The Missing Kidney

                                               

The Sens were very happy. The whole family sat contently around the fire. The flames rose up merrily and cast weird shapes on the wall. Rita had come back from her long stay in the hospital. The children too who were in the boarding school in Nainital had just returned home. As they had missed her terribly on not seeing her for such a long time, now they felt especially affectionate towards her. Ronnie, her husband being extra solicitous about her health got a woolen shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders.

He too had been far from home is a marine engineer and was away on duty for the last six months. Tina her youngest daughter, a skimpy girl of twelve wanted to know from her mother all the minute details of the operation which she had undergone. She found the name Appendectomy very fascinating and tried to memorize it. Vicky her elder brother, with a superior air tried to explain to her the function s of an appendix.’ You know Mina, it is a useless organ. It is of no use to human beings that is why when doctors open up the abdomen for any reason, they also get rid of the appendix to forestall any future complications”.

Ronnie countered his son’s statement immediately, taking care not to belittle him in front of his sister. ”Not so my son--Researchers have deduced that the appendix protects good bacteria in the gut. That way, when the gut is affected by a bout of diarrhea or other illnesses that cleans out the intestines, the good bacteria in the appendix can repopulate the digestive system and keep us healthy. Besides, it can be used for reconstructive surgery.”

Mina then inquired whether it was true that only a few animals had an appendix. Ronnie to show his appreciation that she had garnered this information, replied --“ It is very clever of you Mina, you seem to know quite a lot.” Mina beamed at him and was quick to come out with her next question. How did her mother realize that she had appendicitis? At that time their maid arrived with a tray, balancing skillfully delicately designed teacups full of steaming hot tea and crisp cookies fresh from the oven. Their family gathering then got interrupted for no one could resist the refreshments in the cold of the winter. Rita felt very much relieved and was thankful to the maid, the reason only known to her.

          Rita did not feel well. But she did not dare to open her mouth. If she did, everyone would make a lot of fuss over her and that she wanted to avoid.  Besides she did not want to disturb the harmonious atmosphere around her. Her head hurt intensely. She felt as if somebody was hammering away on her head. She tried to figure out why her heart was beating so fast too. But actually she was fully aware that she would be having these symptoms. The doctors in the hospital had warned her about the side effects of the operation. However, she could not utter a word. It was her secret---no one in the family would approve of it so it had to remain a secret.     

           The entire episode had begun about six months back. There was a phone call from her friend Aruna from AMRI Hospital. She had broken her ankle and was hospitalized. She said she was bored reading books and would be ever so happy if Rita could visit her so that they could catch up on old times. Aruna and Rita had been close friends in school. They would get along like a house on fire. Both were very mischievous and would plan out how to avoid going to class and instead spend some time in the Mall having KFC delicacies or frequenting the Pizza joints.

There was fun in missing classes ----it was like an adventure. Aruna would put in an excuse slip with her father’s signature (actually her own) saying she was indisposed. Rita would do the same but her excuse would be different. But it so happened that one day when both of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves gobbling down hamburgers, Aruna’s parents spotted them at the Mall. That marked the end of their escapades.

But their joint ‘playing up’ did not stop. They would caricature all the teachers in class and have the students in splits. There would be uproarious laughter to the embarrassment and discomfiture of the teacher trying to maintain discipline. Those were the good old days. Now that there was a call from her friend she had to rush to her bedside without delay.

      As Rita sat by the bedside of her friend, her attention was drawn to the other patients in the room. Next to Aruna’s bed was the bed of an old lady in her eighty’s, who was only skin and bones. All her teeth had been extracted at some time or the other with the outcome that her face had lost its shape and looked like a shrunken balloon that had been deflated. She was suffering from a bout of asthma. It was painful to see her trying with great effort to raise herself in order to be able to breathe more comfortably.

She was gasping for breath and witnessing her ordeal one also felt the pangs. It was then that one realized one’s utter helplessness in not being able to relieve her of her distress. Next to her was another patient in the prime of her life. She could not be more than thirty-five or thirty-six. She looked absolutely run down with a drawn face and sunken eyes, almost like a zombie revived from the other world by means of witchcraft.

Her story was also a pathetic one. She was the mother of three children. The eldest was seven years old, the second five and the youngest was her shadow He would cling on to her and could not do without her for a moment. He had just completed the first year of his life. As for her husband, he had met with a car accident and had lost the use of his right hand.

