-A Short Story

Dedicated to Doctors fighting Pandemic

This is the story of a happy family. An Indian family of papa, mummy, and a nine-year-old daughter.
The family was prosperous and healthy. Samar and Minakshi were both doctors by profession. Both
of them came close during their college times and then got married eventually. And later on, they
were blessed with a beautiful girl and named her Aayushi: Their life is looking perfect at the first
glance. But when we dive deep into their situation, we get to know that both mother and father were
busy due to their schedule. They were having enough wealth to nourish their child, but somewhere,
that love factor was missing. When she was just born, the mother took a break to take care of her
little angel, but when she started going to pre-school, the mother resumed her job. The time passed
like sand in an hourglass. And now, none of them was able to give more time to their daughter, they
used to eat their breakfast together daily and, when luck was with them, sometimes dinner also, but
somewhere this time was not sufficient. Aayushi used to spend most of the time with the old maid of
the house, Miss Josephine. With time, the emptiness in her heart towards her parents increased.
Generally, when she used to see parents of her friends at kindergarten picking up their children for
home or attending any event supporting their child, she used to get upset. Because she didn't have
her parents to support her. Although the maid was very kind to her and Aayushi liked her too, but
she still wanted her parents to be with her at every step of her life. One night, mother came to her
room to wish her a good night, she was tired due to her heavy schedule but decided to spend some
time with her angel before she gets asleep.

'Hey, sweetie… how was your day?’ Minakshi asked.

'Fine.' replied Aayushi in a low voice.

(Her mother smelled something low in her angel)

‘How are your days at the school going?’

‘Fine.’

'Did anybody hurt you or said something?'

'No.'

'How is the teacher? Is she nice to you?'

'Yes, mummy...'

'Then what is bothering you, my child?'

'Nothing, I am fine.'

'Mmm….OK….'(Minakshi had to prepare for surgery next day, so she had to leave)

'Alright then, Good Night, Little angel.'

'Good Night mummy.' (Not a little sign of Happiness on her face)

(Minakshi decided to talk to maid next morning)

***

Minakshi, ‘Miss Josephine!’

Miss Josephine, ‘Yes, my Lady’

‘I just wanted to talk to you about Aayushi.’

(Miss Josephine already predicted that this would happen one day.) She said,

‘My lady, I already wanted to talk to you about this matter, and now you see, you have noticed it too.'

Miss Josephine continued, 'From my experience, I can tell that no matter how much love you give to
children, but that would be nothing compared to the love of their parents, and that is why I wanted
to have your opinion in this regard.’

'So this is the exact thing that is bothering her.' Minakshi replied.

'My Lady, she is a bright child, she actively participates in the school and among her friends, even her
friends seem to very kind to her. And I am also trying to give her the best environment I can so that
she could grow up to be a wise and kind woman one day, but you know my Lady?

For a Sunflower, to blossom, only water and soil are not sufficient…. It is the sunshine that blesses the
plant with the crown of flower on it. And you, my Lady, are sunshine to the little angel.'

Minakshi, ‘I got this, Miss Josephine. I thank you for taking care of Aayushi like your own child and
also for your wisdom, but I am not sure how will I be able to solve this problem, I have a super busy
schedule, you know when I was a little child like her, I wanted to become a doctor so that I can help
people in their bad times. And eventually, I found someone like me who was having the same
ambition, and soon after getting married to him, I brought a new life in this world, and now, I am
saving the lives of others but at the cost of my own daughter’s future. (She became emotional for a
while)

‘I think you should talk to her father in this regard.’

‘Ok, I will…. I definitely will. Thank you, Miss Josephine.’

***

That night, Minakshi decided to talk to Samar about the concern. They were working in the same
hospital but still, they were not able to communicate much at the workplace, and also the workload
was of such kind that they were able to meet each other at lunchtime only.

However, both were now at home after a tiring day.

Minakshi asked, ‘Listen Samar, did you talk to our daughter in a couple of days.'

‘I am sorry dear I didn’t understand, did anything happen?’ (Samar was confused.)

'Oh, come on Samar! You have to keep knowledge of whatever is going into our daughter's life.'

'But my dear, at least tell me what happened?'

'Samar, our daughter has started feeling lonely without us, we are following our passion blindly
putting her future at stake, and she is not getting the love from us which she deserves.'

'Calm down dear, I will be honest with you, I had a feeling of this running into my mind already,
bothering me little by little, every morning at the breakfast table the silent face of hers puts me in
deep thinking, I even think to take a day off sometimes and spent some time understanding my
daughter, but on the second thought, we have to save lives. Minakshi, I feel my hands tied, what can I
do?'

'Samar you still don’t understand; see no one is so busy that they don’t have any time for their loved
ones, it’s all about priorities. We will talk to hospital management, and try to convince them, that only
cases with our specific specialities are referred to us, although we would be guiding most of the cases
being on round once a day and monitoring the interns on a routine basis. This is the time we have to
start managing our work and personal life balance.'
'You are right Minakshi, I will put this proposal in front of the management, let’s try to get some
quality time for our daughter.'

***

On a morning after a few days, at the dining table, all of them were having breakfast.

Samar, ‘Tell me sweetheart, how are your days at school going?’

Aayushi, ‘Fine, how are your days going at the hospital, papa?’

