Anatomy part 2 exam was on Tuesday and I was doing frantic last minute revision.
Shylaja was writing the part 1 Anatomy today and Aparna was with the Tamilian students. I was glad that nobody was in my room. At least I could study peacefully.
I looked at the clock. It was almost 11 Am. I only had 21 hours more! and I had so much to study. I looked at the previous years question papers. I tried to answer the questions and calculated my total marks. I only got 38! There was no way I would pass the exams!
I cursed myself for wasting my time. I should have kept the dream weaving away untill the exams are over. Now I will have to rewrite the exams 6 months later.
No. I told myself. I will not repeat the test. I must pass the exam. There was no way I want to study Anatomy again. I took my book and started to read again.
“Hey Nina, guess what? Princy just passed away” Anitha pushed my room door and shouted. I was laying down and studying anatomy. It took me a couple of seconds to understand exactly what Anitha was saying
“What?” I got up from my bed and asked Anitha
“Princy just passed away. I am serious” I looked at her face. She was smiling. Why does she smile after telling me such a terrible news? There is no way Bangalore university would postpone the exam because the principal of one medical college passed away, So why is she smiling.
Soon more students from the other rooms too started to come to my room after hearing Anitha screaming about Princy’s sudden death.
“What is going on?” I asked Anitha
“I was at the office getting my hall ticket. The father of one of the students came to the office to meet the Princy. Vice-princy was in the office and he saw Princy’s car passing by and he told the father of student
“Oh! Princy just passed away”
“Oh my goodness! then what happened?”
“The father left quickly, so the vice-princy won’t see him laughing and fail his son!”
“Did you hear what he told to Abhinav few months ago?” One of the girls asked
“What did he say?” All of us were eager to know
“Abhinav’s sister was getting married, so he wanted to take 5 days off. He went to the vice-princy to get his leave letter signed and the vice-princy asked him
“What man! I didn’t go for my own wedding and you want 5 days off for your sister’s wedding?”
Everyone started to laugh and soon everyone was in my room. Some were sitting on my bed, some were sitting on Aparna’s and Shylaja’s bed. I looked at the clock.Almost 12. Time was flying and I had so much to study.
“Hey guys, Did you know once Vice-princy saw some seniors walking in the campus at night and he told them
“Don’t circulate in the campus, go and rotate in the library” Another girl spoke
“No way. How can he say that?” someone else spoke
“He did, the same way he said certain diseases can be transmitted by animals like rats and mangoes”
“Mangoes?” Everyone asked
“Mongoose! He was reading from the text book and read mangoes instead of Mongoose!”
I was laughing so much that my tummy was hurting. It was nice to laugh. But I needed to study.
“Come on guys, Can we do this later? I need to study” I spoke
“Oh” Anitha wasn’t pleased
“Come on guys, let us go to my room” I knew from the facial expression of all the girls that they hated me. But I wanted to pass the exam. I didn’t have any time to waste.
Little while later, I heard the postman ringing his cycle bell. I was waiting for my father’s letter and draft. But I didn’t want to waste my time and go and get the letter from the postman. I can always pick up the letter later, when I go for lunch.
I could hear people talking and there were lot of din outside the corridor. Then I heard someone speaking my name. May be Appa send a registered mail?
I got up and opened my room door. Everyone was staring at me. I noticed that all the girls had an envelope in their hand. As soon as they saw me, everyone started to walk away. I saw Anitha standing near the hostel entrance holding a piece of white paper
“What is it Anitha?” I asked her
“Oh nothing Nina” She tried to hide the paper inside her text book. I walked up to her and snatched the book from her hand and took the piece of paper.
I read the title
Sexual escapades of Nina Thomas.
I felt my breath was getting stuck in my throat. My chest felt like it was exploding.
I read the letter
How many of you knew that Nina Thomas moonlights as a high class prostitute? How does she pass the exam, if she never attended any classes? She was sleeping with all her professors. In fact she even got pregnant and had an abortion at Dr. D.G’s nursing home.
I didn’t want to read anymore. I ran to my room. I couldn’t think. I had to get out. I took my bag and started to pack my clothes. Aparna and Shylaja came to the room. They didn’t say anything. They just watched me silently. I wished they would talk to me. I wished they would tell me that they believed in me. But I knew they didn’t. There was nothing I could do to convince them either. I saw my senior Sumi entering my room
“Where are you going Nina?” She asked
“Home” I spoke
“You are not going anywhere. You have an exam tomorrow.” She snatched my bag from my hand.
