She eyed her
pen warily. What a formidable weapon it was!
So powerful! It could make or
break her protagonists' worlds. On
second thoughts, it was her fertile imagination at work. Well then, if it was really so capable of
conjuring images and events, why couldn’t it envisage even a shred of what her
lover Norman looked like? Why was it
utterly quiet on that front? Surely her personal life merited its attention
too?
That question
brought her back to Arnold. They were to
visit the psychiatrist the next day. She
shivered in anticipation of the visit.
This would be her first visit to a ‘shrink’ as people often jokingly
referred to a psychiatrist. Would her
sessions with him reveal any insight into the vagueness of her memory and
dredge memories about Norman? If so, how soon?
She wondered
about when Norman would be able to join her and whether his ex-wife Nancy would
recover from her fatal illness. She said
a quick prayer to heal Nancy as quickly as possible or to at least make life
pleasant for her in her last moments, if at all, she was destined to die
soon! She felt great empathy for that
unknown lady. She even admired Norman
for being such a sensitive human being.
Imagine leaving
all your current responsibilities for an ex-wife whom one had not even seen
since 20-25 years. She doffed her hat
off to him, mentally. Yes, surely he was
a fine person and she couldn’t wait to meet him. She decided to call him the next day in the
evening, after her return from the psychiatrist’s office. Surely nothing could prevent her from
reaching out to him!
She laughed as
she realized that she could’ve done it earlier too. But she guessed that every thing had a time
and place, pre-destined in life. She felt
very light-hearted and happy and decided to turn in for the night in that
relaxed state of mind. She slept very
peacefully that night; the last thought before sleep took over being, things
would get sorted out nicely in the coming days.
She had no cause to worry!
The next day
she woke up, bright and fresh. She
dressed up in a grey and pink flower-patterned dress, gathered all her hair
to one side, so that it fell behind her right ear, wore dainty pink pearls in
her ears, sprayed a mild perfume on and hummed a pleasant tune as she did her
chores and waited for Arnold. She didn’t
feel as though she was going to visit a psychiatrist. She felt as if she was going out on a
date. It was ridiculous but true. She had made a light lunch of salmon
sandwiches, salad and dessert of rich chocolate pudding (her secret recipe);
for both of them.
When he came in
at 12.30 p.m., he sniffed appreciatively, complimented her effusively about her
graceful attire (till she blushed) and ate with her, conversing wittily about
this and that, till it was time to leave.
When she sat
beside him in his car, he saw a slightly nervous look in her blue-grey eyes and
placed his hand over hers, before starting to drive. She saw a calm confidence in his eyes coupled
with affection and she relaxed and started enjoying the long 2 hour drive.
Dr. Benedict
Hussey was a tiny man of around 5 feet 2 inches, with a goatee that he kept
touching as he talked in a clipped, yet unhurried tone. He was soft-spoken, yet firm in his manner;
just as a psychiatrist should be, thought Martha. He ‘looked’ experienced and capable. She was confident that he could be her
confidante!
When he had
clasped her hand firmly with his small palm in a handshake, she had been
astonished at its strength, which was very surprising for a man of his
build. His sharp, piercing dark eyes had
looked straight into her blue-grey ones, unflinching and meaning business. Boy,
was Martha glad that Arnold had called him up the previous day and apologized
for cancelling their appointment! Dr.
Hussey looked like a man who’d not like to be messed with. She was sure that he’d brook no
nonsense.
When he
politely asked Arnold to wait outside and urged her gently to relax in her
couch, she realized that she had started imagining him like one of the
characters of her stories. Here he was
the boss! She did as he told her to!
She’d have to be obedient for a change!
She marveled at
the softness of the couch. She already
felt sleepy. As she closed her eyes
slightly, Dr. Hussey started speaking.
“Ms. Peterson, you may relax, but not sleep! We’ve to talk. Can I hear about your problem please?”
Martha jerked
herself awake and started narrating the instances when she had forgotten about
her present or mistaken someone for someone else and her confusion regarding
people, lastly her complete inability to recollect her beau, Norman.
Through her entire narration, the tiny doctor
sat as still as a statue, keenly observing and listening, noting points and
appearing like a sponge that soaked up all the moisture and still sat
upright. When she had nothing more to
say, she fell silent, fascinated by the small and competent-looking man in
front of her. She wondered how he was
going to help her but instinctively knew that he would! He appeared to be one of those persons whom
you could trust your life with!
Dependable and reliable!
“May I suggest Ms. Peterson that your case is
a common one? Such forgetfulness often
happens with people who are overworked or who multi-task to save time. For starters, I’d suggest that you go slow
with your rigid routine and involve yourself in outdoor exercises and games and
be more sociable. Loneliness can
kill! Ask me. I feel lonely when I’m at home. I’m happy only when I’m helping my
patients. They are my family and all
that I have. Now you are a part of my
family too. Ah, yes, please stop writing
that novel of yours, for some months. In
fact, stop writing for some days and come into the real world for a
change. I’m sure that it’ll do wonders
for you!”
Martha and
Arnold left the clinic in a positive frame of mind, joking and laughing like
true buddies. Arnold urged her to have
coffee and pastries at a nearby cafe and then left her home.
To be continued.....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
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