Memorabilla

I still remember, as fresh as yesterday, the way I stumbled into that waiting room, after months of 

being cooped up in a hospital bed....

Let's wind up the memory machine a little to get a gist of what I am talking about here !!!

To put it shortly, I suffered a Third Degree burn after a cauldron of Boiling hot water fell upon me accidently. I still remember my father watching me with widened eyes as he saw me shudder when the water melted my skin ! 

After a bout of Emotional scenes, Tears and Yelling..

 [ You know how Indian  Parents are so organized in a crisis...You would be surprised ! ]

I was laid on the bed with a peeled-off skin, where the water ran through, and we were waiting for the Ambulance to arrive. I faintly remember the tears that dripped from my Mother's eyes, seeing my helpless state, and the utterly confused look on my sister's eyes as she looked back-and-forth, trying to get a hang of the commotion.

The Ambulance siren was heard soon enough, and I was taken in a stretcher and then to the General Hospital, with my poor Dad, and my agonizing pain to keep me company.

Being a Muslim in a Post- 9/11 USA didn't make matters easier for me, but it certainly was pale in  comparison to the Hellish events out there...!

I admit that Dad also had a hard time outside the Hospital Room, where, in addition to watching me go through all that  pain, he was questioned by the police, whether this accident was on purpose, as was the custom to ensure Child Protection. [ A very rare event in the Asian Countries, mind you ! ].

Getting handed a bill worth thousands of dollars, didn't exactly make things easier for my Middle Class Indian Father, But he still sucked it up and watched me through the glass window, As I was getting patched up with plaster.

I was in bed for what felt like an eternity [ The animations on  TV were my only Solace ! ].

My Father sat beside me after his work hours, his sleep-deprived eyes weren't a boost for my morale, but it was good to have someone for company...

Now, where were we ?  [ I lost track of time as I swept back into the Memory Lane..!].

Aah.. Yes, Let's get back to the incident I abruptly started....

I was told by the Nurse to try and start walking, to lend some strength to my stiff legs , a brisk moment of freedom that gave me enough strength to lift myself from the Bed, and as my sole touched the glazed marble floor, a tingling sensation coursed through my nerves, a feeling I longed for weeks.

Being a small General Hospital, there weren't much expectations of a playground or even a small ball-room, so I helped myself to a Doll-set House in the waiting room.

 [ Had  Male toxicity existed for 7 year-olds at that time, I would be killing it back then ! ]

I did have an Intimate moment with a Caucasian kid for some time [ It's been forever since I had seen a kid of my own age, so any feeble interaction was intimate for me by then ! ] and time whisked away in seconds, as I was asked to return to my room, where I was bed-ridden for some more weeks..

 - By Fulan Qadsi