A small recompense

It was drizzling outside. All the patients had left .As I was winding up my clinic, a young boy of about twelve with a charming face entered. He was in his rain soaked tattered clothes with anxiety and fear writ large on his face. When I asked him what brought him here, he replied that his father had been very sick with diarrhea for three days. As he was not able to get up he could not go to the government hospital that was a little away. He pleaded whether I could come to see him. I asked him where his mother was. He said she had died three years ago. How about other relatives or neighbors I asked. He said since his mother was outside the caste no one is visiting them. I knew that they were very poor but taking pity I did not mind seeing him. The car would not go easily inside the narrow slushy lane and had to walk. On examination I found him dehydrated and that he needed drips immediately. With the help of my driver I lifted him bodily to the car and left him in the government hospital for drips I asked the boy to report later about his progress.
I forgot totally about the boy and the man in the busy days that followed. It was after a week the boy appeared again. There was a forlorn look that did not augur well. When asked about his dad’s condition, he said with tears trickling that he had passed away the second day. Since he had no money or help from his people to cremate him, he did not go to the hospital hoping they would dispose off the body. Shaken by the news and the plight of the boy, I asked him what he proposed to do and where he would be staying. He had no answer and his sobbing grew louder. I decided to take Sundar under my shelter. Childless as we were, my wife would only be happy to have him under her care. I took him home and asked him to stay in a room in the out house that was occupied by my driver and his family. I got him admitted in a good school. Being intelligent he did well. Time flew past and in a few years he joined a private engineering college.
It was then my happy life received a sudden jolt. My wife had a heart attack and it affected her kidneys. There was a renal failure needing an urgent transplant. Her blood group was uncommon and the doctors were waiting for a suitable donor. To add to the problem Sundar had absconded. I was very much upset. It was then one day the hospital informed me about the availability of a donor and the date fixed for surgery. Since the donor wished to remain anonymous the hospital authorities would not allow me to meet him. I was tense till the transplantation was successfully done and had not gone to the clinic. It was only after the operation that the driver told me that Sundar was away for a week or so and had just returned home. The driver also told that he was lying in the bed and that he looked pale and weak. It appeared that Sundar had told him that he had fever when he was away.. When I went to see him, he got up and tried to appear normal. To the trained medical eyes, it was clear he was not well. When I came near him to examine him, he would not let me do so. This made me angry and I shouted “You ungrateful wretch, how dare you prevent me from examining you? Keep quiet and remove your shirt.” I saw an unmistakable fear in his eyes as he averted my gaze. He still did not relent. My anger went out of bounds and I bellowed “Get lost for ever. I do not want a disobedient fellow with me. I have enough problems of my own. Please go away.”
On hearing this he fell down and prostrated before me. Hugging my legs, he pleaded”Doctor, kindly pardon me for what I had done. Do you believe I would ever disobey you? You are my living God.“ With tears rolling from his eyes, he removed the shirt. When I saw the surgical slit mark above the abdomen, I knew what he had done. I cried aloud” Sundar, what have you done? Why did you sell your kidney? If you had needed money I would have given you.“ He replied that he had not sold it and when he learnt about madam needing a kidney he offered his on the condition that his name would not be revealed. The hospital after examination agreed to his stipulation and took his kidney. He said that what he did was but a small recompense for all the kindness shown and for making him a man with certain values. He sought my blessings to live up to them. I was rendered speechless and I started crying overcome by emotion at the great sacrifice of the young man.