'Dear you know it already, it is busy, but the good news here is that a new surgeon has joined the
hospital that has just completed his academics, and he seems to be very talented like you dear.’
(Aayushi gave her little smile)

Samar asked, ‘tell me dear, what you want to be when you grow up.'

'Me! Papa, you know last weekend I invited my friends to our home, and we talked about it. My
friends said, that they want to be an astronaut, some loved our teacher so much that they want to be
a teacher; some are impressed by you and mom and also our big house, so they decided to be a
doctor like you and mummy, but honestly, I haven’t decided it yet.'

Minakshi sitting with them haven’t said anything yet, but she spoke

'Samar, don’t put too much pressure on our angel. She is just nine, this is not the age she starts
thinking about delicate matters like a career.'

Samar, ‘But at least she should have an ambition even at this age.’

Aayushi interrupted, ‘I don’t know what I want to be, but one thing is for sure that I am not going to
be a doctor.’

Both looked at Aayushi, after a silence of few seconds all three laughed.

Minakshi with a smile, ‘definitely you should not be a doctor otherwise you will become like your
father, Boring…’

Samar, ‘You forgot your mother is also a doctor. You are also not very entertaining(turned to
Minakshi and again to Aayushi), believe me, your mummy is even boring than me.’
'So you accept you are boring?'

'But you are boring than me….'

The conversation resulted in loud laughter and all three started laughing again.

Samar, ’Wait wait..Ok..listen. As I was saying that a new surgeon has joined the hospital and that too
with the same speciality as your mother, And…. The management has decided to give us some
personal time. So I will be working as usual. But your mother will come home in the early evenings for
the next few weeks.'

Minakshi, ‘but Samar, why haven’t you told me about this earlier….’

Samar, ‘ Minakshi…you already know we were planning our daughter to give some time and God has
given us an opportunity, and we cannot lose it.’

Minakshi was passionate about her career and was about to argue with Samar, but she saw the smile
on Aayushi’s face and decided to act according to the hospital management. But she was smart, so
she played in another style.

‘OK, so I will be giving our daughter the quality time I have, but what about you, don’t you have any
responsibility towards our little angel? What are you going to do for her?’

Samar knew her wife well, and he knew that she is definitely going to ask for this, so Samar had
already made arrangements.

Samar, ‘Aayushi and her lovely mother, I am happy to announce that I as well have requested a day
off for this weekend.’

Minakshi, ‘Oh come on, only a day off... is that it? Do you have made any long-term decision, or are
you just bluffing in front of us?’(Minakshi taking her daughter on her side)

Aayushi in a cute manner, ‘Yes papa, can't you give us some more time so that we can enjoy
together.’

Samar, “Dear angel…please try to understand I have a great responsibility to protect the people.
Listen to me dear, ‘It is not about the length of time we spend with each other, but the quality of time
that matters the most.’ And who said that it would be a normal holiday…this weekend there is a Mela
(a traditional carnival) organized at the Central Park, we're going to spend our daytime at home
having a day of rest, we will do whatever you want to do in that time and in the evening we will visit
Mela and have full-on fun there, we will have games, we will have street foods and don’t forget about
the famous ‘Amazing Circus’ which is going to be organized there. I have already booked four tickets
for us."

Minakshi, ‘Why four, who is the fourth one?’

Samar, ‘Fourth one will be Miss Josephine, she has done so much for our child these days, so that is
the least I can do for her, and Aayushi will be enjoying if she joins us, what do you say Aayushi?’

Aayushi was so happy that she was not able to stop smiling, she just walked to her father and
hugged her. And Minakshi was again satisfied that she had not made any mistake marrying Samar.
Miss Josephine was working in the kitchen, so she didn’t hear anything, but they were going to
convince her anyway.

***

So after few days, the day of the weekend came, that day the whole family was asleep till 10 a.m. until
finally, Aayushi woke up her mummy and papa, she was worried not to waste the day by sleeping
only.

‘Come on papa, mummy wake up already, what about your promise? It is not usual that you take
holidays and now you both took at the same time, so we are not going to waste this, come on papa,
mummy wake up.’

Minakshi, ’Ok…Ok…. Sweetie, we are coming, you go and have breakfast.’

Aayushi, ‘Ok mummy, but please come fast, I have many things to share with you.’

Samar was lying on the bed, but he was awake.

Minakshi, ‘Samar, You see that excitement and smile on her face?’

Samar, ‘Yes, my sweetheart. And it’s all because of you. I was running so much after my career that I
didn’t even think about my other responsibilities. If you were not in my life, all the things I am doing
right now in my life would be meaningless. Thank you, Minakshi.'

Minakshi was extremely flattered, but she regained her strict mood, ‘Are we going to leave now?’
Samar sensed a danger that every typical husband feels when he disobeys her wife, he immediately
implemented her unspoken orders, and then both of them left for breakfast but till then Aayushi had
already taken the lunch.

***

She was waiting for mummy, papa at the table with a sketchbook with her.

Minakshi, ‘what is this little angel?’

Aayushi, ‘mummy, papa please have the lunch fast, I have a surprise for you.’

