I Can't

I Can't

7 mins
309



Its already 10 o'clock. The needles of the wall clock kept on ticking and the sound was piercing the ears of Raman. The incessant rain stopped him from going outside of his house to board the bus to go to his destination. He took leave for that. He started feeling helpless.


Another hour passed. Raman became restless. The heavy downpour constantly acted as a spoilsport. The time has been slipping just like sand from an hourglass. The hazy canvas in front of him reminded something and gave him a throwback of twenty years back and made him roam desperately in nostalgia.............


It was a cold winter day. With the setting sun in the west, cold breeze started blowing. The wind cheater was not enough to save a biker from the biting cold. Raman was returning back home from the office. The road was deserted. The shrilling voice of crickets was only audible from a distance. With the approaching night the entire earth was engulfed in the black canopy. Raman increased the speed of his bike. He tried to cover the rest of the distance to reach home in a shorter time. He was in a hurry because he had to be by the side of his ailing father who was bedridden for the past one week. Raman was the elder son of the family. He was the one to shoulder the entire responsibility. In his absence (during the office hours from 10 am to 5 pm and the extra two hours for the to and fro journey) he simply thrust the responsibility upon his childhood friend Binoy who stayed two houses next to his own house. He was a trustworthy person and a responsible one. Raman blindly believed him.


Binoy was not financially sound. He had a meagre income with which he had to feed a family of six persons, his parents, two brothers and his wife. He tried his best to give his family members a happy life by working hard.


Raman was very understanding and empathetic one. He could realise the plight of his friend. So he tried to help his friend in times of need. He took great care not to make his friend feel bad for getting monetary help from him. Their friendship was such that both families lived like a well knit family.


On that fateful day when Raman was approaching home on his speeding bike, suddenly a cat from no where crossed the road. He stopped his bike with a sudden jerk. But by the time the bike came to a halt Raman lost control, the bike skidded and he fell down with his head hitting against a roadside tree. He lost consciousness and lied down there until one of his neighbours intimated his family.


On gaining his sense, Raman found him in the hospital bed surrounded by family members. He looked here and there and tried to speak to the gathering but his voice is so feeble that no one could understand what he was telling. The attending doctor asked him not to speak.


A week passed. Raman was discharged from the hospital. He was happy to leave the hospital and to savour some home made delicacies. Soon after he reached home both the family members extended a warm homecoming. Binoy's mother served Raman his favourite coconut stuffed rice dumplings and kheer. He had them to his heart's content and came back to his own home to take rest. His brother was escorting him and while sleeping with him, he disclosed everything right from the beginning of the accident till he got back his sense. He told Raman that he had a lot of blood loss as he was lying in the pool of blood for a longer period of time. By the time he was taken to the hospital, there was a lot of blood loss. Since it was midnight the hospital was not able to arrange any donor. Unfortunately, the stock of A+ blood was exhausted. To their surprise, Binoy was proved himself as a messiah, a messenger of God. He insisted to donate blood as he was having the O+ which is considered as the universal donor. The doctor was happy that Raman had AB+ blood group which could accept O+ group blood. After both of their blood sample was tested and the formalities were done, Binoy donated almost four bags of blood for Raman though the doctor was constantly asking him to stop after giving two bags of blood. But he was adamant. After the blood transfusion, Raman got back his consciousness in the hospital. Raman was silently listening to the commentary and teardrops were shining in his eyes.


It took some weeks for Raman's complete recovery. All these days both the family members took a great care of Raman and tried to make him feel special. From inside Raman was feeling himself lucky enough to have a friend like Binoy and was feeling indebted to him.


Raman joined his office and resumed his work. His pending work took time to be finished. In his absence, a newly appointed young girl got her cubicle next to Raman. Every now and then she tried to draw the attention of Raman in the pretext of something or other. Gradually Raman developed his feeling for this lady. He told this to Binoy and in the middlemanship of Binoy, the marriage was solemnised.


After marriage, Raman started living with his wife in the town just to avoid the hectic journey. His parents also supported him. The newly weds started enjoying their marital bliss.


Sometimes Raman's parents and family members came to stay with them for some days. Sometimes they send some stuff through Binoy like the homegrown organic vegetables, ghee or freshly caught fish from their own pond. Raman used to love these. Life went on smoothly.


One day Raman woke up with a jerk after having a nightmare. He was perspiring a lot. His wife Mansi asked him why he was so horrified after handing over a glass of water to him. He drank the water in one go. Without explaining anything he just made the conversation short by telling that it was a bad dream.


The next morning when he was working in his office, he got a call from his father. He informed that Binoy is down with some problem. He was admitted to the hospital. The local doctors are not able to diagnose the problem. Hence they are advising to shift him to a nursing home or any better hospitals with modern amenities. Raman felt sad for his friend and promised to help him in his best possible way. Now he co-related the entire episode with his nightmare as a premonition.


He asked for leave to his boss. Initially, he was not ready to grant his leave but he convinced him and get it sanctioned. The same day he contacted all the nearby hospitals and talked to his known doctors. They suggested to bring the patient as soon as possible. Then only it would be possible for them to diagnose the problem and start the treatment.


Next morning when Raman was ready to start for his village the heavy downpour acted as a spoilsport. It was quite difficult to go out to board any conveyance. But Raman had the indomitable desire. He was determined to face all challenges and to overcome them to save his friend's life.


It is said that "If there is a will, there is a way." At around 11.30 am. suddenly Raman found a taxi approaching towards him. He stopped it and after some time he was found to board the taxi which started moving towards Raman's village.


On the way, Raman was thinking....... Binoy who donated his blood without caring for his own life, whose blood is flowing in his veins and for whose sacrifice he is alive now will get the best treatment in the town. No one can stop me from doing the best for my friend. I will show the world that 'I can do it '..........



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