Did you see the Physic?

Did you see the physic?

By Soumya Ranganathan

Rohan was in no mood to go for the mela with his friends that day, he was really upset. Last night his parents had fought like animals and today his dad had left home without a word and Mom had as usual sat in her room crying. He was completely fed up with the constant fights in his house, if only he was in their place, he thought. Things would have been so different. He always used to think this way. He knew that adults never had a proper conversation, they never wanted to solve anything, but children on the other hand, cleared their misunderstandings easily. You just have to converse and not walk in an argument. His friends laughed at his thoughts, they found it quite amusing, but he was getting frustrated day by day. His friends had planned this outing for a long while and he just couldn’t say no, he wanted badly to stay up locked in his room but he knew that he would feel better if he went out. He got dressed and walked into his parent’s room.
"Bye mom, I am going out with friends", he said.
She nodded without looking up, he knew that she was crying.
He walked out of the house looking gloomy. He met his friends on the bus stop and they traveled by bus all the way to the mela. The mela was a grand one, with lots of stuffs, but Rohan was least interested in anything. His friends went on the slides while he just roamed around.

He suddenly found himself outside the Fair Physic shop, he wondered what would be there inside. His curiosity took him inside the shop and he was suddenly surrounded by bottles with liquid in it, weird masks, strange dresses and ugly mirrors. While he was gazing at them, a lady walked out and stood beside him.
"What do you want son?", she asked.
"Oh, I was just looking around", he looked startled.
"Oh, why don’t you sit down I will see your future", she suggested.
"I don’t want to see my future, I want to change my present", he said strongly.
The lady smiled. "Hmm! You have come to the right place. I can help you change your present", she said.
"Really, you can do that?", he asked.
"Sure son! Tell me what you want to change?", she asked.
"My parents keep on fighting for trivial matters and I am scared that one day they will separate because of these fights", he explained.
"So you want me to make them stop fighting?", she asked.
"Yes, Can you do that?", he looked excited.
"Yes, I can. You just have to mix this liquid in a drink and give it to your mother and father. The next day they will stop fighting", she said handing him a bottle.
"Are you sure this will work?", he asked.
"Sure! Don’t worry it will work", she assured him.
"How much do you charge?", he asked.
"Fifty for the bottle", she said.
Rohan handed her a fifty rupee note and stood up.
"Wait! What if this portion doesn’t work?", he asked.
"Then you can come back and I will return your money", she smiled.
"Fine, Thanks", he said walking out of the shop.

That night, Rohan took out the bottle from him bag and poured it into the milk his parents drank at night. He was really excited, he was eagerly waiting for morning. Next morning he got up listening to voices outside.
"God! My parents are still fighting", he said and got up. He felt strange. "Why am I in my parent’s room? Did I sleep here last night? I don’t think so", he said and walked to the drawing room. There was a woman standing there and she was scolding a little boy. He walked up to her and stood beside her.