They both got excited, but they decided to see the surprise comfortably in Aayushi’s room itself. So
after breakfast, all three sat together in her room and Aayushi opened her sketchbook, there were
few paintings drawn by her. They were not the work of a pro obviously, but they seemed to be quite
good for a kid like her age, both Samar and Minakshi were amazed by their daughter’s talent. They
started seeing the paintings one by one. The first one was a landscape of her school garden, the
strokes and the colour selections of the painting were not accurate, but we can say she was
successful in describing all the essential characteristics of the garden. She portrayed a sandpit on the
left most corner where a little girl was playing then as we come a little towards the middle there was
a slide where a boy was playing then as we moved right, we see an empty swing with two boys
standing near it and at the rightmost side, we see a lady standing and watching all those kids playing.

Minakshi, ‘Dear, the painting is very nice, the lady on the right seems to be your teacher, is that
right?'

Aayushi nodded

Samar, ‘Aayushi, I have a question, if those two boys are standing near the swing then why are they
not playing and why is the swing empty?’

Aayushi, ‘Papa, actually it was our games' session when I was drawing this painting. Those two boys
were fighting against each other for the swing resulting in no one was able to get their turn, then
finally the teacher intervened to stop them.'

Samar playfully, ‘Ok….that’s why the teacher seems to be yelling at them.’

All three laughed together. Then they moved to the second one. In this painting, she depicted a
roadside where a dominating factor was a bitch, which had just given birth to her puppies and was
feeding milk to them. There were no other dominant details in the picture. When parents saw that
picture, they were stunned.

Minakshi, ‘Sweetie, did you draw this on your own?’

Aayushi, ‘Ya…Is there anything wrong, mummy?

‘No, it's just….’

(she was not able to describe her feelings, and also she didn’t understand that how can a nine-year-
old girl have this level of maturity, the painting clearly depicted the love that mother was having for
her children, maybe that was the love she was expecting from her and consciously or unconsciously
drawn it in the form of a painting.)

Samar, ‘Aayushi, I think I have seen these puppies on the roadside of the nearby stationery.’

Aayushi, ‘Yes you are right papa, when I was going to stationery with Miss Josephine to buy colours, I
saw them and decided to draw their picture.’

Minakshi, ‘So are you saying you draw this picture on that roadside.’

Aayushi, ‘Of course not mummy, Miss Josephine took their picture in her phone, and then I drew it
here.’

Minakshi, ‘Okh okh…got it, my little angel… I wonder what is your next painting going to be, come on,
please don’t keep us waiting.’

They moved to the next picture. The next one was a portrait. A portrait of an old lady, obviously she
had white hair with a fair complexion, her face was drawn long, and she was wearing a brownish
gown fully covering her body. The portrait was only of the upper body, they both were confused and
not able to conclude who she was.

Samar, ‘Aayushi … when did you hear about Mona Lisa?’

Aayushi, ‘who is Mona Lisa, papa?’

‘So this is not Mona Lisa….okh…so is this how your teacher looks like from the close look?'
Aayushi, ‘No’

Meanwhile, Minakshi figured out, ‘Stop playing Samar, this is the side effect when you spend
excessive time on your work. She is Miss Josephine.’

Samar stunned for a while and looked at the painting, ‘Actually you are right, this looks like miss
Josephine.’

And all of them started laughing again at the dumbness of father, this time Samar grabbed her
daughter in her arms and started tickling her and soon after which turned into a pillow fight. They
saw few more paintings which were very nice and were depicting the talent of this little girl.

***

Soon after spending some more time and having lunch it was 3 p.m. and as decided all four were
ready in the evening to visit the grant Mela at Central Park, Miss Josephine resisted for a while. She
was of the opinion that it should be a personal family time. She took some time to be convinced, but
she agreed to the plan when Aayushi asked her. So they left for the event and reached the Mela
around 4 p.m. since it was a weekend Samar found it difficult to find parking, they struggled nearly
for half an hour and finally parking the car at the right place they moved into the Central Park to
enjoy the fair, they were shocked to see that the Mela was organized on a very larger scale, there
were more than a hundred of stalls for food, nearly 20 joyrides and more than 50 stores for games
and who can forget about the ‘Amazing Circus’.

Samar, ‘it would be difficult to enjoy the rides after having a meal, so it's better if we go for the rides
first.’

Aayushi, ‘but papa I wanted to see the city at the night from Ferris wheel. My friend also visited last
weekend, and she was telling that the view of the city is amazing at night. She was telling that all the
lights look very beautiful from their up high. ‘

Minakshi, ‘I think she is saying right, dear.’

Samar, ‘Ok fine, Ferris wheel is not that fast, so we can enjoy it at night, but we will go for other rides
now itself because if we leave too many things for last we will miss the night show of ‘Amazing
circus’.

Both nodded.
As they moved on from one game to another, deciding what to play first, Aayushi’s eyes spotted a
boy who was playing a game which was having a water-gun installed on the front. The boy was
shooting the ball with that water-gun trying to put that ball into the hole at the top, it was looking
like an upgraded version of a mobile shaped water game which she was having at her home where
the rings were required to be inserted in a vertical stick with two buttons on the left and right, but
here this task was to be done by a water-gun and there was a hole instead of vertical sticks. Aayushi
decided to give it a try. So Samar bought a ticket and Aayushi started playing, but no sooner than
two-three minutes she found it too difficult. The ball was very difficult to control by the stroke of
gunshot only, she became upset and left the platform.

