A few days later, Abhi was in the middle of a lengthy operation. Tulasi sat nearby, diligently writing case sheets. Suddenly, a strikingly beautiful girl, clad in a sleeveless blouse and short shorts, arrived, asking for "Dr. Abhi". Tulasi glanced up, surprised.
The Head Nurse, seeing the girl, quickly looked around, then took her hand and led her into a room, closing the door behind them. A little while later, she emerged.
Shashirekha, who had observed the entire interaction, asked, "Who was that, Sister? Dr. Abhi's relative?".
The senior nurse merely smiled, shaking her head in a negative. As she started to walk away, Shashirekha stopped her. "Who was she?" she pressed again.
The nurse looked at her as if to say, "Why do you care?".
Shashirekha then took Tulasi's hand. "Look, this is Dr. Abhi's assistant. She needs to know, right? Tell Tulasi who she was," Shashirekha urged.
The nurse then leaned in and whispered something into both their ears. Both Tulasi and Shashirekha stared, mouths agape, completely shocked.
"What? Is she that type?" Shashirekha asked, astonished. Tulasi was too stunned to comprehend. "Yes, isn't she beautiful?" another nurse chimed in.
"Oh, so that's how they are."
"Oh my God, does Dr. Abhi have this habit too? Since when?" Shashirekha pressed. Tulasi, meanwhile, couldn't utter a single word. She felt like she was struck by lightning.
"It's been five years since I joined, and he already had this habit then," the nurse explained. "She doesn't usually come here; I don't know why she came today. She's or others usually meet him outside" she added before leaving.
OTHER'S
Around the time the operation concluded, Abhi emerged from the theatre and went directly to his room. Tulasi watched him from behind a wall, a profound sadness washing over her. She simply couldn't bring herself to face him. A short while later, Abhi came out of his room, and the girl was with him. They both walked out together.
Tulasi felt her limbs go numb for a moment. "Why do I feel this way?" she wondered, a wave of sadness overwhelming her. Unable to bear it, she went home. She cried for what felt like an eternity, feeling profoundly hurt and cheated, though she knew she had no right to feel that way.
'Abhi and that prostitute' the thought of them being together is crushing her heart.
"But I had said no to him, hadn't I?" she reminded herself, referring to her dismissal of the idea of them being husband and wife ,when Abhi teased her as his wife. Yet, the thought of people talking about her and Abhi in such a way, as they are married ..oh no that must not happened, it wont bring any good to him…
She tried to control her tears, but they wouldn't stop.
The image of Abhi leaving with that prostitute stuck in her mind, bringing her unbearable pain.
after crying for hours, she realised, "Oh no, if I don't study, he'll scold me tomorrow," she suddenly remembered, forcing herself to open her book even as she wept. She eventually fell asleep, having eaten nothing. The next day, Tulasi called the hospital to say she was unwell. She truly wasn't feeling well, a slight fever lingering. She returned the day after, still feeling a pang of trepidation at the thought of facing him.
Abhi, who had arrived at his usual time of eleven, saw her and simply asked, "How are you?".
"I'm fine , sir," she replied. He paid no further attention, simply assigning her tasks as usual. Days passed in this routine.
Then, one day, Tulasi practically skipped into the hospital, beaming with joy. "What's with all this happiness today?" Shashirekha asked.
"Today, no operations, no OPs!Iam free" Tulasi declared excitedly.
"What? How so?"
"Today, Dr. Abhijit has a seminar, so I'm completely free!" Tulasi explained.
"Oh, really? I don't have much work either," Shashirekha replied.
"You never have much work, do you, Shashirekha? You've landed a good assistantship under a good doctor. Your work seems fine. You're always enjoying yourself, look at me, I'm like a dried chapati! completely drained of life," Tulasi lamented playfully. Indeed, Tulasi's workload under Abhi was immense, far more than any of her friends ever dealt with.
"Anyway, shall we go to the mall?" Shashirekha suggested.
"Yes, let's go! To the mall, shopping,eating…!" Tulasi eagerly listed off activities.
"Alright, but it's almost time for Dr Abhijit to come, right? You should see him off to the seminar. We'll book a cab immediately and leave," Shashirekha said.
"Okay, done!" they agreed, just as Abhi arrived.
As usual, Tulasi reported the details of the inpatients. "There are no operations today, sir. You have a seminar," she ventured.
"Yes, I know. Come," he replied.
"Sir ?"
"Why are you standing? Come," he insisted.
Tulasi, hoping for an escape, said, "But sir, there are no operations, and it's a seminar, so why do I need to come?".
He simply looked at her with a sharp gaze.
"I mean, sir, I've already studied all those things, haven't I? I've passed the examination. So why do I need to attend the seminar for MBBS students, sir?" Tulasi tried to explain, covering her tracks.
"Yes, that's my problem too. You just passed. Your knowledge is limited to that. Come," he said.
