'Are you sure, Rhea?' asks my
mother.
'Of course I'm. Survival of the
fittest, mother. I'm not going against Darwin. Also I don't want unnecessary
scars on my body.'
It's a known fact that we are all
born to die. And frankly, I don't understand why it has to be made into such a
big deal. If it were not for my mother I would have said that to the bunch of
people outside my house, some of them with young kids, shouting slogans, waving
placards, literally wanting me to cut one of my beating hearts out. "Save
A Life. Donate!" they shout.
For someone who is one in
billions, 7.125 billion to be exact, I expect to be treated better. Scientists
are still befuddled regarding my condition that gave me two hearts in my
mother's womb. But years of research and sticking needles into me have led them
nowhere, and they have labelled me as a freak mutation. It's so rare -
literally one in all humankind - that they didn't even name the anomaly (as
they call it, I will call it awesomeness). I wanted to name the condition
myself, something on the lines of Rhea's Heartsawesome but the doctors aren't
thrilled with the suggestion. Instead they want to cut one of them out and save
a life. Huh?
An IQ of 180, increased
concentration, exceptional athleticism and a phenomenal metabolism rate - are
just the few boring benefits of an increased blood circulation. Why would I
ever give that up?
My mother has kept her gaze on
me.
“Moreover, I refuse to be their
Guinea Pig anymore.” Unsure of what my mother’s gaze mean, I said adherently to
put forth my decision.
Thankfully at this time my cell
phone rings. My phone is kept on the centre table of our sofa and the five and
a half inch odd screen is quite visible to her. The caller’s identity is on the
screen and it reads “Dracula”. I didn’t pick the phone.
“Who is this Dracula, darling?” She
asks smiling.
“The hospital guys, who else?
Every time I am there, they insert needles of different size and shape and take
my blood and tissues out.” I said sarcastically.
“What is this call for?”
“They had an appointment with me
today and so they must be calling for confirmation from their Guinea.”
“That’s ok, Rhea. Take the call
and tell them what you have to say.” This was so assuring of her.
I know she is with me and I have
her consent. The phone rings again and this time I pick it up to answer
Dracula.
“I wold appreciate if you cancel
this appointment.”
“All right, which next date you
would like to have?”
“Well, I will call and fix up
myself.”
“But Rhea, you know your doctor is
not available all the time. Would you like me to give you dates when he is
available, so that you could plan accordingly?”
“I am sort of busy now, I will
call back myself.”
I cut the unnecessary commercial
discussions short. Anyway, now that I have made my decisions and I know that my
mother is with me, all this was useless. I wonder why she is always with me.
“Hm, Bye Mom! I will see you in
the evening.” I pushed myself hurriedly toward the main door.
“Rhea, we need to discuss on this
honey.”
“Yes Mom, we will keep on
discussing this whenever you would like.” I rushed back and hugged her and
again rushed towards the door. I just want to be out. I am feeling too light
today. I have never felt like this before. I feel I have many more hearts
pumping. I want to fly, I want to be with flowers, trees, sun everything. I am
feeling bliss”.
“Beware Rhea, they are still
outside.”
“Don’t worry mom! I am not going
to mess with them.” I raise both my arms in assurance and with her smile I open
the door.
"Save A Life. Donate!" the
sound became louder and they try to encircle me.
I kept my head low and pushed myself
ahead out of the crowd. I wanted to say a lot of things to them but I kept
silent for the sake of my dearest darling, my Mom. I would have said “I want
you to suggest me why shall I let one of my beating hearts being cut out. It is
only a couple of days when I read the news that a man was slapped a bill of
Twenty Five Lacks of Rupees for his heart transplant. TWENTY FIVE LACKS! It is
freaking when thousands are dying for not having their basic necessities meet.
