Sadashiv was rudely shaken when, at 9.30 in the night, his wife said she had ‘messed it up’.
‘Why, what happened?’
‘Did you buy the pills?’
‘Which ones?’
‘Why are you asking such silly questions? The ones I take every day.’
‘Oh. So now you remember!’
‘I completely forgot, you know.’
‘Madam, all the shops will be closed now.’
They were silent for a while.
‘There is one possibility. Why don’t you ask Dr Palekar? He may have some samples left behind by medical representatives.’
The suggestion made sense. He would have to go to the doctor’s house. But he wasn’t sure whether the doctor would be at home. He had a habit of going out every evening to watch a movie or play cards with his friends. But he had to take the chance. Unfortunately, the doctor was not at home. Sadashiv came back to find his dear friend Narvekar and his wife waiting for him.
Narvekar lived well, with a furnished bungalow and a car. He had a beautiful but modest wife. They made a lovely couple and were excellent friends.
They didn’t have any children despite being married for fourteen years. They’d gone through a lot of mental trauma trying to have a baby. They would come over to Sadashiv’s house whenever they felt like it, and would shower their love on his children in an attempt to fill the void in their lives.
The moment Sadashiv stepped into the house, Narvekar said,
‘Welcome. I’ve come here to greet you at this late hour!’
‘Why don’t you ask Bhauji* what he was doing out so late?’ his wife said, nudging him.
‘Did Vimal not say anything?’
‘They just came in a few moments ago.’
Sadashiv plonked himself on the sofa with a loud sigh. Looking at Vimal, he said,
‘The doctor wasn’t home.’
‘What happened? Why do you need a doctor? I hope the children are fine?’
‘Everyone is fine.’
‘Then why do you need a doctor?’
Vimal was desperately trying to gesture to Sadashiv to say nothing, but the Narvekars saw her signals, which made things awkward.
‘Vahini,* why do you hesitate? You can be candid.’
Realizing that there was no point in trying to hide the obvious, Sadashiv said,
‘We needed a doctor for Vimal.’
‘Why, what happened?’
‘She has been having intermittent spasms in her back for the past two months. If they start now, she won’t be able to sleep the whole night.’
Sadashiv was lying through his teeth to save her the embarrassment.
‘Oh, I see! We had no idea. You never told us,’ Mrs Narvekar said.
‘What’s the point of talking about such trivial problems? These things keep happening.’
‘But why do you need a doctor?’
‘We needed the medicine, but then realized all the shops would be closed. I thought I would ask the doctor.’
‘Tell me the name of the medicine. We may have it at home,’ Narvekar said casually.
Sadashiv and Vimal looked at each other. They were in a spot.
‘Tell me,’ Narvekar repeated.
‘You won’t have it. It’s next to impossible to find.’
‘Arre baba, why don’t you try? There is a chance.’
There was no way Narvekar would have the pills that Sadashiv and his wife needed. Obviously, Sadashiv couldn’t tell his friend that. But now he was insisting on knowing the name of the medicine. Luckily, Narvekar did not persist. He said,
‘Come. I’ve found a way to get you the medicine. There’s a chemist in Bombay Central. His shop is open night and day.’
‘Bombay Central? That’s really far.’
‘Nothing is far when you have a car. Come, I’ll take you there.’
‘Arre, but…’
‘No buts. Hop into the car. We can’t have your wife suffering the whole night.’
Sadashiv went into the kitchen, followed by Vimal.
‘Now we’re in a fix,’ she said.
‘Don’t worry. I won’t allow him to get out of the car. That way you’ll be saved any embarrassment.’
Narvekar shouted from the living room,
‘Vahini, don’t feel embarrassed. It’s no trouble at all. Sadashiv, come on.’
‘Bhauji, at least have a cup of coffee before you go.’
‘You get better first. Then we’ll come for a meal.’
They left in Narvekar’s car.
Sadashiv was lost in contemplation. He was touching forty and likely to be promoted to head clerk next month. And here he was, travelling with his dear friend to find contraceptive pills, while this same friend was trying out various methods to get his wife to conceive. Both Narvekar and his wife were good people, always helping others. But they’d not been able to have a child of their own. This twist of fate – it was ironic, Sadashiv thought.
The owner of the car he was travelling in had been struggling for years to have a baby. Was he being cruel?
‘Arre baba, why are you so worried?’ Narvekar interrupted his thoughts. ‘She will get well soon.’
Sadashiv felt like he was cheating the poor soul. It wasn’t right. But now he was stuck with his lie.
Getting out of the car near the shop, Sadashiv said, ‘No need to get down. I’ll be back in a moment.’
The shop was half open, and a man with thick-rimmed spectacles dangling from the edge of his nose sat at the counter. He was busy scribbling something in a notebook.
‘Excuse me…’ Sadashiv said, tapping at the window. The man looked up.
Sadashiv told him the name of the medicine. The man gestured to him to wait and went to the shelves. He searched for a while and came back with a packet. But he didn’t hand it over, and instead stretched his hand out.
Sadashiv took out a ten-rupee note. The man said,
‘You can pay later. I need the prescription first.’
Now that was a problem.
‘I’m not carrying the prescription.’
‘Then come tomorrow.’
‘Sir, we’ve been taking this medicine for the past two years.’
‘It’s possible.’
‘What do you mean, it’s possible? I buy it regularly.’
‘I’m not denying that.’
‘We are in trouble. Please help.’
‘Get the prescription and take the medicine. We are open twenty-four hours for your service.’
‘I’ll have to go back home to get the prescription.’
‘That’s okay. We’ll be open.’
‘We’ll have to trouble the doctor.’
‘That’s what he’s paid for.’
‘Please…’
‘Don’t waste my time. Get the prescription first.’
‘Why don’t you believe me? No one takes contraceptive
