“Hello, Nancy, how are you my dear? I’m sorry that I haven’t called
since quite a while. As usual, I was immersed in my work. Are you feeling
better now? How is your chemotherapy going on? I hope your nurses are properly
tending to you.” On the other end, Nancy couldn’t help but wonder at his
platitudes. Both of them knew that her end was very near but she couldn’t blame
Norman for wanting to be sweet to her. What else could he say, “Good Bye? Have
a safe journey?” She gave a small laugh that Norman knew meant to say, “Come
off it buddy! I am as fine as a corpse in a coffin!”
Still he
valiantly continued in the same vein till she got bored and said, “I’m tired
Norman. Good night.” He knew that he had been dismissed. He was relieved that he
had got that phone call off his chest. It was long overdue. He usually liked to
avoid unpleasant situations. Not that he was averse to handling them, but he
just didn’t have the patience needed to deal with them continually. He was a
very cut and dried person.
He was of
course; sensitive to people's needs but there was only so much that he could do
for anyone! He couldn’t spend all his energies on anyone even close to him.
Hence even with Martha, he was biding time for her to gain her mental
stability. In fact, he had even mentally
decided on a time limit of one year and not a day more! Then he would move on
in life. “Time and Norman don’t wait for anyone” was his favorite motto, tweaked from the original adage 'Time and tide wait for none'!
Sometimes he secretly wondered
why he ever bothered with Martha. Then he would remember her chubby, glowing
face and pleasing demeanor and get his answer. She was worth it. But off late,
she had started testing his patience with her fainting spells and vague
behavior. He surely couldn’t withstand it more than he thought necessary. As it
was, he had lost his cherished long-time associate John, due to her. Ah John,
now that was another cause of concern.
He had rocked the boat by growing
close to Martha, his fiancée! He had even caused her to grow more fearful and
phobic. It remained to be seen that who would ultimately marry Martha, himself
or John? Now that John had decided to shift base to India, he doubted the
second possibility. Martha was a true-blood Brit who wouldn’t ever leave her Motherland.
That left him. But his deadline for her ended in another month! Probably, if
she became well in the next week or fortnight, they could very well be on their
honeymoon thereafter! If wishes were
horses!
Martha was
on cloud nine. She would soon be finishing her disturbing novel that had caused
so much upheaval in her life and start life anew. Who would be her companion in
that new lease of life? She could only wait and watch. She wanted only John D’
Costa as her soul-mate. If wishes were
horses!
Dr. Benedict
Hussey was scheming to have her in his life. He’d have her by hook or by crook!
His nights were spent plotting devious plans to ensnare her attentions. He had
to wean her off John and keep Norman out of the picture. Meanwhile she had to
get her novel out of her system. Life was tangled but he enjoyed challenges.
This case would test his psychology
to the hilt. Martha, dear sweet Martha, I
can’t wait for you to be mine! If
wishes were horses!
He had decided to play on
her psychology to get her. The ball was truly in his court as both Martha and
Norman implicitly trusted him. For the first and last time in his life, he
would betray a client’s trust as everything was fair in love and war. He had
led a very lonely life till then. Surely God had destined him to have Martha
otherwise she wouldn’t have ever walked into his office! Weren’t there ever so
many psychiatrists in town? But she had chosen him and now she had no choice
but to have him as her life-partner!
The next day,
Martha packed a suitcase filled with all the essential things that she’d
require for her week’s sojourn in Dr. Hussey’s house. As she packed in her
black undergarments she blushed at the torrid memory of that day when she had
opened the door for the Doctor dressed in only those items of clothing. She
couldn’t forget his expression, ever! She’d incorporate that scene in her
forthcoming story.
She took her
folder containing all the loose sheets and notepads with her novel written on
them. She had of course, written the page numbers and date of writing on all of
them. She had decided to get them typed later as she always wrote long-hand.
She loved the feel of the pen gliding on paper as the words took shape from her
fertile imagination. Nothing could beat that heady sensation.
As she locked
the gate to the cottage, she looked around her, half-expecting to see that
beefy man peeping from behind a bush or tree. No one was visible. Arnold had
told the body-guards to be off-duty for the next week, on the instructions of
Norman. He was happy that a solution was in sight for curing Martha
permanently. He hadn’t contacted her after Norman’s return from Scotland as he
wanted to keep his distance from her for his peace of mind and for keeping his
marriage intact. He had been getting too attracted to her. He didn’t want to
betray his best friend Norman; hence the self-imposed exile!
As she got into
her car and secured the seat-belt across her chest, she received a message on
her cell-phone. “Please go straight to my apartment. The key is with my
neighbor.” She messaged him in return “Yes Doctor. Thank you.” With that she
was on her way. To freedom! From her worries once for all! Or so she thought!
To be continued....
The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.