Minakshi, ‘Come on dear, what happened…you were doing nice.’

Aayushi, ‘don’t lie to me mummy, I know I am never going to put that ball into the hole. I don’t want
to play this game.’

Minakshi, ‘Oh my little angel….don’t worry you will win another game, let’s move to the next.’

As they moved a little they spotted a famous game where you are given rings, and you just have to
throw the rings into the bump in front of the gifts lying on a table at some distance and the gift is
yours….simple?

Aayushi was not interested in playing that game at all. Looks like the water-gun game had ruined her
mood, But Samar got excited. He started getting nostalgic when he and Minakshi used to visit the
Mela during their academic times, he has also won a gift for her that time, and he was not able to
resist it more and was dragged towards it automatically. All three followed

Samar, ‘Order your highness, what gift I should win for you this time.’

Minakshi, ‘Samar…this time your little highness will be giving you a demand. Say Aayushi what do you
want, it seems your father is confident today.’

Aayushi, ‘I don’t want anything, mummy.’(her mind was still wandering around that water-gun game
failure)

Samar, ‘Come on Aayushi, tell me, your father will win any gift you want, just say it, and it’s yours.’

Aayushi saw her father in excitement, so she also moved a little bit on and looked at the table. After
looking for a while.
‘Papa, I think that Mickey Mouse at the third place from left is nice, can you please get me that one.’

Samar, ‘it’s yours, my little angel. You just wait and watch.'

Samar was given three rings that mean three chances. He threw the first one, but it didn’t hit. Then he
tried another one, but that also missed. Now only the final throw was left, He threw it with all his
focus, but luck didn’t seem to be on his side this day. He missed all three.

Minakshi playfully, ‘What happened Samar…? Where is your number one shooter today…?’

All three laughed at Samar.

Samar, ‘Ok…it’s easy to say, why don’t you win a Mickey Mouse for us, Miss professional shooter…?’

They were enjoying themselves a lot and were going with the flow. So Minakshi thought she should
also give it a try.

Three rings were provided to her also. She threw the first one and as expected the target missed with
a great margin. Samar started teasing Minakshi. But she ignored and kept on playing, she threw her
second ring, but this throw was also unsuccessful. Now she concluded that she is not going to make
it in the third attempt also, so she handed over the last ring to Miss Josephine, who was just standing
quiet all the time. She thought if this ring is anyway going to get wasted if she plays it, and it’s also
important that she feels involved in this little holiday of a little family, so she decided why not Miss
Josephine have a shot.

Miss Josephine, ‘My lady, this is not my age to play games, you give your last shot.’

Minakshi, ‘Miss, don’t worry if you didn’t make it, at least give it a try, I know your throws would be far
better than mine.’(with a little laughter)

Miss Josephine was feeling shy for a while to play the game at this age, but she finally threw the ring,
and guess what? The ring landed just on the bump in front of the Mickey Mouse. Minakshi and
Samar were stunned, they were speechless for a while, a burst of smile returned on the face of
Aayushi.

Samar, ‘Now that’s what I call a pro shooter. Miss Josephine, you are amazing.’

Minakshi, ‘How did you do that Miss, it was superb.’

A little smile captured the face of Miss Josephine also. Finally, Aayushi got in the mood again and
now Mickey Mouse was with her also, so she was feeling very happy. All four talked a lot and had fun
during the carnival, after playing few more games they enjoyed the street food stalls in which they
ate Bhel which is the first requirement to qualify if you visit any Mela, then they had chana-chor and
at last, they had ice-cream. Who could have thought that a family of doctors will be eating this
recklessly, but you know? This is the fun of life, they were enjoying to the fullest, making memories,
which they will be cherishing forever.

***

So now at 15 minutes to 8 p.m., they reached the venue where the tent of Amazing Circus was set,
the show was just about to start. Counters verified the ticket and soon after they were let in. The
show was houseful already, the tent of the circus was installed traditionally, it was held very high
supported by a strong pillar just at the centre of the tent, there were fans and speakers installed at
the corners at a reasonable interval, the lights were installed high and were bright enough to cover
the whole tent area, the interesting thing was, that a light boy was sitting at the top for controlling
the lights and focus. It already started to feel scary. Soon the show started, the joker started a show,
he himself was the ringmaster also. The show started with a series of light jokes and acting.

Later on, the show started to fire up as the gymnasts entered the arena, the setup was arranged in no
time and in another moment the gymnasts were swinging all over the arena on the ropes tied up
high on the tent. This time all three adults were stunned and scared also, but Aayushi was enjoying
the show very much she was so excited that if she had the permission to enter the arena, she herself
would start swinging with the gymnasts.

Soon after gymnasts performed, a tiger entered the arena, now Aayushi got scared, or we can say
too scared when the tiger roared loud. Actually, every person sitting in the circus got scared, but then
the tiger started playing with a ball when the ringmaster started controlling it. Gradually, Aayushi
came to her senses. After few more performances like juggling and magic tricks, finally came the
biker’s gang, all three bikers were put in a spherical ring of steel. They started their bikes and in no
more than a second they started spinning round and round and round inside the ring, it was difficult
to concentrate which rider is going where, but even after all this confusion they were not even
touching each other. The audience was amazed by the series of awesome performances one after
another. Finally, the show ended with a huge round of applause. When moving out of the tent, every
single person was discussing the circus and which event they liked the most.
Samar, ‘So Aayushi? How was the show?’

