Narayana is worried.
To overcome it he has increased his dose of liquor intake for the past
three days. But that has increased his
problems and made him more gloomy and irritable. The word sugar and sweet is making him feel
jittery. Three days ago in the night he
had argument with Bhagyamma, his wife.
Since then his like for sweets has disappeared and now the word sweet
itself is raising his blood pressure.
Narayana and Bhagyamma are happily married couple. They have two grown up children, a daughter and
a son. Daughter is married and son is in
college. The couple works as
construction workers, Narayana picking up some contracts of house constructions
and Bhagyamma also working in the projects of Narayana. They have a team of workers under them. As in construction works male and female
labourers work, Bhagyamma supervises women workers and Narayana deals with
entire deal of forming a contract and executing it with his team. Narayana is a high school drop out and
Bhagyamma just literate. Since their
marriage twenty five years ago in their teens both lived happily with their
earnings and also constructed own house, a portion of which is rented. They did have their set of problems and
differences, but patience of Bhagyamma made their home a sweet home.
*****************
For the past two years, after the marriage of their daughter
Narayana had taken up to regular alcohol intake. Previously drinking alcohol was
occasional. After daughters marriage on
the pretext of hosting parties to daughter’s in-laws frequently he got
habituated to liquor. Now he is almost
addicted to it. Bhagyamma’s request to
stop the habit has fallen on deaf ears.
He tried to convince her that small quantity of alcohol is good for health
and he knows his limits. Often he
forgets his limits and there will be strong wordy duels in the nights. Three days ago there was strong protest from
Bhagyamma and she gave her ultimatum to him.
That night he could not sleep. In the morning when he woke up and remembered
the night’s incident, he became restless.
He did not even drink tea in the morning and went to his work. Bhagyamma was cool and carried her regular
work. He was silent that day. Next day morning when Bhagyamma wanted to
make tea she could not find sugar tin.
She went on searching for the tin in the kitchen shelves, and asked her
son if ever he had kept it somewhere.
Her son replied in negative.
Narayana, still lying in the bed heard this. He slowly got up from the bed and opened a
trunk in his bed room and took out the sugar tin and handed over to
Bhagyamma. After she added sugar to tea
decoction he again took away the tin from her hands and safely put it back in
the trunk and locked and the key was in his key chain that has his two wheeler
key and is always in his pant pocket.
“Heyy! What is
this? If you lock the sugar in the trunk
how Raju will make tea in the evenings?” Bhagyamma questioned.
“I’ll give money to Raju.
He can drink tea outside. I want
to be careful” retorted Narayana.
“This is really funny.
Keep the tin out side” Bhagyamma shouted.
“Now don’t tell me anything.
I know how to control you. After
this sugar gets over, I will never buy any sugar”, Narayana said firmly.
“What nonsense. Can
there be any house without salt and sugar” quizzed Bhagyamma.
“When there is need we shall just buy in small quantities of
50-100gms. That’s all”, then he turned
towards his son who was picking his tea cup and said, “sonny, from now onwards
we all shall stop drinking tea. So we
need not have sugar in the house”.
“Nanna, this is simply meaningless. If some friends or relatives come to our
house, we should have to at least give them tea. How can we run for sugar in front of them”?
“OK. Then I shall
keep only five spoons of sugar in the kitchen everyday”, Narayana said as a
compromise.
“Sonny, you go. I’ll
deal with your father”, Bhagyamma said to her son and turned to her husband,
“look, if you are locking it inside I’ll buy another tin and a kilogram of sugar
and keep it in a secret place out of your reach. After all, kitchen is my domain”
Bhagyamma warned seriously.
“You, stubborn lady!
Why, why do you want to trouble me?”
“I am not troubling you.
Just stop that bloody habit of drinking everyday”
“You never allow me to live in peace”, Narayana walked out
from kitchen.
Bhagyamma continued her chores in the kitchen.
