Diya Rai – Game of Serendipity 2
“Th..the news says that a 29 year old unidentified man has been found unconscious on a roadside platform in Koramangala. His wallet doesn’t contain any ID card it seems. They have admitted him in Sanjeevi Hospital. Trust me, Ronnie, this is Brian. I can identify him very well. I need to go. Will you accompany me?”
“Sure. Come let’s go.”
Ronnie and Diya hopped into the former’s Swift. As they raced on the main road, Diya began tapping her fingers impatiently on her purse. She never expected things to take such a dramatic turn. Not even in the weirdest of her dreams she would have thought to meet Brian in a hospital. Once again, it was serendipity. Though she was working with a newspaper, she wasn’t a regular reader of the newspaper. It was by sheer luck that her eyes had noticed the piece of news. ‘If God doesn’t want us to meet, then why should he do like this?’ She thought, while chewing her lip. They reached Sanjeevi Hospital within ten minutes. Diya marched towards the receptionist and inquired about the unidentified man. She was aptly directed to a ward on the first floor. Two police officers were seated outside. Both were equally burly with pot bellies, long mustaches and thick framed spectacles adorning their eyes. She approached them and introduced herself.
“So, how can you help us?” asked the burlier of the two.
“I know the patient inside. His name is Brian. I have only met him twice. So I don’t know much about his occupation or his place of stay. Pardon me for that. But I just know his name. Hope this is helpful for you.”
“Ahaa! Pretty good that we got a lead. We were perplexed as to how to convey the news about him to his family members, suppose he dies. Now that you know his name, can you register yourself as a family member in the patient ledger?”
“What the hell! How can she do that, sir? She merely knows him. Since you couldn’t even find out his name, she thought to help you. That’s it. We cannot proceed with this further. He is still a stranger to her. He must surely have family members. Let them come to know about him after seeing the news.” It was Ronnie who spoke that. The police officers were taken aback at his outburst.
“Ronnie! Behave yourself. What if he doesn’t have a family? We must somehow help him.” Diya chided him.
“Diya, you’re dragging yourself into unwanted issues. Who is he to you?”
“Chup kar, Ronnie. I know what to do. Sir, may I know what has happened to him?” She asked to the police officer.
“Just a case of severe dehydration. We asked the doctors to look into the possibility of drugs. But there wasn’t even a mild trace of alcohol or drugs in his body. Seems to be sober.”
Diya smiled meekly and excused herself to go inside. Ronnie followed her. Brian was peacefully sleeping on the patient bed. Glucose drips were being administered to him through his left hand. Diya moved closer to him and looked at his face. His skin had turned pale and his unshaven beard had covered most of his cheeks. For a moment, she felt a tinge of shiver down her spine. ‘He looked hale and hearty day before yesterday. What happened to him all of a sudden? Why did he get dehydrated? Doesn’t he have anyone to take care of him? What about his family?’ Umpteen questions were swarming through her mind.
Ronnie spoke up, “Can we leave, Diya? You’ve identified him. That’s enough. You needn’t sign yourself as a family member….”
“Shhh! I said I know what to do. What makes you restless, Ronnie?”
“Nothing, Diya. I am afraid that he might be a bad guy and misuse your identification. What if someone had planned to murder him? Then you come and identify him. You could even get embroiled in an underworld gangster case. Someone might kidnap and murder you. God knows what else might happen!”
“I am seriously asking, are you really a doctor? That too a cardiologist? You don’t seem to fit in that profession. Calling yourself as a doctor, but speaking like a psychopath.” Diya fumed at him. He shut up after that.
A few minutes later, a kind-looking nurse walked towards them and held out a ledger.
“Ma’am, can you please write the patient’s name, indicate your relationship with him and sign below?”