Thereafter his employer had asked him to put in his resignation as he wasn’t of any service to the institution. She had managed to become the bread –earner by starting a catering service from home and now she had clients from the office-goers. But she found this business very demanding on her health as she herself had to have dialysis every second week. The doctors had suggested that as her case was critical she should think of a kidney transplant as soon as possible. But she could not even dream of such an operation as hers was a hopeless situation.

She did not have the money for such an operation and her family needed her desperately. This information she blurted out haltingly, punctuated with sobs and rendered with total resignation to her fate. When Rita saw her break down in tears, she could not control her impetuosity and going to her bed, put both her arms around her to console her. A tremor passed through both their bodies and then Rita bent down to say something in her ears.

             The following days were very hectic for Rita. She wrote and informed her children and her husband that she was not keeping too well. She told them that she was getting intense abdominal cramps and perhaps would have to undergo a surgery. She would be back home by the time they arrived. They were not to worry because she could fend for herself as the doctor was a Specialist and known for his acumen.

Rita had to have her blood tested.  Physically and psychologically she was ready and prepared for the operation. By temperament she was timid and from childhood, she would squirm at the sight of an injection needle. If anyone had even suggested that she should have an operation, she would have fainted. On the other hand, she had a very soft nature. Her heart melted to see anyone in pain. She had everything. She lacked nothing. And now if she could make the world a happier place by a small act of hers for that would be the best way she could thank the Almighty for the abundance that she had received from Him.       

               She took a cab to go to the hospital with a light heart and indomitable determination. But despite that, she could not understand why her heart was palpitating so much. Her throat and mouth had become dry and she felt her body was trembling. She put a call through first to her husband and then to her children. Somehow she felt that hearing their voices would reassure her.

Her husband had said,” Take care till I can come and look after yourself.” Her children had asked her why she was sounding so strange and had inquired with concern whether she was upset on any count. All of a sudden she felt lonely and strangely wished desperately that her husband and her children were with her. She closed her eyes for a moment and asked God to give her strength.

            It was very difficult for her to recapitulate later what happened in the following two days ---more tests and investigations. However, she vividly remembered the steel trolley and the uniformed ward boys who rolled her into the operation theater. She also remembered the nurses in the theater who spoke in low voices and busied themselves with clinking sounds. There were big lights hanging from the ceiling. She told herself that there was no running away now. A nurse came and gave her an injection and after that what happened was a blank. She had fever, aches, and pains after the operation was over but the doctors took care of that and gave her medicines which made the ordeal less painful. Slowly she recovered and was back home.

      Rita had not complained about her ill health to anyone. Without a word, she endured her trials as it was all because of her own decision. But fate did not let it remain her own problem for without her volition her much-guarded secret came to be exposed like a deer in a grass-less desert.

She must have lost consciousness for quite a prolonged period. When she opened her eyes she saw Mina was holding her hand and crying and the others were bending over her with anxious faces. She surmised from what they said that the doctor had been called and on his advice, a sonogram of her abdomen had been taken for he suspected that the appendectomy had left some foreign matter inside. But to everyone's horror, they found the appendix was intact and the kidney was missing. Ronnie’s anger knew no bounds. He blew hot and cold and blamed the corrupt medical faculty of the country. The doctor must have taken out the kidney when he had to operate in the appendix for some exorbitant monetary gain. Her blood pressure had spiked tremendously causing her to collapse.

To add to her problems when the doctor had tested her blood for sugar, they discovered she had developed diabetes. Dr. Das had said that these were the side effects of kidney removal. This information further enraged her husband. When all this commotion and hullabaloo was going on, at last Rita picked up the courage. She felt that Ronnie’s wrath against the medical profession was unjustified and to exonerate their name she had to come out with the truth.

          Rita avoided looking at her husband when confessing her deep dark secret. She stuttered and stammered but managed to blurt out that she had donated one of her kidneys for free as she felt she could manage quite well with one. On the other hand, it was only fair to give the other kidney to somebody who had lost the use of both her kidneys. To her astonishment, Rita found Ronnie’s reaction absolutely unbelievable.

He was staring at Rita dumbfounded. Then when he came to himself he said aloud with tears glistening in his eyes,” I have been married to you for the last sixteen years but I had no idea that I had come to possess the greatest treasure a man could ever have, a wife as noble as you” With that he folded her in his arms and the children uttered in unison, “We love you, Mother.”