******************
The next day in the afternoon from their construction place
Narayana took Bhagyamma to diagnostic laboratory and got her blood and urine
examination done. That day was her
scheduled visit to the doctor with blood reports. Bhagyamma was diagnosed to have diabetes
mellitus a year ago. Since then she is
regularly using medicines and visits the doctor at regular intervals of two to
three months. If Bhagyamma forgets,
Narayana reminds her and gets investigations done and visits the doctor. Whenever they visit the doctor, it is
Narayana who always does the talking and questioning the doctor about medicines. He also takes care to remind her to take
medicines regularly. When the reports of
blood sugar are given he compares them with previous reports and if there is any
elevation of sugar level by 4-5 milligrams, he will pester the doctor for
reasons for elevation in spite of regular treatment. Bhagyamma simply sits by his side and listens
to what doctor says. If she has any
complaints she tells them in a word or two and her husband will elaborate and questions
the doctor for such complaints and their relation to her diabetes and the
precautions to be taken.
That evening after returning from work, both bathed and wore
clean pressed clothes, and together went to clinic. On the way he collected the reports. They went to their doctor, Dr. Rajkumar. They entered the doctor’s chamber on their
turn.
Dr. Rajkumar looked at them and smiled, “Oh, Narayana! How are you Bhagyamma?”
Narayana sat on a chair in front of the doctor and Bhagyamma
sat on the stool beside the right of doctor.
Dr. Rajkumar remembers the couple very well as they are his regular
clients for the past two years. He
particularly remembers Narayana as a dominating husband who always does the
entire talking for his problems or his wife’s.
He will have many doubts and makes him repeat everything twice about
medicines and their usage. Bhagyamma talks very little rather her husband
interjects when she wants to say something.
Since Bhagyamma is diagnosed to have diabetes, it is Narayana who even
before handing over of the reports would tell the blood sugar level in the
report and comment on it. But today in
contrast to that he simply handed the cover with reports to the doctor and put
the pack of previous prescriptions of Bhagyamma in front of doctor.
Dr. Rajkumar, as he was taking out the reports from the
cover was bit surprised with the behaviour of Narayana sitting quietly with a
gloomy face. “May be the sugar levels
have come high”, he thought to himself.
But when he saw the reports they were completely normal.
“OK, Bhagyamma. Your
reports are normal. Good. Let me check
your BP”, doctor proceeded with his regular physical examination and BP.
“OK Bhagyamma. You
are doing well. You can continue with the same medicines”, and proceeded with
writing the prescription. As he was
writing the prescription Narayana said in low tone, “Saar ”
“What Narayana?” doctor felt
relieved as Narayana started speaking
“Saar , she is threatening me that she
will eat sugar and commit suicide”, sadness in his tone was obvious.
“What?” doctor looked into his face.
“Yes saar, she is threatening me that she will eat sugar and
commit suicide. I am hiding the sugar
tin. I am really scared”, Narayana said in low tone, fear has drained his energy.
Doctor burst out into laughter. He couldn’t control, he laughed and laughed. It was unimaginable for him to think that
somebody can threaten this way, particularly Bhagyamma who appears to be a submissive docile wife. Two persons sitting in the waiting room
peeped into consultation room to know the cause of laughter. Bhagyamma was also laughing. The persons moved back to their seats. Narayana stirred in his seat with discomfort.
“What to do Saar . He is troubling me every night. Doesn’t give up alcohol. I have a grown up son in the house”,
Bhagyamma explained.
“Well, Bhagyamma, sometimes there will be problems in
marital life. You two together sit and
discuss and solve your problem. You seem
to be a patient woman. Anyway now that
who have threatened him with your sweet threat, I think he will try to change”,
doctor said with a smile.
Dr. Rajkumar was really surprised at the intelligence of the
lady who picked up his word that for diabetics using excess sugar is like
poison and used the weapon on her husband to make him tow her line.
“You are such great couple; you should talk and come to an
understanding. As alcohol is not good
for health, try to give it up Narayana. Her diabetes is under control. Don’t worry.
Use these medicines regularly, Bhagyamma. Be
happy”.
As he was talking he finished writing his prescription.
“Fine, Saar . I rarely drink in excess. Give her some medicines to be active and
healthy.”
“I already wrote. If
you don’t drink, and listen to her she will oblige you”, doctor handed the
prescription to Bhagyamma.
Bhagyamma
walked out with a smile and Narayana followed her.
