part-6 Hospital
I was so happy. I always think about Ramya. I wanted to see her world, without the school uniform. How would she look? What color is the wall in Ramya’s room? How does she carry herself in that room? Which college is Ramya going to join? Why not join the same college she’s joining? While going to Ramya’s house, could she smile at me? I had all these thoughts as I rode my cycle home. I parked my cycle, rushed to get inside the house, and started thinking about which shirt I should wear now.
I opened the door and went inside, only to find my father drunk. I saw him and realized he was drinking recklessly, but he seemed to be in a dazed state. When I looked at him from a distance, I couldn’t understand much, but something didn’t feel right, so I hesitantly approached him. I saw that he was holding a bottle of alcohol and appeared to be unconscious. Despite everything, even though my father had beaten me when I was young, I still had a strong affection for him. He never listened to anyone, and I wondered what he thought about all of this. Sometimes, the things he did ended badly, but over time, he became more deeply immersed in drinking. He couldn’t control it and kept drinking. When I was in 6th grade, my father seemed a bit more controlled, but after that, slowly, little by little, he drowned in alcohol.
I wanted to have good conversations with my father, to go on bike rides with him, but I didn’t even know when I last spoke to him. Even though I saw my father holding the bottle of alcohol, I quickly tried to lift him up. He took his phone and tried to call my mother, but the call didn’t go through. Then, he called for an ambulance. The ambulance arrived shortly after. I was still in my school uniform when the ambulance came. He called my mother again, and this time, she picked up. I told her, “Mom, dad is vomiting blood. I’m taking him to the hospital in the ambulance. Please come.” While I was talking to my mom, the ambulance passed by Ramya’s house. I could see Ramya talking to her father outside, and when she heard the sound of the ambulance, she looked out. I felt like shouting, “Vinoth is here!” but I held back. Then, I saw them both looking happy, but as I kept moving away, the distance between us grew. The ambulance turned and went up a road. There was a bump, and the vehicle went up a small hill and down. It felt like my father’s body fell from that structure. I quickly reached for my father’s body, but there was no movement in him. His eyes were closed. I didn’t know what to do; I was just overcome with tears. I didn’t know why I was feeling like this.
The ambulance reached the hospital, and everyone moved quickly. They took my father off the ambulance and onto a different stretcher. A nurse, about 35 years old, held my father’s hand to check his pulse. For a moment, there was complete silence, and the only question on everyone’s face was whether he was alive or not. That moment is something I will never forget. I can still remember everything that happened in that one instant. People were waiting in the hospital lobby, some talking on the phone, and the ambulance driver was there too. Everyone was looking at the nurse, who was focused on my father. The nurse gently placed my father’s hand down and shouted, “Why is everyone waiting? Move him to the ICU, now!” At that moment, there was a brief confusion. I followed behind as they took my father to the ICU and closed the door. Someone grabbed my hand, and when I turned, it was the nurse. She guided me toward the reception area, and as I looked back, I saw the closed ICU door. The nurse followed behind, leaving me to process everything that had just happened.