Page 159 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

My jaws dropped, looking at the notes in my hand. “Who’s this philanthropist? Never saw him before.”
I returned to the staff room and counted the notes. It was five thousand. “It’s huge! Who on earth would
give such a huge amount these days?”
“He is Guup,” said Mr. Nidup. “The ex-personal attendant to His Majesty, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.”
“How lucky is my baby to receive a huge donation from such a great person.”
“Yeah, how lucky,” he said.
In the first week of December, we showed baby Rinchen to his surgeon.
Dr. John blinked in amazement. He felt Rinchen’s hands and said, “You’ve grown so fast, Rinchen,” he
said.
“Doctor, which hospital are you sending us to?” I said.
“Where do you want to take him? Vellore or Kolkata?”
“Vellore,” I said.
“Why?”
“Via train,” I said.
He shook his head. “Why?”
Choki nudged me on my back and relayed in sharchop, “He said ‘Why’ not ‘Via’.”
“Oh, I am sorry.”
Dr. John turned to Choki and said, “Why do you want to take him to Vellore?”
Choki flushed and glanced at me. “You tell him.”
“Okay, fine,” said Doctor John. “Give me the papers. I will forward them to the referral committee.
You can come after one week.”
So, one week later, I went to his chamber.
“It’s endorsed,” he said.
“Thank you, doctor. We are ever grateful to you.”
He patted my shoulder. “Safe journey. See you later.”
I went upstairs to the referral section. A middle-aged man on his rotating chair, nibbling on his
mouthful betel leaves.
“Excuse sir,” I said. “I have come for my baby’s referral letter.”
“Baby’s name, please?”
“Rinchen Zangpo, la.”
“Give the referral documents to the Liaison Officer at Vellore. And you must book your train tickets.
Each parent and the patient are entitled to one hundred fifty ngultrums per day, up to one month.” He
slapped his left chest to clear his throat the betel leaves had choked. “Ahem, ahem! After one month, one
hundred ngultrums each. You will get a travel allowance and train fare. Ahem!”
“Are you okay, sir?” I said.
He thumped his chest again. “You must arrive there in a month. Contact Mr. Rinzin, the Liaison
Officer there.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Back home, Choke was peeping through the window. Her eyes were weak as a shrunken bead of a pea.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I heard Vellore is very far. How would we go there? We’ll get lost. We need someone to escort us.”
“But who would escort us?”
“Um, can I ask my cousin-brother, Ata Gelong?”
“You mean the monk from Dzongsar in India?”
Her face sparkled with eagerness. “He often travels by train. He would be the right person for us.”
“Fine, if he is willing to escort us.”

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