Confrontation


He hated this uniform. Oh, how he hated it, though he was aware of the fact that he was given much more respect when he was wearing one. It just seemed ridiculous to be confined in the compact “sack” on such a humid day. Well, at least the fan was still rotating, albeit rather slowly and creaking once in awhile, unlike the day before when it was dead altogether. He settled back comfortably in the wooden chair, stretching his legs and his gaze swept across the room and his four comrades. Then, he started thinking about her with a dreamy smile.

She was exhausted, every ounce of energy drained out from her. A twelve hour surgery would have been more worthwhile than this pointless seminar. The state’s top medical experts had gathered at the government hospital to promote further research on DMARDs- Disease Modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. She wasn’t sure why it was mandatory for her to attend this talk. She feigned interest in the subject while her mind raced back to him, to the day she had first met him at the busy market place.

The creaking stopped. You’ve got to be kidding me! He cursed under his breath, and so did the other four guys who were lying down on the floor in a resigned manner. It was quite amusing to see them in a cop’s uniform, with the shirt neatly tucked in. Organized was the word. Yes, they looked organized, he thought smiling at himself, although they were about to create some disorder. It was even more amusing that he was reminded of her a couple of moments ago. For years, they had exchanged words, never once sharing the same views, and then one fine day, he had given up and left her all alone to take care of herself. His thoughts were cut down by the siren outside. The other guys looked up at him with raised eyebrows, questioning him in silence. It was time. Then, his phone rang.

She let out a deep sigh when she heard the siren. Finally! It was lunch time and there was an announcement that the talk would resume after an hour. She was least bothered about the talk. She had no appetite for food and just settled for a cup of coffee instead. As she sat down sipping her coffee, she continued with her day-dreaming, chuckling softly on remembering his futile attempts at starting his bike without turning on the ignition.

“Okay, I’m on my way. Yes, I’ll get them too.” He hung up the phone, staring at it in mild surprise, but excited all the same. He was still under training and was not supposed to enter the field for another ten months at least. But, there was some chaos at the market place and the higher authorities had informed him that it was an emergency and wanted someone to have a look at it and report back to them ASAP. Some action at least, he thought to himself, and then called the others to join him as he stepped outside. On a normal day with average traffic, he would have reached the market in fifteen minutes. This time he reached there in eight, mentally preparing himself for his first field work. But, what he saw was not even close to his expectations. He was shocked beyond belief at the gruesome sight before him.

She took her last sip of coffee, unhappy with the new thoughts entering her mind. One moment she was happily fantasizing about her beloved one and now…This was not the first time she was reminded of the day she had been left alone on the streets. A teenager with high aspirations, but no one to support her.  It was not entirely surprising. She knew they would take separate routes sooner or later. But, that was a long time ago. She was a successful surgeon now, right where she wanted to be. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the depressing memory. It was only then that she noticed the sudden change in the environment around her. It had been less than twenty minutes since the break, but all the doctors were rushing towards the exit door of the cafeteria. Had she missed something? She checked her pager and then got up, startled.

He was stunned. He stopped firing for a couple of seconds. This was not what he had expected. This was not part of the plan. They had not yet reached the centre of the market place, but he had already lost three of his men. His only other ally was fifty yards to his left, busy doing his job. He could hear more police and ambulance sirens as he moved towards the zone with the maximum crowd. A minimum of thirty civilians had died until now in the encounter.  He saw one more guy, dressed in the same costume as him, approaching him in long, swift steps from his right. There was not enough time. He glanced to his right again. He seemed to have a similar physique, almost as if he was his twin brother. He laughed at this weird thought. They were two different people, with different visions and on different paths of life. Until death would decide for them to unite. He had reached the target place. His hand went for the grenade stuck to his belt.

She was scrubbing her hands furiously. It was past two o clock in the night. She had operated on an old man, two kids and two cops. Or so she thought. Most of them were battered and bruised, their faces unrecognizable. Some had lost a limb or two.  The two "cops" and the old man had bled to death, two hours after the surgery. She was infuriated at the lack of justice in the world. The terrorist attack at the central market place in the state capital had taken the lives of more than forty innocent people and six cops. Around sixty civilians were badly injured. Apparently, a major bomb blast had been prevented; saving the lives of a hundred more, but it did nothing to console her. She was too tired to think more about it. That night, she slept in the hospital itself, her second home.

The next morning, she woke up early and went to the cafeteria. She picked up The Times newspaper from the news-stand and ordered for a cup of coffee. The next moment, she had collapsed to the floor, crushing the newspaper in her hands and crying in silent agony.

It was not until then, that she realized she had operated both on her beloved one and her long-lost brother. 





14 comments:

  1. Great maga!!!
    Until death would decide for them to unite.
    This rings a bell....super sentence. Is it in HP?

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Nice style of writing, alternate paragraphs for 2 people.
    But I realized the style only after reading the whole thing, and got a bit confused at the middle of the read.
    What if you had started with two 1 lines paras just to let the reader understand what you are going to do: maybe like this;
    He hated his uniform.
    She hated the exhaustion.

    He...
    She..

    Maybe its just me, dunno, others might be sharp enough to grasp the style :)

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  4. Praz - There are 3 people in the story :) [Do notice the italics]

    But, thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it. :)

    Also, my intention was to make people read it twice!
    "Until death would decide for them to unite." I don't know if it is in HP. I just went with the flow.

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  5. This has got to be the best compliment I can get from you! :D

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  6. Interesting read. If only you had dragged the suspense a little more, your blog would have had more hits :D :P

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  7. Now. You have no way out.

    Interesting read. If only you had dragged the suspense a little more, your blog would have had more hits :D :P

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  8. If i had dragged it a little more, my new name would be Retard and I would lose 8 followers.

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  9. I doubt that's possible (I am talking of the name :P)

    If you had dragged it anymore what you were trying to achieve would be a big - FAEL. So, what I am saying in a barely concealed manner is - this is pretty good (Underline these words in your head). You aren't ranting :D.

    Maybe you should have used 'bold' to separate all three.

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  10. Nim, the answer to the question, why I didn't use 'bold', lies in your own comment. One of my friends (we call him Bosi) asked me after reading this,"Why did you even italicize?", reminding me of my earlier dilemma before posting. (Should I just leave it like that?) But, that would have been 'asking for too much' from the reader.

    And, your words have been underlined and capitalized in my head. :D

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