avery
(avery)
#1
Epilogue
The heart rate monitor beeped fast. Govind's pulse had crossed 130 beats a minute.
The nurse came running inside. 'What did you do?' she said.
'I am fine. Just chatting,' Govind said. He sat up a little on the bed.
'Don't make him exert himself.' The nurse wagged her finger at me. I nodded and she
left the room.
'And from that day, exactly three years, two months and one week ago, Ish has not
spoken to me again. Everytime I try speaking to him he snubs me.' Govind ended his
story.
I gave him a glass of water as his voice faltered.
'So what happened in the three years - to the shop, to Vidya, to Ali?' I asked.
He turned his gaze down and played with the heart rate monitor wire attached on his
chest. He swallowed a couple of times to keep his composure.
I did not prod further. If he wanted to tell me, he would. I checked the time, it was five
in the morning. I stepped outside the room. The early morning sunlight filled the
hospital corridors. I asked someone where to get tea from. He pointed me to the
canteen.
I came back with two cups. Govind refused as he wasn't allowed one after a stomach
wash. He didn't make eye contact.
'I need to find the Singapore Airlines phone number. I have to confirm my return
trip,' I said, to change his mood.
'Omi's parents,' Govind said, his gaze and voice both low. 'I can't tell you how ...
destroyed they were. For weeks, the temple had visitors from the neighbourhood and
the only prayers were for Omi, Dhiraj and Mama. At the funerals, Omi's father cried
as five thousand people descended from all over Ahmedabad. Omi's mother became ill
after not eating for a week. She had to be in the hospital for a month!
I debated whether to place my hand on Govind's hand lying pale on the covers.
'I didn't go to the shop for two months. I tried to contact Ish, but ... If I went to meet
him, he'd shut the door on my face.'
'Did you speak to Vidya?'
Govind shook his head. 'Speaking to Vidya was out of question. They put her under
house arrest. Her dad slammed her mobile phone to pieces. The TV channels moved
on after the Godhra news and the riots. But my life collapsed. I lived through all that.
I didn't pop pills then. Don't think I am not strong ... just because I am here today'
He paused. 'Three months after the incident, Omi's mother came home. She told me
to reopen the shop. Omi had told her it was his favourite place in the world. Mama
was gone, so the shop belonged to Omi's mother now. And she wanted to give it to us
to keep the memory of her son alive.'
'So did you agree?'