Aayushi, ‘It was very nice papa, thank you very much for bringing us here.’

Samar, ‘Oh dear….I am glad you liked it.’

Minakshi, ‘Samar…you are missing one thing…’

Samar after thinking for a while, ‘Oh Ya…we still have Ferris Wheel left. Right?’

Minakshi nodded

Samar, ‘So what are we waiting for? Let’s go hurry up, because the Mela is just about to end for the
day.’

***

They reached the Ferris Wheel. It was big but not that big, we can assume it’s height to be around
50ft. The Wheel was of detachable type, may be that is why it was not so big. Actually the whole Mela
was built on a temporary basis, so all the stalls, games and joyrides were able to be shifted to a new
place where the next event is going to be organized. The Ferris Wheel had a capacity of two persons
in one car, so it was decided that Minakshi and Miss Josephine will pair: Samar and Aayushi will pair.
Soon after their turn came, they took their seat and when all the seats were filled, the wheel started
moving, The view of the city started to get visible as the car moved upwards, The whole Mela was
visible. And when we extend our sight to faraway places, There was dark land all over the place as far
as eyes could see, except the there were lights. Those were looking like a group of fireflies spread all
across the city. There weren’t too many tall buildings in the city, so their visibility was not blocked in
any way. And also the car was open, so they were able to turn around to see in all directions. Among
the light music at the Mela, and the beautiful view all around, they forgot that they were together.
Suddenly, Samar came to senses,

‘Aayushi, how is the view dear, did you like it?’

‘Yes Papa, obviously I loved it. It’s even better than how my friend described. And you see, we can
see mummy, from here also.’ Aayushi waved a hand to say hi to her mother.

(Samar was shocked to see that a nine-year-old girl was not afraid of height, instead she was
enjoying it.)
‘Can you tell me, where is our home from here?’

‘No Papa, Actually I don’t know our way home yet, but I will learn soon.’

Samar laughed gently, ‘Oh! That is the case, then let me help you. Are you able to look that bright
big road, if you follow that road for about three miles, you will reach our society’s board, and from
there, I think you know the way home.’

‘Actually, Papa, I don’t know from there either. But I will learn.’

Samar murmured to himself, ‘actually dear, it is not your fault, but it’s ours that we didn’t take you
anywhere with us. And you see, after all this effort, I was able to get only one day for you, I don’t
know how to deal with this problem, I love you my little angel. But I failed to prove it.’

‘What are you murmuring, Papa, Isn’t the view good?’

Samar stopped murmuring and gently kissed her daughter on her forehead, hiding his tears from
her.

‘What happened, Papa? Why are you crying?’ Aayushi noticed.

‘Nothing Dear, I think a fly just came in. don’t worry, I am fine.’ Samar covered.

***

All the lightings in the Mela already started to turn off, That was the last day of Mela and the time for
the day has already been exceeded, the authorities started to request the guests and the stalls to
wind up for the day. Soon after they finished their ride, they gathered and headed for home in their
car. Aayushi got tired, so she fell asleep in the car itself.

Minakshi, ‘I think our angel has used too much energy for the day.’

Samar followed with a gentle smile.

Minakshi, ‘Miss Josephine, how was your experience today? Did you enjoy it?’

Miss Josephine, ‘Yes My Lady, it was a very nice evening; I am glad that your family shared some
quality time.’

Samar, “it’s not ‘your’ family Miss Josephine, it’s ‘our’ family, and you are part of it.’
Miss Josephine, ‘I am honoured, Sir. And I am also grateful that you arranged some time to spend
with us.’

Samar, ‘I am sorry Miss, but there is no need to go that formal. Consider me as your son and
Minakshi as your daughter. (facing Minakshi) and a wise person said to me that you always have
some spare time to share it with your loved ones.’(Minakshi smiled.)

Samar Continued, ‘And Miss, I wanted to ask you one question, Does Aayushi like to paint only, or
she has any other interests also?’

Miss Josephine, ‘Aayushi spends her time in lots of things throughout the day, but when I see her
painting anything, her aura gives out very positive energy. Her concentration is good. She also tries
to be creative. With time, I think she will develop her skills in this area. Other than that, she loves to
play with her toys. Sometimes she dances also; she also likes to watch me while I am cooking.

(Samar and Minakshi laughed.)

Samar, ‘So she has an interest in cooking also.’

Minakshi, ‘Stop it, Samar. It is a good trait, in the future, it will give her independence.’

Samar playfully, ‘Let me think about it…independency or dependency.’

Minakshi, ‘don’t complicate it Samar, It's good that she is learning it. Miss Josephine, I am glad that
you are teaching her.’

(Miss Josephine nodded with a thank you.)

***

The next day, when Aayushi reached the breakfast table, Samar and Minakshi was already there.
Samar was having a sketchbook kept aside him.

Aayushi asked, ‘Papa, do you love to draw also?’

Samar, ‘No dear, this is for you.’

‘But I already have one and that is not filled up yet.’

‘Yes dear, but this is not an ordinary sketchbook.

(He gave it to her)

‘But this seems to be normal to me.’

