Ray Ban Baba-2

“Excuse me, do you realize this boy has been fooling you?”

“ohh..umm”I stammered, “he charges me for delivering the medicines, if that’s what you are talking about”

“He is much smarter than that, He has billed you more than the MRP price for your medicines, on all your medicines”

“How much extra has he charged me?” I asked, not knowing what I should be doing about it

“At least 100 rupees. If you have a lot of money to give away, then, do what you want”

“100 rupees!”I tried to act cheated  “ What did you get by cheating me? You know that is why India will never progress, everyone here is a cheat, except for this lady here” The boy let loose a giggle and there was thin smile on the girls face

“It’s ok, If you don’t care then you don’t have to act” She said turning her back towards me

“I wasn’t acting,” I said trying to get up, only to be reminded that I was tied up by a saline.

“let me decide that” she said and sat near her grandpa, trying to keep herself busy with a book.

I called the boy, he walked towards me sheepishly.

“Who asked you to laugh?”

“Kya sir, you don’t know how to get angry also”

“Accha, and what about overcharging me?, had you not gone to her, I wouldn’t have known”

“What do I do sir!, the cashier at the pharmacy does these things, I don’t know about it at all”

“Ok, do me a favor, call the pharmacist here, and let me talk to him”

The boy went and called the pharmacist. The pharmacist apologized and also sent my one hundred and thirty five rupees back.

“Here you go” I handed them over to the boy

“Why me sir?”

“Had you not done the mistake of showing that lady” I pointed towards the girl “  I wouldn’t have got them back, so keep it , but make good use of it”

“Ha,sir, I will give them to my mother now only, thank you sir”

I smiled to him, and he left the hospital with a spring in his step. This was the first time, I smiled in this hospital, and like always, one smiles only when we see someone else smile or make them smile.

The specialty of the hospital was its food. The look, the feel and the taste of the food makes you realize that you are sick, maybe it’s a part of the hospital strategy to make sure that their patients stay an additional day. My food was curd with rice, and both the curd and rice was cold. It seems that the cook forgot to add a little of salt to the food. I put the plate aside and went back to staring at the roof.

The fragrance of hot Dal and rice distracted me. The pharmacy boy was holding a plate of rice and dal.

“Is this for me?” I asked

“Yes,” he said with a mischievous smile

“And who gave it”

He winked , put the plate on the small table near my bed and left. He returned swiftly and said

“She said to tell you that her name is Rashi” and left again.

I was smiling from ear to ear. Now I did not want to leave the hospital. Rashi was sitting with her back towards me, but I knew that even she would have a smile on her face. I ate the food and to be honest I don’t remember how it tasted, when you feel good about something, everything around you is good.

To read the first part click here