Thermometer

“Did Babu come…”-asked Sulochana to Damu-the servant of Babu.

“No, Babu will come only in the evening…”-Damu replied.

But he had told me that he will come back after finishing his morning meeting.

Sulochana, suffering of high fever and lying on the bed, was thinking about Babu-his son that when he would come back with medicines and thermometer.

There was a thermometer, but 2 days back, when she was trying to see her measured body temperature, it fell from her hand, as Banti-Babu’s son stretched his hand over the thermometer.

At the age of 62, she had lost all her strength, working hard throughout her life, having a dream to give Babu the higher education and make him enough independent that he would never bend his head in front of anyone for money. Sulochana, was working as peon in a nearby Panchayat, Primary school, she had lost Babu’s father when Babu was only one year old and because of her this effort, Babu qualified the Administrative exam and has now become the collector of a district. He has everything, big bungalow, cars and many servants, who are always ready to serve him…

Still Sulochana remembers the day, when Babu was only five years old and was suffering of Typhoid. At first doctors of nearby Primary Healthcare, could not diagnose the disease, they prescribed some wrong medicines and after taking those, Babu’s condition became worst, he suffered of very high temperature and went on comma. Then in the midnight of 3:30 am, she had to take Babu to the district hospital, for which she had to ask the rented auto of Jamindar. Even though, she had never asked any kind of help to Jamindar since the day of Babu’s father’s expiry, but that day she had to because of his only son. By seeing her condition, he also got agreed to give his rented auto without anything else, which could never be expected from a person who never does any favor for anyone without getting anything in return. The blood test in the district hospital had proved that Babu had Typhoid and the costly medicines prescribed by the doctor had brought hope within her that Babu would get well soon. When she searched her money purse she had left only seventeen rupees and seventy-five paise, which would be enough for them to return to their village. When she looked at her body if any leftover jewelry could bring the cost of medicines, then should hardly found a pair of plastic bangles, which can get her nothing. She might not get all the medicines in the village, so she had to take all from this hospital before becoming morning, as the auto should be present in front of Jamindar’s house before the Sun light comes. What could she do now…? Yes. She does not have any jewelry to sell and get money, but she has her blood, which she could sell and get money. She rushed to the doctor, described her situation and requested him to take her blood in the price of the medicines for Babu. By that time, the son of a very rich person of the city needed blood of the same group, for which the doctor had to accept Sulochana’s request. Day by day, Babu started recovering from Typhoid…One day, after measuring the body temperature, Babu took the thermometer near the lantern to see the temperature clearly. The mercury in glass thermometer climbed immediately up to the highest temperature after getting temperature from the lantern’s light and could not come back to the normal room temperature. When Sulochana came back after five minutes, it was not within her imagination that the thermometer had become useless to use it again. This time, she had to sell a utensil from her kitchen to buy the thermometer immediately.

“Damu, I am hearing Naba’s voice outside…has he come…has Babu sent medicines and thermometer with him…”-Sulochana asked Damu, after hearing Naba’s- Babu’s clerk’s voice outside of her room….

“Yes, Maa…but he has brought vegetables and some stuffs ordered by Mam…your medicines are not there…”-Damu replied with a mild voice, feeling the pain of Sulochana…

“okay…Babu might bring all those himself in the evening while coming back from office…” -Sulochana thought and started waiting for the evening…

“Let’s go for party, we are already very late…”-hearing Babu’s voice outside, Sulochana got up and asked about medicines and thermometer…”Maa, I forgot, was too busy in work…tomorrow will bring…anyway use ginger, all the cough and cold will go off, so the fever as well, no need of any medicines and thermometer…it’s a natural remedy…Doctor is saying not to use allopathic medicines…these would not suit to your increased age”-saying so, Babu left the place hurriedly with Priya to the party….

Sulochana was thinking about the Thermometer...