‘Let me explain dear, when we were coming home last night, I found this sketchbook on the door of
our house, you didn’t notice because you were asleep, so I picked it up, I thought your friend would
have come to our house and left it here for you. I kept it in my room and got the dress changed.

Soon after, I thought that if you can draw such amazing pictures, that talent should have come from
me. So I started painting in the sketchbook. I drew an apple. I didn’t know many things, so an apple
should do it. The sketch was good and I was satisfied. So I went to sleep.

But when I woke up this morning, I saw an apple lying over the sketchbook, I thought Minakshi kept
it, but she didn’t.’(He faced towards Minakshi)

(Minakshi nodded)

Samar continued, ‘And then I checked my sketch of last night, and I saw that my sketch was gone,
and the page on which I drew the apple was torn.

Aayushi checked the sketchbook, and she noticed the first page torn.

Aayushi ‘So did the apple came from the sketchbook, Papa?’

Samar, ‘Maybe. I don’t know it yet, why don’t you try it, draw in this sketchbook if you wish for
anything. I have tried the food, I think you should try drawing other things also.’

Aayushi, ‘But Papa, how can an apple come out of the sketchbook?’

Samar, ‘That is what I am trying to figure out my little angel, and you have to help me with this
because you are a good artist. Will you help me? Wish for anything and just draw it. Ok?’

Aayushi, ‘Ok Papa.’

Last Night, Samar and Minakshi talked. Samar was very upset that he had arranged just a single day
after all these efforts, he wanted to spend some more time understanding her daughter, but he
couldn’t, So he came up with an idea to gift her something that can keep her happy at least.
Obviously, the book cannot generate the things out of it, but by this, at least they will be able to
know what are the things that Aayushi wish for.
On the other side, Aayushi was the daughter of well-qualified professionals; even at the age of nine,
she knew that such type of sketchbook cannot exist. With the passing days, Samar used to ask
Aayushi that, if she has drawn anything in the sketchbook, and Aayushi used to reply, that she already
has the things she needs, he and Minakshi had already given her everything, so there is no need to
draw anything.

***

As the days passed on, the work of both the parents was regularized. Samar used to spend all his
time working with no weekends, and Minakshi used to come home in the late evenings so that she
can follow up with Aayushi.

And the day came when the pandemic hit the world. It was Covid-19, which was spreading all across
the world at an exponential rate. The work of every doctor increased dramatically, no matter
whatever the speciality, every doctor was doing overtime. And so do Samar and Minakshi.

Eventually, the whole world started going for the lockdown, Aayushi and Miss Josephine were at
home all day, as the schools were closed also. It was difficult for Aayushi to spend the whole day at
home, but it was surprising to see that Miss Josephine was also facing difficulty in spending her time,
she was tense because of the pandemic and also worried about taking care of Aayushi during this
situation.

Samar and Minakshi were coming home late at night and leave early. And also, when they were at
home, they generally used to avoid meeting with Miss Josephine and Aayushi for the obvious reason
to keep them safe. Aayushi was upset by all of this, but Miss Josephine used to say to her that she
should be proud that her parents are helping the world to come out of this difficult situation.

One day she decided, that she will talk to her mummy and papa, even if it is for five minutes, so she
woke up very early in the morning and went to the dining table. It was 6 in the morning, and the
parents were almost finished with breakfast and were ready to leave.

Minakshi noticed her, ‘what are you doing here, sweetie? It's 6 in the morning, and you shouldn’t be
here.’

Aayushi, ‘I know mummy, I haven’t seen you for few days, so I wanted to talk to you.’

Samar, ‘We know dear, but we have to spend some more time this way, when things will get better, I
promise you, and we will go for a long weekend to Manali.’
Aayushi, ‘But I want to talk to you now, papa.’

(She tried to hug Samar, but before that, he resisted and ordered Aayushi to stay right there in a
strict voice. And in another minute, they left for the hospital.)

(Aayushi ran to Miss Josephine, crying. When she heard Aayushi crying, she immediately woke up.)

Miss Josephine, ‘What happened, dear?’(She hugged her)

Aayushi cried, ‘Why are mummy and papa ignoring me? I just wanted to show them my new
painting.’

‘Aayushi, I understand your concern, but they are doing this because of your own safety only. When
you will grow up, you will understand. You will understand how much your mummy and papa love
you. Believe me.’

‘But I just wanted five minutes, nothing more.’

To divert her attention, Miss Josephine asked, ‘Tell me Aayushi, where is the painting you were going
to show them? Let me take a look at it. I am sure that must a good piece of art. Come on, hurry up.’

Aayushi opened the sketchbook she was holding in her hand and moved to the last page of it as the
whole sketchbook was filled up by now, this was the same sketchbook that Aayushi showed to her
mummy, papa. This was the painting of a doctor who was fighting with Covid-19. On one portion of
the painting, there was a Coronavirus coloured green and has spikes all over it, and on the other
portion, a doctor was wearing a mask and gloves.

Miss Josephine, ‘This is very nice dear, when did you make it?’

Aayushi calmed down a little, ‘Nowadays, whenever I used to watch TV, an advertisement comes on it
saying that, how doctors are helping the world during the pandemic. So I decided to encourage
mummy-papa for doing such a great job. But you see...’ (she started crying again)

Miss Josephine in a sweet manner ‘Calm down my little child, Actually, this is not a problem at all. I
will take a photo of this painting and sent it to your mummy-papa. And then they will see it. Right,
Aayushi.’

