"Theft"

The environment around the hospital was quite oppressive. It caused restlessness to the torturing agony in the heart. Sitting on a bench in the waiting room he looked depressed to see the deadly scene inside the operation theatre. On the edge of a small wall his wife had been lying as if she was a non-living thing. He had been outside pondering over how he could reduce the pain and save his wife. 
Once upon a time! People used to feel surprise looking at the couple of Shankar and Parvati. The knot of their love was so strong. They were the example of an apt match. Some people even felt envious of their happy conjugal life. Without any difficulty, they got the pleasure of an incomparable happy life for quite a long time.
As a matter of destiny, unexpectedly, a tiny drop of poison brought turmoil to the happy life of this family. A slight poison being felt in the breast of Parvati in creased and consequently caused an unbearable pain.
The face, which was as bright as the moon suddenly, turned pale. Shanker had the same sad image at his appearance. He consulted the doctors from the district headquarter. After he had been to different witch doctors, herbalists and compounds from the neighborhood. He happened to visit clines that resembled the gambling houses in the spring fair, opened for public welfare. In the course of the treatment, he did everything and went everywhere. Thus, he spent the money he had earned by working day and night in his youth, paying for the long bills of the medicine. He tried his best to save Parvati but the disease was not diagnosed for long time.
Like a desperate traveler who finds the way amid the dusk with very difficulty, Shankar was able to identify the disease of Parvari. She was suffering from a particular sort of cancer. 
Parvati was taken to a hospital where the renowned doctors from the city used to serve. This was the place where the preparation for the operation was taking place. With a great effort, Parvati was taken into the operation theatre. Outside the hospital, Shanker was killing the time amidst the beating agony and palpitation of the heart.
The doctors looked nervous. At once, they held a meeting. They knew that the operation was not going to have any improvement. One of the doctors had got a solution but it wasn’t an easy way. At last they decided to apply the latest means.
The operation was postponed. All of the doctors got out of the ward. Shankar, who had been waiting outside, suddenly stood up and glanced at the doctors in a questioning manner.
His face was a sight of suppressed agitation.
“We have got a new message for you” the doctor said to Shankar in an assuring tone.
“What is that doctor? Please tell me”. He asked hurriedly.
“There is nothing to worry about. The matter is that we have decided to postpone the operation” The doctor spoke in a convincing tone.
“ Why is so doctor? Why did you make such a decision?”
“Look, Mr. Shankar” tapping on his shoulder the doctor said.” We’ve chosen a secure means. Anyway, this is an operation and completely a risky thing. “Listening to him, Shankar got stunned. He was more frightened. 
“There’s no way left then?” he asked fearfully.
“We’ve got only one solution” reveal the secrecy the doctor said.
“Please, tell me at once doctor.” He was restless from the beginning.
“A doctor from our city has recently discovered a medicine for such a cancer. We have seen the possibility in that in relieving the pain of your patient.” Immediately after that he asked for the address of the innovator. Having reached the referred place, Shankar had a glance at a modern mansion surrounded by a compound. After crossing the mainroad, he reached the compound. 
There was a reception at the front of the lawn. In the lawn to the east and south, three was a counter facing the north where a young active boy was standing. At the backside, there was a steel wardrobe made in pigeonhole design, meant to keep the records of the patients. Right to the north of this L shaped counter, there was a nameplate written “Dr. S.K. Sharma”, hung above the door to the northeast corner.
Shankar got the opportunity to meet the doctor SK Sharma, after he had waited for a short tome. He recited all his problems openly to him.
“I would provide you the medicine it’s rather expensive”. The doctor said rather snobbishly.
“Please doctor help me. I’ll be indebted to you” Shankar implored.
“It’s the matter of selling medicine with money. What’s there about being indebted?” The doctor looked as if devoid of sensitivity.
“I’m ready to pay that, tell me how much does it cost?” Shankar spoke firmly.
“Ten thousand for one dose!” The doctor revealed. He again said, “There are complete ten doses. No more or less than that.”
“Ten thousand for one dose!” Shankar expressed surprise. Suddenly his face turned pale. 
“Please, don’t say so doctor” he requested in a sad tone. “My wife has been restless with pain, Please save her.”
“May be! May be!” he shook his head, looked at Shankar pompously and said, ”This is my life-long income. I’ve spent many years in laboratory in the process of its research.
Listen, I’m not denying you the medicine. But I want the cost worthwhile, do you understand?” The doctor said looking at Shankar. There was a shadow of gloom in Shankar’s face. He looked down the floor. He shed some drops of tears. He wiped his face with a handkerchief taking out from his pocket.