The one who has donated his heart, which is now beating in this man, has given
it out of compassion and your people have made a business out of it. Does he or
the team that has transplanted know how many more days it is going to beat? May
be a day or for another hundred years. How does that matter? Life and death
both are immaterial, what is important is the deed and to do a deed; that
matters to mankind, one need not keep on living in his temporal body for years.
You should have been there with your placards. But no, you are here. I am not
here for business of yours people. I have my business to do for which HE has
sent me here. Excuse me till I am alive. Do whatever you want or take whatever
you need after I am dead. Tear my body, burn it or bury it, but till I am alive
let me be with what I have. It has been enough for me with scissors and
needles.”
A few minutes’ walk and the shouting
are gone. I can now go wherever I want. “Where shall I go? Ah, let me first
have some time to think where to go. Yes, I need some time after all these
years. I have been alive all these years and now I have to live. A coffee will
help.”
There is a park on the opposite
side of the coffee house. By my last sip, I knew I want to spend my time; at
least for today, at this park with nature breathing some fresh air and enjoying
my new found freedom.
I crossed the road and started
spending time with lush green grass, green and red leaved trees, flowers and
birds. I started imitating birds’ voices and without realising I started to
sing. I am finding rhythm in everything. Some people around were laughing and
some smiling at me but I couldn’t see them. I was inside me. There is nothing
but music all around and I could feel the entire universe inside me.
Suddenly I
realise that there is someone else with me, inside this internal Universe.
He is a lanky guy with slightly
pigmented complexion. Among all he is different as he is also immersed in his
own self. He is wearing a beatific smile and he is muttering something. At
times he is raising his hands and with hands he opens his eyes. I could see
epicanthic fold in his eyes that are making it appear small and slightly tilted.
I could also mark his shoulders slightly slanting towards his front. He is sitting alone on one of the benches in
the park and there is lot of space to adjust two more people. Something inside
me stirred and induced me to go and occupy the same bench.
“Hi”
“Hi”
“Rhea”
“Rehan”
“We are sounding similar names.”
I said.
“Yes, with some juggling in your
letters and adding one more for me.” He smiled.
“I am impressed with your sense
of humour.”
“Really, but I am not supposed to
have this.”
“WHAT and why?” I was surprised
to my wits by his answer.
“Because I am not like you, I am
a mutation as they say.”
“The Freaking Mutation you mean
to say, in which something either is increased or decreased!”
“Yes, how do you know?”
“Alas! I thought I am the only
one.”
“What has gone increased or
decreased in you?”
“Oh! I am an increased case. I
have two hearts.”
“Oh! I too am an increased case.
I have forty seven chromosomes instead of forty six.”
“WOW, Wow, wow! So we can be
friends.”
He shakes my hand in the gesture
of friendship. His touch mesmerised me not because it is the first time I am
touching a male but because of his extremely soft hand, caring touch and
honesty in his touch. I am a woman and so I am gifted with the sense of touch.
We kept on chatting for long when he says
“It is getting late. We must go.
It is not safe these days, especially for women and that too when you are a
freaking mutation.”
“Are we meeting tomorrow?”
We decide on time and we left for
our home. I am feeling elated today. I have got the newly find freedom, dealt
with the resistance successfully and met a friend today. What a day! I feel
like calling this day as “the day of liberation”.
Mom was sitting at the same place
when I entered my home. She reads my smile on my lips and a blissful peace on
my forehead and sighs.
“Good evening, Rhea. Did you have
something to eat?”
Now I remember what I was
forgetting the whole day. It was The Food. Mom brings me the food and we sit
together on the dining table.
“So Rhea ….”
“I know mother what you want to
talk about but can you give me a few days?”
Days kept on passing, Rehan and I
kept on meeting on regular basis. I have found him to be loving and honest
person who belongs to a well-educated and reputable family. This was the same park but another morning
and we are sitting on the same bench.
“What they call your mutation, Rehan?”
“Doctors and Scientists call it
Trisomy 21 and common people call it Down Syndrome.”
“And yours, what do they call?”