Aayushi found this convincing, ‘Ok Miss.’

 ***

Few months passed this way; there was no sign of vaccination or any cure other than primary
treatments. The Government was unable to save the lives and the falling economy. There was a series
of lockdowns, resulting in massive unemployment. The education was stopped; The transport was
stopped, Between these conditions Samar and Minakshi were working hard until the day came when
both of them were found to be infected with the virus. In between they were facing some symptoms,
but they kept on working, they were following all the protocols and preventions, but they got
infected. They both were admitted to the hospital where they were working.

Miss Josephine was informed about this, but they decided not to tell this to Aayushi, they were
confident that the situation will get under control soon. So Miss Josephine said to Aayushi that her
parents had to work a little harder, so they will be spending a few more days at the hospital. They
used to talk to Aayushi on the phone, so it was fine.

One day a call from the hospital came to Miss Josephine, ‘Am I talking to Miss Josephine
Paul?’(Seemed to be a young voice)

Miss Josephine replied. ‘Yes Miss, how can I help you?’

‘Miss, I am talking from Aarogya Hospital, if I want to talk about Mr. Samar and Mrs. Minakshi, are
you the concerned person I have to talk to?

‘Yes, I am. Please tell me.’

‘I don’t know how to say it, but Mr. Samar has passed away this morning.’

Miss Josephine got shocked. She started mumbling, ‘what….when….what….’

Gradually she started feeling her hands numb. Anyhow, she managed to continue the call, and asked
about her Lady,

‘Excuse me Miss, Please tell me how my Lady is doing?’

‘What?’

‘I am sorry, please tell me about Mrs. Minakshi.’

‘Miss Josephine, she is in critical condition also, but we are trying our best to improve her situation.’
‘Miss whatever your name is….can I visit My Lady, would it be ok, if I come now?’

‘My name is Purva and I understand your feelings Mam, but this is not a normal disease, if you come
to visit, your life will also be in danger.’

‘Danger is not my concern. I am going to reach the hospital in an hour, please fix an appointment for
me.’

‘Please listen Miss, visitors are not allowed in the hospital, even if you anyhow manage to reach the
hospital, the security will not let you in, so please, I request you to have trust in us. Please Mam, I
knew Mr. Samar and Mrs. Minakshi very well, they have saved many lives during their tenure. Believe
in us, believe in God, and most importantly. Please believe in all the good deeds they have
performed.’

‘Ok, But can I have a phone call with her at least…hello…’ The call was disconnected.

Miss Josephine was aged, and had seen almost every type of situation in her life, she stood brave all
the time and reached such a level of maturity and wisdom, but this time she found herself unable to
stop her tears. She sat down on the floor right where she was standing, because if she stood there
any more, there was a chance that she could collapse and hurt herself. No sooner than a blink of an
eye, her mind was full of negative thoughts. On top of that, she was thinking, that, how will she say
this to Aayushi.

But later she decided not to tell Aayushi anything, because she has to consult with her mother first
about this, this time situation was way more complicated and if communicated wrongly, will leave an
adverse effect on Aayushi’s life, so it’s better to ask her mother about this. But who knew that her
mother will leave her as well.

***

Three days after Samar passed away, A call from the hospital came, confirming the death of Minakshi.
Things were getting very hard for Miss Josephine to handle, she had already used all her will in
gathering strength to handle the first incident, but the second one broke her down completely. She
found herself helpless. She was called to attend the cremation as the bodies were not going to be
given to them. So Miss Josephine reached the location as communicated, it was a place specially
arranged to perform cremation of Covid-19 Patients. She was asked to identify the bodies, Both the
bodies were covered in plastic cover and Miss Josephine was also instructed to identify the body from
a distance and come back, thereafter cremation was performed. After the same, she met Mrs. Purva.
She also came there to attend the cremation on behalf of hospital staff.

Mrs. Purva who had talked to her knew their family condition, and knew that this is not going to be
easy for Miss Josephine as well as Aayushi. So she decided to visit them. After having a double shift,
she gathered some time from her sleep schedule to visit them. She had already communicated to
Miss Josephine that, she is going to visit them at late night, and she also apologized to her for this
odd timing, but Miss Josephine didn’t give too much attention to her, as if she had lost her senses.
That night Purva visited her, she rang the doorbell, Miss Josephine invited her in and they both took
their seat on the couch in the hall.

***

Purva was facing difficulty in starting the conversation, but she started speaking, ‘No matter how
much a person tries to convince you, but when you lose someone you love, it feels heavy on the
heart, even after years.’

Miss Josephine, ‘How can you say so, Miss. Have you ever lost someone you love?’

‘Miss Josephine, Actually I lost my husband last year.’(Purva in a caring voice.)

‘Oh, I am sorry, Mrs. Purva.’

‘Miss, we were a similar couple like Mr. Samar and Mrs. Minakshi, who were working at Aarogya
Hospital, and because of this similarity, we became friends with them. We often used to do lunch
together and share our experiences.’

Purva continued, ‘But unfortunately, last year my husband left me because of a brain haemorrhage.’

‘Oh, I am sorry, Mrs. Purva. I shouldn’t have taken you the wrong way earlier.’

