The Death Knell

               

            Neela wiped her face with her crumpled sari .She had been running up and down and her face was drenched with perspiration. She had been very busy lately since Ashok became sick. The Doctors had said that he had Carcinoma of the Lungs.

She had to look after his unfamiliar business ,as well as do her tiring domestic chores. The children had been difficult ,lately since they were told about their father. Over-night they had become disobedient and unruly,as if it was Neela's fault that Ashok was sick. They just could not accept their father lying in bed ,not joking with them ,nor taking them for swimming and playing ball with them. It was an ordeal for Neela ,but for appearance sake she had to put on a brave front. She did not flinch from her one and sundry responsibilities and carried on her duties cheerfully towards her ever demanding children and unappreciative husband to the best of her ability.

          As she entered the room, she saw a thin wisp of smoke curling upwards from the cigarette butt in its last stages of dying out. On the bed lay Ashok ,doubled up with a hacking cough. Neela quickly reached for the glass of water but he stalled her with a gesture of his hand. The doctor had repeatedly warned him against smoking but Ashok's contention was that it was his life, who was the doctor to dictate what he should do and what he should not. This obdurate and recalcitrant trait in his character made him a very difficult patient.

Ashok argued that as he had cancer, his end was near and that being so ,he would indulge fully in every thing that gave him pleasure for we live only once. With the last words he again reached for the packet of cigarettes , took out one with trembling fingers and defiantly lighted it. Neela looked on helplessly, not knowing how to stop him from rushing heedlessly towards his impending death.

      Ashok was middle-aged. Once he had an athletic body. He was tall, strong and sinewy but for the last six months he had lost his appetite. He had no interest in food and found that any little exertion brought about breathlessness and tiredness. He was reluctant to go to the doctor because he had a feeling that the latter would definitely diagnose a life-threatening illness. He had not been well at all recently and spent most of his time in bed, having lost his usual stamina. His boyish radiant appearance had lost its lustre and looked disgruntled and dissatisfied He flared up at the smallest provocation and had become sensitive and quarrelsome. He had also become irrational , so no amount of convincing could influence him. His cigarette smoking addiction was the root cause of his ill health. He would recall how in the beginning he was averse to smoking .He was then only in Class eight or nine. They had all gone out for a picnic. His classmates had each lighted a cigarette and expected him to do so likewise. When he refused,they made fun of him and because of peer pressure gradually he became a chain smoker.

        Now to understand the problem which had arisen, we must know something about Neela too. She was petite, soft -spoken and a peace-loving personality. No one could even guess that behind that gentle exterior was a resolute, iron will. There was no forbidding challenge which she would not take on and with her determination and tenacity could not surmount. If she knew a certain job had to be done, she would not rest till it was accomplished. She had to succeed, no matter what. So with the target in view, and a determination to get Ashok on his feet again , Neela set out on her mission.

         She planned out her strategy .She knew that with the use of her superior intelligence, tact and perseverance she could get round a difficult person like Ashok .A little understanding of a person's psyche was necessary to win him over that was all that was needed.

       She went first to the family physician who had been attending to Ashok from his childhood. She knew her husband would have implicit trust in him. She took the doctor aside and explained to him her problem. He was more than sympathetic and promised to do his best. He informed Ashok that with the latest research in Cancer Therapy, complete recovery was sure and he gave him concrete proof from the cases known to him .There was the lady with cancer of the throat who could not eat nor talk but after treatment she was seen eating turkey at the thanksgiving party.

There was another case of a little boy who had cancer of the eye but after therapy he became perfectly fit and was then passed his Senior Cambridge. Ashok listened to the Doctor with full attention and did not interrupt him once. At the end , he told the doctor that he would think over all that he had said. Neela felt lighter as she observed that after the talk with the doctor ,  Ashok was more amenable to reason and his temper tantrums had become less.

         Next she approached Ashok's parents. They were well advanced in years. Both had crossed their eightieth year. Neela told them about Ashok's non-cooperation and his determination to go on smoking despite his bouts of coughing. She also told them how Ashok nursed the conviction that his days were numbered. The parents were duly disturbed and extremely worried. Immediately they set out to talk to their son. With tears in their eyes , they pleaded with him and told him that they could not endure to see their flesh and blood fade away in front of their eyes. If anything happened to him, they would not survive another second. They stroked his ruffled hair,held on to his hands and made him promise that he would live for their sake. Neela noticed that after that meeting Ashok did not give much trouble having his medicines .

           It was the turn of the children . Neela explained to them what would happen to their dad if he went on smoking. They were very much concerned .Realising the urgency, they instantly rushed to their father's bedside and put their dimpled arms around him. They kissed him over and over again and rubbed their cheeks against his.They told him that they needed their father. All their friends would have their dads and it would be sad if because of his smoking he did not recover and eventually died. They wanted him, they needed him and it was cruel of him to hurt them so grievously just because of the pleasure their father got from a few puffs of tobacco. Ashok held them tightly against his chest, and confessed that it would be indeed very difficult for him to say goodbye to them for ever..He smiled, patted them, and told them not to worry. Neela  noticed that there was a subtle change in his behaviour, as if a wild animal had been temporarily tamed.

           Neela with renewed hope continued her fight against what at one time seemed impossible. She sat down next to her husband and pleaded with him to get all the necessary tests done so that they could monitor the progress of the treatment. She appealed to him on the strength of his love for her, graphically portraying her grief-stricken state and how she would become a shattered widow devoid of any desire to live  if anything should happen to him She would not be able to bring up the children all by herself and the innocent lives which had hardly been able to blossom, would be ruined for ever.

Life would become a drab, desolate ,barren desert. He looked at her for a long interminable moment. Neela felt the anguish of the suspense. It had been very difficult for her to get him to do the tests for the diagnosis ,and they had been undertaken in a very perfunctory manner. Now if Ashok finally cooperated ,treatment would become so much easy. Her husband then took a deep breath, and with a surrendering sigh, said that as he was too tired --they could do whatever they wanted. Neela felt that she had got Manna from the sky.

             Then came the days of hectic activity---blood tests, x-rays, E.C.G and whole body scan. Neela waited with bated breath for the reports. Surely with the treatment for the last six months,the reports should show positive improvement. Waiting seemed never-ending. She had already fixed up the appointment with the Oncologist. As she was handed over the Reports from the Pathological Laboratory—Roy Trivedi, which was supposed to be the most reliable in Kolkata, she rushed to the doctor. There, as she waited in the Doctor's Chamber, she fidgeted about , finding it very difficult to sit still.

                   At last it was her turn. The Doctor looked at her in amazement. He asked her why she had gone to him as Ashok's medical problem did not come under his area of expertise. He advised her to take Ashok to a General Physician first as his medical problem could be treated only by him .It had nothing to do with Oncology. Neela was stunned.

               As soon as Ashok heard that he did not have Cancer, his whole attitude and behaviour changed .First he was so elated that as opposed to his usual demeanour, he hugged Neela in full view of everybody around and his face lit up with joy and relief. He felt better instantly and said he did not need the wheel chair but could manage to walk down. This was the beginning of his fast recovery. He did not stay in bed all day. He got up in the morning to dress up meticulously and concentrate on his day's work. He resumed    his business commitments and chatted with his children to keep them entertained. 

          In another six months Ashok had become his usual self. He joked and laughed and participated  in all the family commitments. Neela realised that she was the luckiest person to have such a wonderful family.