“Sure.” Smilingly, Diya received the book from her and entered the required details. She entered herself as a ‘cousin’ of Brian. As she finished signing off, she heard someone sob and enter the ward. It was a girl. From her looks, Diya deduced that she might be in her early 20s. Her skin was milky white and had turned pink from crying. She had straightened hair, narrow eyes lined with thick kohl and baby pink lips. She didn’t have a perfect zero figure, but her heftiness looked apt for her age. Wearing a magenta coloured long skirt and white body-hugging t-shirt with a frilled dark green over coat, she looked elegant by all means. As soon as she entered the ward, she wailed, “Brian! Oh my God! What happened to him?” She hastily scurried towards him and held his right hand. “Brian, wake up! I have come.”
Diya wondered who the strange girl was. She was also amused by the fact she hadn’t come earlier to identify him.
“Diya, someone has come to take care of him. Can we leave now at least?” Ronnie asked her with a puppy face.
“Aaarrgghh! Don’t irritate me, Ronnie. If you’re in such a hurry, you can leave. I am capable of returning home.”
Ronnie was once again rendered silent. The mysterious girl looked at them with enigmatic eyes. She slowly moved towards them and asked, “Who are you both?”
“We had come to identify Brian. Though I’ve met him only twice, I know him by his looks. I signed in the ledger as a cousin of him.” Diya spoke confidently, not even a bit budged by that girl’s questioning expression.
“Oh! Thank you soooo much. You’ve done a good thing. Thanks a lot.” The girl knelt down beside Diya and took her hand in hers.
“Hey, that’s okay. I was just being human.” Diya tried to wriggle her hand out. She felt uncomfortable by that unusual gesture. She wasn’t used to stranger’s touches, though it might be a girl.
“Anyway, thank you.” The girl smiled widely. The next moment, realization hit Diya. If she introduces herself, then Brian would get to know that she’d identified him. Though he might ask that from the nurse, she didn’t want to be present when he wakes up. Then her game of serendipity would be shattered. Hence, before the girl could ask her name, she abruptly stood up and said, “Ummm..we need to leave. I am sorry. My friend here has got some work to do.”
“Oh! Is it? Okay, I’ll take care of Brian. Thank you.” The girl’s voice was exceedingly sweet.
With one last smile, Diya left the ward. Once they were in the car, Ronnie asked, “Why didn’t you wait till he woke up?”
“Serendipity.” That was the only word which she spoke.
*****
“You didn’t ask her name? Have you forgotten basic manners of courtesy, Monali?” asked Brian, clearly irritated with Monali’s behavior. He had woken up with a mild headache. Hence, Monali had treated him to a glass of Horlicks.
“I am sorry, Brian. I was shell-shocked to know that you were admitted in a hospital. In all that fuss, I forgot to ask her name, but I spoke with her. She seemed to be nice. Also, I’ve already seen her somewhere. I think she is a popular face. She was almond brown in colour, had deep-set black eyes and wavy hair. Also, she had dimples on her cheeks.” Monali spoke innocently.
“I think I can make out someone from your descriptions, but I don’t know surely. We can find out from the patient ledger. Call the nurse who attended to me.”
Monali stood up and walked out to fetch the nurse. Meanwhile, Brian thought, ‘Who would have probably identified me? No one knows me in this area. I don’t have any friends too. Only Monali knows me and she was also away. Who could it be?’
“Sir, here is the ledger.” The nurse snapped him out from his thoughts.
“Err..thank you.” He replied and looked at the page where an entry was made for him.
Diya Rai!
His heart skipped a beat.
“Do you know her, Brian? She said she has met you twice.” Monali said.
“Yeah, we have met, but we weren’t even proper acquaintances. She is a popular columnist in The Times of India. Also, she writes for ScoopWhoop. I met her in The Hindu Literary Fest and in the supermarket day before yesterday, but that was it. She has no need to come here and identify me.”
“Wow! Is she Diya Rai? God! I didn’t recognize her. I love all her columns in TOI.”
“Who doesn’t?”
Saying so, Brian’s mind drifted away. ‘I think it’s time for me to stop this hide-and-seek and really seek her out in Facebook.’
**********