‘When I was facing hard times in my life, Mrs. Minakshi and Mr. Samar supported me. They were both
excellent surgeons and a good person as well, and they guided me out of that face that time. So
now, it’s my duty, to support you and Aayushi.’

(Miss Josephine was facing a hard time, and therefore she was unable to decide whether to put trust
in the lady)
‘I appreciate your efforts, Mrs. Purva, but we have just met. How can I put so much responsibility on
you? I am sure we will find the way out. And also the pandemic has not been dealt with yet, you are
required there, Miss.’

(A wise man said, ‘Beaten one is more vulnerable.’)

(Purva sensed the feeling of insecurity in Miss Josephine, and she could very well understand it. Miss
Josephine was not the only one, while working on the frontline; she used to see lots of people losing
their loved ones. And during this time the decision-making ability of a person is affected the most
and deciding, ‘whom to trust’ becomes very difficult.

She wanted to convince Miss Josephine anyway, so she changed the direction of the conversation.)

‘Miss Josephine, does the family have any relatives? Do they know about this?’

‘Actually, My Lady and Sir were both single child and their parents passed away years ago. So the
only successor remaining in the family is Aayushi.’

‘I understand your feelings, miss. By the way, where is Aayushi, Is she alright?’

‘Yes, Mrs. Purva, She is fine.’

‘Please don’t mind Miss, but do Aayushi know about this.’

(Miss Josephine has not told Aayushi about this. She still believed that her parents are doing overtime
at the hospital.)

‘No, Mrs. Purva, I haven’t told her yet, and I think she should not be informed about this, she is just
nine. She will not be able to deal with this situation.’

‘Her ability to deal with the situation doesn’t change anything Miss, I understand your concern, but
one day or another, she has the right to know it.’

(Miss Josephine became possessive for a while)

‘Listen, Mrs. Purva, I respect your feelings, but right now, I don’t think it fit to tell Aayushi anything
about it.’

‘Ok, but what are you going to say to her?’

‘I am sorry Miss, but that is not your concern.’

Purva got irritated because of Miss Josephine’s over-possessive behaviour and spoke in a loud
appealing voice,’ Why don’t you try to understand Miss, She is their daughter, And she has every
right to know that her parents have left her.’

Both were involved so much in their conversation that they didn’t notice Aayushi entering the room;
she was searching for Miss Josephine, but unfortunately, she heard the words of Purva loud and clear.
Just after this event, the room was filled with dead silence, which remained for a few seconds. Miss
Josephine broke the silence,

‘Aayushi Dear, please go to your room, I am coming.’

Aayushi,’ Miss Josephine, what is this aunty saying?

Miss Josephine interrupted,’ nothing dear, she is not talking about us. Please go in your room, I am
just coming.’

Miss Josephine was very disappointed. Even Purva felt sorry for the mistake she has made. After a
while, she left with a request that whenever they need help that can contact her. But Miss Josephine
was more concerned about handling Aayushi. She walked into her room.

‘What are you doing dear, why aren’t you asleep yet.’

‘Miss, who was that aunty, was she talking about mummy-papa?’

‘I told you already Aayushi….she was not talking about them.’

‘She was looking like a doctor, does she know about mummy-papa?’

‘Yes dear, she is working at the same hospital where your mummy-papa works, they know each
other.’

‘Miss Josephine, that aunty was saying that mummy-papa have left, where are they gone?’

‘Aayushi, I how many times I have to say that she was not talking about us.’ (Miss Josephine was
about to lose her temper)

Miss Josephine calmed down continued, ‘Aayushi your mummy-papa are at the hospital, so please
don’t worry and sleep my child.’
‘Ok, but I want to talk to mummy-papa, please call them Miss.’

Miss Josephine in a gentle voice, ‘Aayushi, my dear, it's already 12’ O Clock, they were being tired
after lots of work, please sleep; we will talk to them later.’

Saying this, Miss Josephine left the room, ensuring Aayushi gets asleep. Few minutes passed, Aayushi
was lying on the bed but was unable to fell asleep. Her mind was convinced by whatever Miss
Josephine said, but her heart was not. She was still worried about her mummy-papa. She took a few
more minutes and failed to get asleep.

Finally, she decided to draw a new painting. She turned on the lights and pulled out the sketchbook,
this time the sketchbook was the one that her papa gave her, she hasn’t tried it yet believing it to be
normal, but some part of her wanted to believe that this book is real, and have the power that her
father told that time. So for the first time, she drew in it. While drawing it, she was more dedicated
and focused than ever. It took almost 3 hours to complete the painting. When finally Aayushi was
satisfied, she went to bed and gone asleep.

***

The next day, Miss Josephine came to her room as it was 10 in the morning and Aayushi didn’t come
for the breakfast. When she entered her room, she found Aayushi was still sleeping, and she was
holding a sketchbook. The colours, pencil, and other stationery were lying all over her bed. Miss
Josephine figured out why she was still asleep. She gently pulled the sketchbook out of her hands
and opened it. There was only one painting in the whole sketchbook. When she saw it, her hands
became heavy. The tears came running down her cheeks. She immediately came close to Aayushi,
raised her gently, and hugged her.

This was the painting of Manali, where all four of them were enjoying their weekend as promised her
by Papa.’

Thank You for your Time and Effort