Shankar started pondering lonely for a long time. He recalled all his friends and relatives. He wrote their names in a slip of paper, rechecked and rewrote it on a priority base.
On the priority list at first he had the names of his friends so he called on them.
“Sorry, Shankar, I realized your difficulty but what can I do, my friend? I have no solution” This was the response of his first friend. Hence, something undesirable happened at the outset. Turn by turn, he approached all his friends and relatives but ultimately obtained nothing. The poor once sympathized him. These who seemed well to so looked indifferent. They remained reserved. They even didn’t seem pleased to talk.
At his wit’s end, Shankar returned his home. He thought of much alternative solution but they weren’t helpful. The next day, he collected all his food staff, pots and jwelleries. He went to the market to sell them. Then he hurried towards SK Sharma’s laboratory. It was evening when he reached there. There was nobody at the counter. There was enough light coming from the laboratory in a horrid mood. Shankar pressed on the bell switch on the frame of the door.
“Yes, please come in.” There was a voice from inside. Opening the door slightly, Shankar entered the room. He could see the doctor busy in his tasks.
“Doctor, please help me I’ve taken this much now, believe me I’ll surely pay the full amount of the medicine. Please save the life of my poor wife Parvati.”
Taking the pad of thousand rupees on his palm, he was trying his best to convince the doctor. The doctor grabbed this slowly from his hands and started counting.
One, two, three…
“Only twenty thousand?” After counting the money, he clutched the pad of money, he clutched the pad of money at both sides and hit on his left arm. Then he spoke hoarsely.
“Are you getting only two doses?”
“Please, doctor don’t say so. I’ll pay you at any cost. I don’t leave you unpaid.” Shankar almost wept.
“I can’t show you my love for nothing” Pointing at the rack of medicine the doctor spoke rigidly”.
“Listen, man. I don’t have a short of customers. This medicine is my own invention. Till now, this is preserved with me only. I have to work for full two days to prepare this medicine. I have spent almost two thousand for this.” The doctor put forward his length argument. 
“ Ten thousand for the medicine worth of two thousand?” 
Perplexed, Shankar looked at the face of the doctor. He drew his eyebrows and enlarged his eyes in astonishment. 
The doctor spoke with a slight grin at his face. 
“Don’t I need any profit? Shall I sell in as much as I invest?” Looking at Shankar vaguely he spoke rather gently.
“Please, doctor don’t say so. I would be grateful to you for my whole life. Please help me. Save the life of a poor woman lying on her deathbed…Shankar went on imploring. 
The doctor gazed at Shander rather awkwardly and said, “Look boy, your lecture is not going to do anything. The patient needs medicine” Staring at him with a pursed mouth, he said, “Do you want to have a look at the medicine?”
Then after, without waiting for the answer, he opened a small cupboard at the west lawn, took at small bottles of medicine and holding them tightly between the thumb and the middle finger, he spoke. “ This bottle is so small but it contains life. Full five dose.” Putting the medicine on his palm, the doctor glared at Shankar fiercely and said in a suppressed tone. “ Do you understand? We need money, coins, and cash. 
Shankar thought as if the doctor wasn’t present there but a heartless auto-man, often being shown in television programs. He thought he would spit at him, squeeze his neck. But Shankar controlled himself from doing so, rather he looked sharply at the doctor. The doctor was staring at him. They flared at each other for a while without any utterance. All of a sudden, the doctor felt a kind of fear running through his heart.
Giving back the pad of money, the doctor spoke in an embarrassed manner, “Get out!”
Shankar held the money and put it into his pocket. Then he returned back to his home. 
Even after the late midnight, the doctor didn’t have a sound sleep. He had been preparing to write a book on “The role of the doctor in public welfare” for the last few days.
He got up from his bed and went to the study room thinking to write a few pages. He would go to sleep after writing.
It was the same at the other side. Shankar could not sleep for a long time. On the bed at the front, there was Parvati struggling restless. Shankar, the helpless husband, had been looking at her pale face.
Through a window, he caught a glance outside. The world was snoring at ease in utter darkness. A torrent of multitude ideas sprang up in his mind. Eventually, he woke up abruptly, switched off the light and went outside. The street was extremely quiet.
For he went to bed very lately, Dr. SK Sharma naturally slept longer than usual. He woke up since a while the sun arose. After accomplishing his morning toilets, he had his breakfast. Then he went straight to the laboratory. The padlock on the door of the lab was hanging as earlier, but the door was open. He thought he might have forgotten to close the door.
When he entered the room, he saw that the small wardrobe at the west lawn was not locked. Hurriedly, he opened the door checked it. The small bottles of medicine, the direct outcome of his long research and discovery, weren’t there anymore. 
May, 1998 

Translated by Vishwo Subedi