“They failed to name mine one so
I named it myself. I call it awesomeness. Isn’t it great? Trisomy 21! Down
Syndrome! How boring. Why don’t you name it something interesting, Rehan?
Suddenly there was a glow on his
face and he became excited like a child “Yes, I will call it wholesomeness.”
“Wow! Now it is interesting.
Awesomeness and wholesomeness! We both have something extra which no one else
has.”
I see his glow waning and sadness
wearing his eyes.
“I wish, I did not have this extra.
I could also have been like others. The normal ones.” He continues “You know
Rhea, The doctors and scientists wanted me to be killed when I was in the womb.
They had their fear of my having severe heart problems, growth problems and
mental retardness. But my parents held on. The school I was admitted in threw
me out as they felt I needed special attention and the speciality school I was
admitted in did not give any attention on me. I have seen my parents’ breaking
down every now and then but they never gave up. They had their faith in me. My
father took me to another country, by joining a low ranked job, just to give me
what I deserved, rather needed. There I got it, my education, not the way these
normal people get it but the special way.”
I sensed his confidence getting
low and I intervened “And you became an accountant today. Moreover, now you
have got your first acting assignment in the commercial movie and you have
received in numerous awards. So, where is your metal retardness and what about
your heart?”
“Right, they know intelligence
and map IQ but they know nothing about multi – intelligence.”
“Can you list me some other
mesmerising downsides of your mutation?”
“I have mild hypotonia and I have
learning disabilities, as they call it. My heart didn’t develop any serious
conditions as per their expectation.”
“So what did they say then?”
“They said, they don’t know.
Everyone is different and they cannot predict anything. What they know is that
we have some extra chromosomes and then they have some statistics of theirs.
Every case is being added in this statistics making them even more confused.
You know Rhea, we are mere Guinea Pig for them.”
“Bang on, Rehan! This is what I
want you to understand. They think that this freaking mutation is happening
for the first time as either they have their eyes closed or they pretend the
same. Mutation is rule of change and advancement. From gargantuan they became
humans as they appear today. Being insecure with our development, Huh! They
fear dissimilarities. Fear of unknown. How unromantic of them! They are content
of seeing similarity day in day out.”
I am
seeing his confidence coming back to him and I continued.
“You
want to see freedomness, oceanness, boundrylessness, liberationness and many others?”
Come with me. I hold him by his hands and almost drag him. We board an auto –
rickshaw and reached “The Happening”. This is one society where I am found when
not with Mother and Rehan. We are nurturing and nourishing our kinds of people who
all call mutation without extracting them economically.
“You
know Rehan, 1 out of 66 births in the world today is Autism, 1 out of every 700
births in USA only is Trisomy 21 and that too after senseless abortions, then
there is cerebral palsy, Monogenic, Thalassaemia, Fragile X Syndrome and many more that they
know. Then there are many like me who they still don’t know. Here, we have
given ourselves our own names. Will you be my partner in helping them attain
their mutational maturity where they learn to overcome their so called
weaknesses and form a new world within this world, through my intelligence and
your heart?”
I see Rehan
resurrecting and feel as if he is naming this moment as “The Awakening”.
“Rhea, they
say my mutation is Infertile and …..”
I hold his
hand hard and kiss him on his lips. He is melting. My mother and others watch
the breeze going serene, birds being stagnant, music flowing in the universe,
the sky and the entire galaxy becoming witness to this moment. Our matter is
melting. He kisses me tongue to tongue and everyone witnesses new mutation
happening. Matter is dissolved and ethereal molecules are mingling to generate
one entity. Awesomeness and wholesomeness are becoming one. Here up-rises a
bold and beautiful “The One”. Half part female and half male in one. Rhea and Rehan!
“Ardhnareeshwar”.
Utpal Kant Mishra
Mumbai
Disclaimer: This write has been written on a prompt given by another Author. First few lines till "Why would I ever give it up?" is the prompt. Further, this write is a work of pure fiction.