"Look, he never listens to me. You tell him something", the lady said to him.
"I? What will I tell him?", he looked astonished.
"What do you mean I? You have spoilt him, now you tell him that he can’t watch TV twenty four hours in a day", she said.
"I have spoilt him, I don’t even know him. And who are you?", he asked her.
"Don’t tell me that you have got amnesia problem early in the morning, Dr. Rohan", she stared at him.
"Dr. Rohan? Who is that? What are you talking about?", he asked.
"Rohan please, don’t act like this I have lost of work and you are on a holiday today, so please talk to your son", she said.
"Son? I have a son", he was startled.
"No, You are not even married and I am not your wife", she said sarcastically.
"You are my wife……god! I was not married last night and why will I marry such a big woman, why not someone my own age", he laughed.
"Is that an insult? If it is then you better beware, you are not getting lunch today. What do you think you are a teenaged boy?", she asked.
"Yeah Of course! I am in the ninth standard", he said seriously.
Both the lady and the boy started to laugh.
"If you are in the ninth standard then I am not even born", she laughed and walked into the kitchen.
"Can you please tell me what is going on? And who are you? Where are my mom and dad?", he asked the boy.
"Dad! What has happened to you? I am your son Rohit and your parents are not here. They died", he said.
"They died? When? I killed them? Maybe they died drinking the portion", he looked devastated.
"What portion? They died years ago in a plane crash", he said.
"God! I don’t understand. Ok, tell me who is that lady who was scolding you?", he asked.
"You wife, my mom", he replied.
"You mean I am married to her, I am not even allowed to buy a pencil without asking my parents and I went ahead and married her", he looked pale.
"Dad! What has happened to you? You better get into the bed, you have gone nuts", saying this the boy went to his room.
Rohan walked towards the kitchen and stood outside it, watching the lady work.
"You want some coffee to drink?", she asked.
"Coffee? I thought I drank Bournvita", he said.
"Please Rohan, stop fooling around, you go to your room and I will bring some coffee", she said.
"Listen, when did we get married?", he asked.
"Why? Have you forgotten this too? 18th sep 2018", she replied.
"What? And which year is this?", he asked.
"2029, why are you asking stupid questions?", she asked.
"I am really not well, this 2004 and I am in the ninth standard and I am not married", he mumbled.
"Yes Dr. Rohan, if this had been 2004, then you had been in your ninth standard and you wouldn’t have been married. Go and take some rest", she advised.
"What is your name?", he asked.
"Shilpa, why have you forgotten that too?", she questioned.
"Shilpa? Uncle Kukreja’s daughter?", he asked.
"Yeah! Rohan now you please stop joking and go to you room", she said shoving him away.
He quietly walked to his parents room which was now his room. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Just last night he was sleeping in his own room and he was sure it was 2004. How could he have been married in a night. He had a son and he was a doctor and his parents were dead. "God! What is happening to me?", he muttered. He lay on the bed thinking.
In a few minutes, Shilpa walked into the room. She handed him a cup of coffee and lay beside him keeping her head over his shoulders. He felt really awkward.
"What is wrong with you? Are you feeling sick?", she asked.
"I will tell you if you please take that head off my shoulders", he said.
"Why you don’t like it? I thought you loved my keeping the head there?", she asked, as her hands touched his hair.
"Stop it will you", he jerked her off and got up from the bed.
"What’s wrong Rohan? Why are you behaving like that? I am your wife, what has changed overnight? Last night you were so loving", she said.
"It is not what you think, things have changed, I am not the Rohan you are thinking", he looked confused.
"Oh so you have changed, you don’t like me any more. There is someone else in your life", she started to cry.
"Please Shilpa! You are my childhood friend, you know me. I like…….you of course and there is no one in my life…….. I guess so", he looked confused.
"What do you mean I guess so? That means there is someone is your life, you don’t love me any more. You loved me, proposed me and you made you parents agree to this marriage and now you want to leave me", she cried on.
"Shilpa please! You are making things really difficult for me. I didn’t mean anything I said, you have taken me in the wrong sense", he looked pitiful.
"Oh Please! Don’t try to cheat me like this, if you don’t like me then I am taking Rohit and going away to my house. You stay here with your new girlfriend", she said.
"God! These Women", he roared and walked out of the room.
He stood in the balcony thinking.
"What is wrong with her? Why is she behaving like this? Why is she behaving like my mom? Mom? Dad? And I walked away like my dad. It all fits in, didn’t I often wonder that if I had been in their place things would have been better and now I am reacting in the same manner as them. Do all adults have to react like this? When we were small I had fought so much with Shilpa and we got together so fast, all those fights just increased our friendship. So do these fights as adults too increased love?", he wondered.
In a few minutes, Shilpa came out of the room. She saw him standing in the balcony and walked up to him.
"I am sorry I shouldn’t have reacted like that. You had just performed a major operation yesterday, you must have been so stresses out. I am sorry Rohan", she said.
"That’s ok Shilpa, I was wrong too, I was reacting quite stupidly. I really love you, there is no one in my life apart from you", he said.
"Really, I am sorry Rohan. I love you too", she smiled through her tears.
He hugged her and it felt so good.
"You know when I was small then I used to think why these adults fight like this and I thought that if I was in their place then I would never fight. But I was so wrong. Everyone fights, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other. I think that after each fight every couple grows even closer. Don’t you think so?", he asked, brushing her hair from her face.
"Yeah I guess so. What is the spice in life if life keeps on going smoothly without any bumps?", she said.
"But we adults should make sure that our children don’t just see our fights but they also see the time when we are nice to each other and love each other. You know what children think, that adults just fight, because that is what we do in front of them and we love each other behind closed door", he said.
"You know, you are sounding like that old Rohan I knew long back You used to speak like this back then. But I love both the Rohans", she said hugging him.
"I love you too", he said, kissing her forehead.
Rohit stood outside his room and looked at his parents.
"Who says parents just fight?", he muttered and walked into his room.
Later that night, Rohan lay on his bed thinking.
"How wrong I was about my parents? I know they fought, mom cried and dad walked out but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t love each other. If they had not loved each other then they wouldn’t have stayed with each other for such a long time. There are fights in all relationships and those fights bring people closer, we just have to see that we don’t cross our boundaries. And what is a better feeling than apologizing with a hug and a kiss after a fight", he smiled at himself.
"What are you smiling at?", Shilpa asked walking into the room.
"Ah! Nothing, just some old memories. Listen Shilpa, I may not be here tomorrow, but don’t worry I will come back soon, maybe after about a couple of years. We will continue our life like this for a long time after that", he said, suddenly realising that it would soon be time to go.
"What are you saying, Rohan?", she looked puzzled.
"Nothing Sweetie! Come here, I love you", he said pulling her over the bed.
He walked into his son’s room and kissed him on his forehead.
"I hope you don’t make a mistake like me, I hope you are cleverer than me. God bless you, I love you son. Meet you soon in the future", he said and walked back to his room. He soon dozed off.

The new day dawned and Rohan got up from his bed. He felt relaxed after a long time. He had never felt better. He knew Shilpa was not by his side today, he was the same old Rohan, the guy in the ninth standard. He walked outside to his parents room. His mom was smiling and was giving a cup of coffee to his dad. Dad held mom’s hand and he felt that they truly loved each other, why couldn’t he see all this before.
"Dad I love you and mom I love you too", saying this he walked back to his room.
He had to meet the physic again and thank her. She had just changed his life. He dressed up and went to the fair again. He spotted the shop and walked inside but this time some other lady was sitting there.
"Son what do you want?", she asked.
"Where is the other lady who used to sit here?", he asked.
"Other lady? Which other lady? I have always been here. Yeah I have heard that twenty years back there was a lady who used to sit here and I have heard that she was really powerful. She always used to help everyone, especially worried children, she loved children. But all those are myths, I don’t believe anything. So what do you want?", she asked.
"No, nothing. Thanks for the information", he said and walked out looking puzzled.
"I know for sure that the lady physic is real, she came to help me", he wondered.
Suddenly he heard a voice behind him.
"Hi Rohan, what are you doing here?", she said.
"Hi Shilpa, nice to see you. How have you been?", he smiled.
"Well, you just dropped your fifty rupee note outside that shop. I just came to give it to you", she said.
"Really I dropped it, I don’t remember. Thanks Shilpa. Want to have any ice-cream?", he asked.
"I wouldn’t mind", she smiled.