Page 107 - FATE & DESTINY

FATE & DESTINY

13 THE REFERRAL TO THE AMRI HOSPITAL

I joined Babesa Primary School, on August 1, 2008, and commuted from Demtshe’s place. It was hard to find an
apartment around the school.
“I am looking for an apartment around here,” I said to Mr. Lhagey Tshering, the then the principal of Babesa
Primary School. “Could you help me, please?”
“Um, let me ask madams,” he said. “Most of the madams here have buildings around here.”
The next day, the principal said, “Madam Dordem agreed to rent you her ground-floor apartment.”
“How much is the rent, sir?”
“I have no idea,” he said. “Come, let me introduce you to her.” In the staffroom, he looked around for her.
“Ma’am Dordem. Mr. Dorji Wangdi here.” He turned to me. “Sir, you can talk to her about the rent.”
I bit my bottom lip. “What’s the rent, madam?”
She thought for a while. “It’s four thousand. I didn’t want to rent it, but the principal told me your problem.”
I scratched my head and grinned. “Very kind of you, madam. It’s rare to get one around here.”
She nodded. “You stay there until you find one.”
On the way back home, I did a quick mental calculation. “My monthly salary is Nu 10,000. Rent…Nu.4000. So,
10,000 minus 4,000 is Nu. 6,000.” I gaped. “Only six thousand ngultrums? Would that suffice my family? Um, hope
we don’t have to scrimp on meals?”
My family joined me the next day. And a few weeks later, baby Rinchen had diarrhea. We showed him to Dr.
John. He prescribed the baby X-ray.
“Ops, it’s a rectal prolapse,” he said, looking at the result. “We must operate on him.”
I gaped. “Another operation, doctor?”
“Yes, there’s no other way. Admit him in the evening. We’ll operate on him tomorrow.”
The horror of darkness fell upon me. Everything seemed hollow. Choki sniffled, “Oh, I can’t believe it.”
I embraced her. “Let’s be strong. There’s nothing we can do.”
In the evening, a nurse came and said, “Don’t feed the baby after 10:00 pm.”
We both nodded.
The entire night, I attended to my baby, muttering prayers. On the first morning, the nurse came to the ward.
“Ambulance is waiting.”
“Coming,” I said, heart thudding. “Son, you must live for our sake, for your dad and mom, and sister, please.” I
closed my eyes. “God, I count your blessings. Please save my baby. I will do anything you ask me to do!”
We waited at the OT door for our turn. Soon, a nurse came out of the operating theatre. She snapped her fingers
and said, “Oh, dear, come to me.”
Her soft voice forced my lachrymose heart to cry. Rinchen flinched and clung onto me, seeing her in a full gown
and mask. I smooched his skeletal hands.
Choke caressed and kissed him on his cheeks.
“Bye, dear.” I covered my mouth with my hands and sniffled. “We’ll be waiting for you, please.”
As the nurse carried him into the operating theatre, he wailed, stretching out his hands to us.
Choki buried her head in her arms and dropped to her knees. “How can I forget his little face if he doesn’t make
it?”
“Please don’t say that,” I whispered, pulling her up. “Keep faith in God, please.”
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