Tulasi bristled with anger. "Demon! Won't you leave me alone even today?" she thought. She walked behind him, subtly miming strangling his neck. Her friends, watching from a distance, chuckled.
"What, aren't you coming?" Shashirekha asked with actions silently.
Tulasi shook her head, still fuming, and mimed punching Abhi from behind. Suddenly, Abhi turned around. Tulasi quickly dropped her hands.
"What are you doing?" he asked seriously.
"Nothing, sir, just flies, sir, flies!" she stammered.
"Do you think I've lost my brain like you, that I'd believe you if you say 'flies'? If you pull any more stunts, I'll make you come on Sundays too!" he warned.
"Oh no, no, sir, please! I won't do any stunts. I'll do exactly as you say. But no Sundays, sir!" she pleaded.
"Walk," he commanded, and started walking.
The seminar hall was enormous, filled with nearly 300 people. The moment Abhi entered, the bustling hall fell silent. After a while, many of the boys and girls gathered around Abhijit, eager to ask questions. However, everyone else in the room seemed to be observing Tulasi. Some of the girls eyed her with undisguised envy. They whispered amongst themselves, "Oh, how lucky this lady doctor is, isn't she? She's always with Abhi Sir. She gets to attend OPs and seminars ,and be with him all day. How lucky!".
Tulasi looked at them with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "Are you all crazy? Do you actually want to come to this hell?" she thought.
After a while, Abhi told them he would address the remaining doubts later, dismissing them. Tulasi called out, "Sir!".
"Go and sit somewhere," he instructed.
"Wicked demon," she thought, as she made her way to the last bench, borrowing a paper and pen from a girl next to her. The class began in pin-drop silence, everyone listening intently. Abhi was an excellent speaker. He explained everything beautifully, not just with theory but with live examples and discussions of new technologies, never straying from the topic, keeping everyone engaged. Tulasi herself was surprised. "Can this subject really be taught so well?" she wondered.
Suddenly, there was a sound. Abhi, who was writing on the board, turned sharply. A boy was doing something under his bench. Abhi hurled a piece of chalk at him. The boy stood up, trying to explain, "Sir, it's just..." but those around him gestured for him to stop. "Get out!" Abhi commanded. The boy tried to speak again, but the others urged him, "Go, go!". Tulasi realised this was a common occurrence all the students are scared of Abhi's wrath.
After a while, the seminar concluded. "Any doubts?" Abhi asked. Just like before, many boys and even more girls swarmed around Abhi, encircling him like "flies around jaggery". Tulasi chuckled. She approached Abhi and asked, "Sir, may I leave?".
"What will you do if you leave? Wait for a bit," he replied, continuing to address the doubts of those around him. Tulasi, her lips in a familiar pout, thought, "What can I do by staying here? Swat flies?". She began to observe Abhi and the students. Abhi, as always, cleared the boys' doubts first, then dismissed them.
Some girls, in their attempts to flirt, asked their questions with exaggerated poses and exaggerated "Sir, this doubt, sir, this doubt!". Abhi, maintaining a serious expression, paid them no mind, which amused Tulasi. Some asked genuine questions, but others asked such nonsensical doubts that Abhi couldn't help but scold them. "Do you even have a brain?" he shouts. To some, he'd ask, "How did you even pass your By.P.C.?". To others, "I taught this last year, have you forgotten it this year? Will you forget what I teach now by next year?".
But with all this, Tulasi is very happy, it's not only her he is scolding, everyone the same way. Thank god she is not the one and only DUMB person in the world as Abhi mentioned she has company, she smiled looking at the girls who are being scolded by Abhi.
Abhi looked at a girl who asked an exceptionally silly doubt. but trying to sustain his anger he asked. "Who was your tenth-grade teacher?" he asked. She gave a name. "Oh, really? Do you know where she lives?" he asked.
"No, sir," she replied.
"Then go find out "
"why, sir? " she asked
"This isn't my syllabus, it's hers!". "Did You really pass tenth grade and came here? Get out!" he thundered. She left, her eyes still fixated on Abhi with admiration.
Tulasi wondered, "What is this madness? Why do they seek out scolding? He doesn't just scold, he uses harsh words. What kind of fun is this for them? "She felt pity at their foolishness.
Yet, some students asked genuinely good questions, and for them, Abhi calmly explained, even drawing diagrams and repeating explanations if they didn't understand. Still, the crowd of girls around Abhi didn't diminish. As one left with a clarified doubt, two more would arrive. Tulasi looked at them, wondering, "Why do they keep coming back just to get scolded? Poor girl's I really pity you all, you all are stuck by his debonair self , doing all these stupid things to get his attention.".
Just then, Abhi looked at her. "Alright, I'll see the remaining doubts in the next class. Let's go," he said, and Abhi and Tulasi left.