Arcadian Romeo… Part – 2

(Recap – In the first part of the story, I mentioned about the ‘fluctuating, emotional deportment’ of of my one cousin brother. We both were of the same age group. He was of the nature to devote his heart, to any young beautiful girl, he came even in slight contact. He could not be categorized under the definition of  a “play boy” or “philanderer’, in fact these terms don’t suit his standing. he was something else, a lover with “moonshine” disposition.)

Owing to his fluctuating, romantic temperament, my this cousin brother failed thrice in tenth grade board examination. Somehow, he managed haltingly to graduate the high school. Further in Intermediate, his this mood again resulted in failing the exam once again, in twelfth class board examination.  But any how, he cleared the intermediate exams with third grade. Till that time, his contemporaries like me, were studying in the final year of the post graduation degree course. That was an old time, often parents in village side were unlettered with a naive mind set. Since parents had lived a life in pursuance to strict ethical norms, never they could imagine of their children deviating from the rightful path. It was their conviction.

Cheating demeanor – Besides, the deviated child like my this cousin brother, never in his demeanor displayed an atom as such. In fact, his father like all other parents was  a strict disciplinarian with a hot head. In that old era, no electricity facility the hinterland village areas availed. At the evening time, all school, college going students happened to go through the “course books,” in the light of faintly  Kerosin oil lit lantern. My this brother too in a sacred ceremonious gesture, daily took sitting with his course books with his head down over the book, staring at something.

The reality, was so confusing to him when going through the book. Apparently, he seemed engrossed into the book. But the reality was, the letters printed on the page, ever seemed like moving worms. Instead, the imaginary picture of some girl, began to appear on the page. The girl, with whom he recently chanced to come across in some function or at some square of the road. Judging his slow pace in the study, after intermediate his father managed to get him employed as an assistant male nurse, with a Medical practitioner  in the city.

Compounder Saheb – This kind of male nurse, in the capacity of assistant to some medical practitioner, were called “Compounder Saheb” in vernacular. It was a prevailing norm at that time, if such a “Compounder Saheb,” regularly worked as an assistant to some recognizes doctor, for more than five years, he could be benefited by that. Often recognized Medical practitioner, after being satisfied with the conduct and sagacity of such “Compounder,” was authorized to issue  a “certification of good experience” for his services.That helped make him eligible to run his own practice as an independent ‘private medical practitioner,’ at some remote place. This was “quack practice” in sooth.

Hurdles emerged  up – But here again, his heart devoting disposition, became a hurdle. Otherwise, in his rest of demeanor, my this cousin brother was an amiable and socially mixing, meek and subdued fellow. He was hard working man when there comes any question at the work front. But, here in his working as a male nurse, two conflicting situations, he was made to face. Both were rather like an ordeal to him. The doctor, in whose clinic he commenced to work as a helper, already had had a beautiful female nurse to assist him. She was already entangled with doctor or doctor was entangled with her, both are the same thing. The doctor had a married status, and as it often happens in such sort of intrigue, everything ran under the shroud of secrecy. The same secrecy too were being observed and followed here.

How could it be possible that my this cousin brother, who was born to ‘surrender always his heart’ to every beautiful woman could remain intact from the female nurse. This was the one facet of the conflicting situation. Another uproarious situation arose by chance. In fact, doctor had no inkling about the propensity of my this cousin. He ever took him as a naive fellow who was a rustic in disposition, and just had landed on his premise. To him he was a harmless creature, as often, at that time, urbane people conjured an image about simpleton villagers.

On one day, in hurry or whatsoever might be reason, doctor missed to get along with him his lunch  box from his home. He deputed my this cousin brother to fetch his lunch box from the house. There, my this brother chanced to look at the youthful, beautiful wife of the doctor. But natural, he was to devote his heart to her either.This conflicting situation of ‘throbbing of heart’ for two beautiful women simultaneously, was so perilous one. Need not to say, it was all one sided. The situation began to show its impact upon his mood.

The contrivance  –  Daily, after finishing his duty when he reached back home, now first he would take his evening meal. After that, on the excuse of evening walk, to digest the meal, he strolled out. In the dark of late evening, finding some boulder in the isolated field, he would begin to sing  sad songs, as a love lorn. All these songs, he had in store of mind from his last so many one sided break ups. Not only this, he too adopted a contrivance. Now he begin to bring fresh green vegetables, fresh milk, home prepared whey etc for doctor daily. It all, apparently was in disguise to display a feeling of being obliged, for the geniality of doctor as his mentor. But it had some far fetched purposes.

To say, this gesture was to please the doctor, who was fond of his subdued, submissive nature. Daily on reaching, at the clinic loaded with such goods, doctor made it mandatory for him to drop first those goods at his place. For some days to come, everything went on properly. But later on, doctor too became suspicious about the ‘lingering time consuming stay’ of my cousin brother, back at the doctor’s house. Otherwise also, doctor by himself was entangled with his female nurse. And this is a fact, people with philandering inclination often develop a propensity, to be overcautious about the women of one’s own family. Besides, he too was scared of his wife being informed about his mysterious entanglement with the nurse. In this type of case, if source of information is insider, it carries a substantial weight.

On one day, doctor himself sneaked up to his house, pretending to collect some important medicines needed at the clinic. It was like an untimely raid. Although he found nothing suspicious there. But to his surprise, there he found my Arcadian romeo ensconced on sofa chair in the drawing room. There, he was cutting fresh vegetables, he had brought, into tiny pieces. This he was doing to help doctor’s wife in preparation of some delicacy. The situation made doctor mumble in resentment inside the heart. But after that, he stopped him delivering goods in his house.

The havoc fell – When, it was the last year of his services; on completion of that, he was to be issued “the certification”, there occurred another issue.  The beautiful female assistant of the doctor made an explosive disclosure. In that disclosure, she complained about the misconduct of the Arcadian Romeo. She alleged that he was badly after her and incessantly trying to woo her for long. In this his malice conduct, he too handed over her about hundred of ‘love letters’ in person. Not only this, to substantiate her allegation, she produced the bundle of ‘love letters’ before the doctor.

Now, just imagine the situation!How come, this be tolerated on the part of the doctor? On one front, finding this Arcadian Romeo assisting the wife somehow could be tolerated but. But the offending deed of seducing his beautiful female assistance, was not the least pardonable! It was an heinous crime in the eyes of the doctor. This made him off the track. But even after that, he was  a doctor of the sophisticated profession, and a sense of geniality he carried in his disposition.

He called for the father of my this cousin brother, gave a warning and at once dismissed him from the service. But a good gestured he displayed, looking at the disappointed face of the father. He issued a “certificate of practice” to my this Arcadian Romeo brother. The certificate might be helpful to commence his practice as a ‘quack’ in the same field, at some place in hinterland. (end of the part-2).  Cont’d… Penned by –Vinay Pharasi