was hanging on the head-side wall. The message read: “I know you will come to read this and by this time she must be out of danger. My life was indebted to your daughter who offered me a chance to live in her body. A few moments of joy shared with her were so precious that I never wanted to lose it. I can’t see her dying, She has given me a blessed reason to die. When your daughter wakes up after long sleep tell her that this is my photo and I have been shifted to a foreign hospital for treatment.”

Tears rolled from his eyes and he started crying holding the photos. His wife called from the back telling that their daughter had regained her

consciousness. Then he walked slowly to her daughter. She uttered “ Papi, Papi Where are you? Where is my friend?” This was the name that the daughter of the strange man used for his father. 

Then a call came on his number “ Sir, The Vehicle has been traced. It’s a red City Honda having number 1235.” He looked at the photograph.