The Adopted Vision

THE ADOPTED VISION


Sanjana sat in the park watching Nayana running around trying to catch dragonflies in the garden. She was jumping in gay abandon. Sanjana looked at her and a smile began to form on her lips. But before the smile could bloom in full, a sigh escaped.
Just then Nayana came running to her, “Mommy see that green dragonfly, she said pointing ahead”.Sanjana tried to look ahead but couldn’t see the dragonfly instead she saw Kumar, laughing, waving at her. How long back was that?. Been two years.
Kumar the loving husband, with his tender manners had been her only friend in life. She had absolutely adored him and felt he was too good to be true. Kumar, the smart savvy debonaire who was the envy of all his friends, as their wives openly swooned over him, but who had his eyes and heart only for his wife, Sanjana or Sanju as he called her.

That fateful night a day after their 2nd Anniversary, he got a call from his CEO, asking him to board a flight to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1lace>Delhi</st1lace></st1:City> as soon as possible to be able to finish a very important project. She didn’t want him to go. The celebrations between them were still on, but he promised to be back soon. He asked her to pack her bags too so that he could leave her at her mothers place for a couple of days. He would never leave Sanjana alone even for a day and on days when travel was imperative he entrusted her in Mummy’s care.

They got into the car and he decided he’d leave her and then make a rush to the airport. She insisted that she’d go but he refused to listen to reason. Finally she relented. He traveled light, so there wasn’t much to take and within a few minutes they were on the way to what happened to be the most horrendous trip of her life.

He dropped her at her Mothers place, and she waited near the gate to bid him goodbye. She waved to him as he turned around and blew a kiss. Goodbye! The final Goodbye! For as soon as he started he car, a truck that had lost control rammed into his car and crashed their life. This happened in front of Sanjanas eyes. She screamed as she ran towards the car, her mother and brother Alok in tow. The car was badly crashed and she somehow managed to open the door. Kumar opened his eyes one last time, saw her and closed it as if he had captured it forever.

Her brother Alok took Kumar out of the car and rushed to the hospital. She waited for the doctor’s verdict. He came out within a few minutes and uttered the harshest words, she had ever heard. “I’m sorry, we couldn’t save him”. Her heart broke, her life was shattered. Everything crumbled and she gasped for air. She couldn’t breathe. Maybe she was about to die .How nice it would have been if she could go with him. Be with him always as they had promised umpteen times.

The doctor then came out again. He said. “I am so sorry Mrs. Kumar. This is not the right time but I cannot waste any more time.” Has Mr. Kumar pledged his eyes? If so we have a patient awaiting immediate transplantation. We need to do it immediately . Even if he hasn’t pladeged it you can decide if you wish to get it donated”. Sanjana and Kumar had both pledged their eyes. Alok intervened, Sanjana was inconsolable. She just couldn’t accept that fate could be so cruel to her. She was screaming, trying to make God hear that this is just nor fair. Kumar had to be with her here and alive. Alok had a tough time for the next few minutes .He was a very caring brother. He bought her under control after a struggle. He explained that she had a chance to see Kumar’s wish fulfilled. If he had pledged his eyes then his soul would be at peace to see his desire fulfilled. “So Chotti ,did Kumar pledge his eyes?” She nodded, meekly her voice barely audible “Yes .We have both pledged. I do not know where the card is kept but yes I wish to donate his eyes” Alok then met the Doctor for the arrangements regarding the transplantation. She was totally numb after that. She didn’t know how many hours she waited there. She merely felt her mother hugging her, and wiping the tears that kept flowing down Sanjanas cheek.
After what seemed like years, the doctor appeared and told Alok that the transplantation seemed good, now they would wait and see. Two bodies were rolled out. One with the body covered and one with eyes covered. Her eyes rested on the still body. It couldn’t be him. “Oh God please don’t let this be true,”she thought.
The next few days were like death .It was difficult for Sanjana to come to terms with her Kumar’s death. She kept asking God why HE had been so cruel. Why did good men who loved their wives have to leave while the philanderers lived while their wives and tortured them, awaited their death.
A few days after Kumar’s death, Sanjana lay on her bed, looking all weary and dead. She closed her eyes and was almost slept when she suddenly felt Kumar’s eyes on her. She looked around the room wishing he were here. Wishing all this was untrue .Wishing she would wake up from her nightmare and realize it had just been that. But all she saw was an empty house. She got up and sat on her bed as her Mother entered with tea. “Ma,” she said suddenly as if she suddenly realised what she saw, “I want to go to the hospital, I want to see the patient to whom Kumar’s eyes have been donated”.
They left soon after and reached the hospital. The doctor took them to the patient. “I am so glad you came to meet her, No one has been here to see her. The entire family died in the crash in which she lost her sight. She calls herself Baby”.
Sanjana entered the room and saw this little kid sleeping on the bed. The tiny body was wrapped in bandages and she looked so fragile in her sleep. She bent and touched her hand .And then she was shocked as the kid opened her eyes to look at Sanjana. For a second Sanjana felt Kumar was looking at her. She stared at the eyes of this girl, stared at the eyes of her husband and felt his presence... She immediately hugged the girl and cried. She cried like she had never cried before. She cried in sorrow that she had lost Kumar and she cried in happiness that he was here, he left his vision back for her!
After about eight months and the tiring legal aspects ‘Nayana’ as the baby was rechristened legally became the daughter of Sanjana. The uncle a sole family member of the the child ,who was located with a lot of tiring extensive search happily gave her up for adoption to Sanjana. And life had moved on… She thanked God for this wonderful gift. HE took something precious but entrusted her with something precious again. Of course Kumar left a big vacuum in her life but Nayana did fill some of it. She felt she was more fortunate than most ladies in the world. God had been just.

“Mommy look at this dragon fly, isn’t it beautiful”, Nayana brought her back to the present. She looked at the dragon fly and smiled and suddenly Nayana said, I love this blue saree you are wearing, It is my favourite colour. Sanjana smiled again. This was the favourite colour of Kumar.

Love,
Devika