16^th September 2003.

I slowed down a bit. “This is it?” I asked her.

She nodded, “Just around that corner.”

I stopped the car on the shoulder and examined the surroundings. There were a couple of shops selling cool drinks and other assorted stuff. Next to the shops was a small cart vendor supplying idlis and dosas.

“Ramesh Cool Drinks” She said in a low tone. I stared at it for a long time unsure of what to do.

“Are you OK?” She asked me. She was concerned about me. I smiled and nodded, “Just the jitters you know. I will be fine.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She felt it was too soon for me to handle this task. “Maybe we should wait for a month or two more.”

I shook my head. “It wouldn’t matter Swathi. Let me do it now.”

She leaned back and looked at me. “Have fun.”

“Aren’t you joining me?” I asked her.

“No” She was firm, “That would bring back those memories. I will wait here.”

“But will they recognize me?” I was not sure.

“They may not. In that case I will join you.”

I slowly walked to the other side of the road. Ramesh Cool Drinks was at that moment manned by an elderly person. “Can I have a Coke please?” I asked him.

“Chota ya baDa?”

“Chota”

I sipped the coke and said, “Kaka, do you remember me?”

He was surprised, “What beta?”. Then he put on his spectacles and examined me intensely.

“You look familiar beta. But I am not able to recollect. Who are you?”

“Three months back Kaka! A sunny afternoon. I was riding a pulsar…” I couldn’t complete my sentence.

“Beta! Is that you? Thank God you are OK. Arre Ram, idhar aao jaldi. Dekho koun aaya hai” He was thrilled.

I felt like an idiot. I couldn’t even remember what happened on that fateful day.

Slight Cerebral damage resulting in short term amnesia – said the doctor. There was some mention of fogging in the CT Scan report. When I woke up in the ICU, I did not know why I was there. I asked the duty doctor who told me patiently that I’d been asking the same question all through the night.

And I didn’t remember his face.

Ram came out and was all over me when he saw me. “Bhaiya, aap teek hogaye? Remember me? I drove you back to your house.”

I smiled again.

When I was brought to the hospital, my memory span was one minute. I could remember what happened in the previous minute. And then my memory was reset. I had asked Swathi – where we were going – at least thirty times during the one hour drive to the emergency room. She had endured it all. The tension, the pain, the tears everything.

“Actually my memory is affected. I don’t remember anything about the incident. In fact two days in my life were completely wiped out thanks to the incident.” I explained him.

“Arre baap! How are you now?” he asked me with concern in his eyes.

There were no visible injuries on my body. Thanks to the helmet 95% of my brain was protected. However the skid happened at hundred kilometers per hour. The impact of the hard concrete was communicated to the brain right through the helmet. That mild shock was enough to fog the most important part of my brain.

“Imagine what would have happened if you were not wearing the helmet” the doctor told me later, “You would have been pronounced DOA.”

“Sir” I was brought back to this world by a shrill voice.

The man was about fifty. Frail and poor. He was standing there with his hands folded. “Mujhe maaf karo saab.”

I was confused. Ram came to my rescue. “Rajan was the reason you fell off the bike sir. He supplies cigarettes to us daily. That day he was coming in the wrong way and suddenly tried to cross the road. You could not control your bike. Thank God there were no heavy vehicles coming right behind you.”

I stared at the men who made me spend ten days in the ICU, one month on the bed and lose two days of my wonderful life. I strangely felt no anger. It was a feeling of detachment.

“He spent the next one week at home bhaiya. He was crying and blaming himself for everything. We didn’t know where you were admitted. You had moved your residence. We couldn’t trace you.” Ram explained.

On the second day, my memory improved. I could retain fifteen minutes of information. Later I could remember everything – but for those two days.

“Please accept that there has been an irreversible brain damage, Venu. However you are lucky that this is not a serious issue. You will not remember those two days – except maybe in dreams. Don’t try to remember them. Otherwise you are perfectly healthy. You were able to recite the SI definition of “Second” without pausing the other day. And you recognized your friend Kartik who was introduced to you only a week before the accident.” The doctor told me gently.

Swathi spent those days – sleepless in the hospital. My cousin rushed from Nellore and together they managed the whole situation.

I put a hand on Rajan’s shoulder. “It is OK Rajan. I am alright now. I just came here to thank to you all personally. You didn’t leave me on the road fearing it would be a police case. You had called my wife…” I stopped abruptly. How did they know what my wife’s number was!

Ram smiled. “We asked you bhaiya. You told us the mobile number.”

I looked up. Thank you God for not taking my memory fully.

“Then your wife came here in your car. I then drove you guys back to your house.” Ram told me.

Then my neighbor took us to the hospital. The rest is history.

I finished the coke. “Ram, kaka, Rajan – I don’t know you all. You were strangers. But I can never forget your help. Thank you for saving me.” I said.

“Half an hour delay could have put you in great jeopardy” the doctor told me, “You are lucky.”

“Arre… kya baath kar rahe hain saab, we can’t let people stranded on the road like that.” Kaka smiled.

I looked at Rajan. “Rajan, I have a request. Be considerate to the other people on the road. It is a request.”

I walked back to the car and got in. Swathi had dozed off. I stared at her. I had never found her so beautiful. “I love you.” I mumbled.

She woke up. “You are back? Good. How is Ram?”

“He is fine.” I said and started the car. She closed her eyes again. “I know you don’t believe in stuff like this but your accident happened right in front of a Sai Baba temple. I believe it is the main reason why you are still alive today.”

I laughed, “Swathi, I am alive because of you. I am lucky you married me.”

She blushed, “Whoa! What is this? What happened? I think we need to get your brain checked ASAP. This is not YOU talking.”

The End.