CROSSROADS

3-{Stairway to Closeness}

He kissed my forehead and rushed out

'What was that..!! For sure I was surprised and stunned but it was not the time to ponder over Kari's reaction, Manik is in pain, Kada.. let me just warm it and rush to the guesthouse'

In about five minute, I was standing next to Manik's bed with the cup of Kada in my hands. His state brought tears to my eyes. He was squeezing his eyes closed as his face contorted. He was whimpering in pain, at times he held his head and in another second he held his biceps. Kari and Nandini were pressing is legs and hands. Kari's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I handed over the cup to Nandini.

"Manik look the Kada is here...please drink it, you'll feel better", Nandini spoke

Manik tried getting up but screamed in pain and slumped back on the bed. He tried again, this time with Nandini's and Kari's support but couldn't sit for more than a few seconds. I recalled the last conversation I had with his doctor, he said the pains will start now and will get severe as the treatment progresses, if this is the starting I don't even want to think of the future. I realized I couldn't just stand there as a mere spectator, I rushed to kitchen, grabbed a spoon and came back. I gave the spoon the Nandini and asked her to try with that but unfortunately the kada was spilling out more on the bed then in Manik's body for Nandini's hands too were shaking.

They were just twenty year olds, how can we expect them to be brave and composed in a situation like this..!!

I just couldn't stand there, I pushed Kari aside and sat next to Manik keeping his head on my lap.

"Kari, you and Nandini keep pressing his muscles, I'll feed him the Kada", I spoke

Nandini handed over the cup to me, and started pressing and rubbing his arms, Kari did the same with his legs while both had their eyes on me.

Placing the cup on the side table, I pressed the cheeks around corners of his mouth, with my thumb pressing the left and index finger pressing the right side, causing his lips to open. I applied a slight force on the jaws due to which his teeths parted creating a hollow. Taking some Kada in the spoon, I allowed it to slide down the hollow followed by Manik gulping it down. Once the Kada was finished, I kept pressing his forehead to reduce the pain. I looked up at Kari and Nandini who decided to look anywhere but at me, probably they were trying not to make me too conscious..A good move though..!!

But the worry in their body language didn't go unnoticed by me, especially Nandini's. Her eyes were swollen due to continuous crying and it was clearly evident that she was shaken up with the incident. So was Kari, it was just that he wasn't crying and I knew why 'Tears and him don't get along'

I knew I had to distract them and also Manik, so I spoke

"You know Nandu, this technique of feeding him was taught to me by our caretaker. She used to feed him milk and cereals like this when he was a baby. One cranky baby he was I tell you...!! She used to sit with his toys while feeding, then she would show him a toy and while his concentration was on the toy she would feed him...At times it was difficult for her to handle so many things together, his toys, the bowl of cereals and him, so I used to help her. We were a team. She used to place him on my lap and show him the toys, I would open his mouth just the way I did now and she would immediately place the spoon in his mouth.", I looked up as I finished and saw a smile on their faces...My job was done..!!

I continued pressing his head and slowly his pain also started subsiding. About an hour later he was fast asleep.

"Now that he's asleep, you guys should get some rest too", I spoke