“Give me back my bag” I screamed
“Nina, you will not give up on your life, just because some idiot send a letter. Do you understand that”
I didn’t understand that. I was beginning to hyperventilate.
I could hear Sumi shouting to Aparna and asking her to run to the hospital and get Valium. I wanted to run. I wanted to escape. I didn’t want to live anymore. Me a prostitute? How can I live anymore if people think that I am a prostitute? Shylaja was standing near the door
“Move, let me go” I started to push and punch Shylaja.
I don’t remember what happened next.
When I woke up, Sumi was sitting next to me.
Why is she sitting on my bed? I looked at the clock. It was 7 pm. Oh my goodness. I have exams tomorrow. I got up quickly.
“How are you feeling Nina” Sumi asked
Why is she asking me questions like that? Oh my goodness, the letter,the letter that said I had an abortion and I passed the exams because I slept with my professors!
I started to cry.
“Nina, don’t cry. Relax. Please don’t cry.” Sumi spoke
I jumped out of the bed and ran towards the door. I tried to open the latch. I couldn’t open the door. My room was locked from outside. I was so mad at Sumi. I was about to scream at her when Sumi grabbed my hand.
“Please Nina,listen to me. If you run now, whoever send the letter would be laughing. Because they got what they want”
“Do you think I care? Open my door” I started to yell and bang the door
Sumi pushed me on to my bed
“Listen to me Nina Thomas. You are not a quitter. You will fight. You understand that”
I didn’t understand that. All I knew was my life was over. sooner or later Sumi would leave my room. Then I will cut my wrist. May be I will hang myself on the fan. I didn’t want to live anymore. I needed to buy time. I needed Sumi to know that everything is ok. I stopped crying. I heard someone knocking my door and sumi got up to stand near the door, so I won’t be able to run out. I could hear someone opening the lock from outside. Sumi was looking at me. Aparna walked inside holding a plate of rice and curry.
“Eat your food” Sumi ordered
“No, I don’t want”
“You will. You won’t have any strength to write the exam tomorrow”
I didn’t respond. Tomorrow my body will be ready for burial. I don’t need any strength to kill myself.
Sumi sat on my bed.
“Aparna give me your pillow” She ordered
Aparna placed the plate on the table and got her pillow and gave it to Sumi
“Lift your head” Sumi ordered
I didn’t want to fight with her, so I did. Sumi placed the pillow under my head and made me sit up.
“Open your mouth” She took the plate from the table and started to feed me.
My last meal was Rice and sambhar. I always loved Sambhar. How lucky I am today!
“enough” After eating couple of mouths of food I spoke
“Ok” Sumi kept the plate away
“Nina, do you want me to give you a valium injection or do you want to take a tablet?”
I didn’t want to be knocked out again. I needed to be awake so I can kill myself.
“I will take the tablets” I whispered
“here. i give you two tablets. Tell you what, you read your books and around 9.30 take the tablets. That will allow you time to revise and you can wake up with a clear head”
“Ok. Thanks Sumi”
“Nina, I have exams next week. I need to go and study. Promise me, you won’t do anything stupid”
“I promise. Thanks Sumi” I smiled
“You know Nina, you always have a smile”
I didn’t reply. I heard Sumi talking to Aparna and asking Aparna not to leave me alone in the room. I knew Aparna sleeps like a log. So I planned to wait for her to go to bed!
I didn’t even bother to read my books. Why should I waste my time reading, when I am going to kill myself in a short while?
I thought of the letter.
Who could have send it? There was only one person who knew I went to Dr.DG’s clinic. Only Arjun knew. My goodness, that bastard did this to me? How could he do this to me? I thought I was like a family to him.
then it occurred to me, I can prove that I didn’t have an abortion at Dr.DG”s clinic. The doctor’s note clearly mentioned that I need hormonal test for Menorrhagia. You can’t be pregnant and menorrhagic at the same time. I got up from my bed and ran to my desk. I opened the drawer to look for the Dr. DG’s report.
Then it all came to me.