What was I thinking at the hospital?

                                      

It is funny how ridiculous the workings of the mind can be even when you are supposedly middle-age and apparently wise. 

It was the in January 2012, the summer of Hyderabad was ebbing away (yes I meant ‘summer’ and not ‘winter’. We only have summer and severe summer in the city anyways) and I’d just returned home after a hectic week of researching for a new project, a multi-art fusion production.

Not a good time to get the loosies. But loosies aren't particularly superstitious fellows and couldn't care less when they set out. Set out they did and with what vengeance! I must surely have cheated on a loosie in one of my past lives. My bowels auditory performance could match my 6 yr olds drumming on my kitchen dabbas.

What I had decided to overlook as a ‘small thing’ one which I could possibly ignore, seemed to have taken offence to the lack of attention and doubly ensured it got all (and more) of the attention it deserved. The motions which began in the wee hours of the day wouldn't stop by afternoon and when it was around 3 pm it was official. I was a certified ‘dehydrated’ homo sapien. 

I turned to mom and was telling her to call the driver as we had to head for the hospital right away.

Time flew by. There was a fast forward sequence of life whizzing past me in frames (complete with sound effects …trust me)

Me walking to the gate,

Mom holding my hand,

Me falling,

Driver screaming “Madam madam”

Me picked me up by driver and will-power

Me dragging myself to the car seat,

Hospital sighted,

Wheel chair below bum……

Reception attendant asking

“Beta what is your father’s name? “ 

He entered the digit ‘2’ and asked for the next number for my age.

--------------PAUSE -------------------------

My heart flipped. “Wow!” I thought, thrilled as hell!

I actually didn't look like a married women. He asked for my father’s name and not husband’s J he also asked…NO…he was sure I am in my 20’s

Having gone around the sun 35 times and being a mother of two I soared to cloud nine and would've settled there except that I landed with a thud on the emergency bed.

******Reality check time************

“Darling” I said to myself as the nurse inserted the IV to water me up again. “Could you get more imprudent than this? Here is your body breaking  itself down right now.  A head-on reminder of its temporariness. And at the same time it excites you to know that it 'looks' young!” 

Seemed much like a corpse at its funeral checking in the mirror ( and pleased as hell) that its lipstick hasn't smeared. 

I had a hearty laugh at myself and remembered words I'd heard

'All the people great or not, who have ever lived on the earth are all nothing but top soil today'

Hmm…I wonder all this toil to become top soil?