WHO KILLED MY UNCLE?

Preamble:

He used to
come home once in a month or so. He has been literally on the roads since 1976.
He left home when his son was 10 years old. His son is 42 now. He came back in
1986. But by then his family didn't want him. Well, no blame games, who would
need a man who deserts his family and vanishes for 10 long years. The son says.
" I have never known a father when I needed him most" and the wife says the
same. All said and done, no one ultimately needed him.

So this
uncle of mine roamed the streets. Spent most of these years at Guruvayoor (The
very famous Krishna temple) selling lottery
tickets in the town. No cribs. Lived a simple life. Used to come home once in a
while. And on these occasions I used to give him some money. Content man that
he was, used to return back to his world happily. What used to astonish me was
the fact that whenever there was a function at any of our relatives places, he
used to promptly drop in there. How? No clue.

1500 hrs:
20 May 2008  

Uncle came
home. He looked quite ok since the last time I met him which was about a month
and a half ago. He said he was in a government hospital since the past 20 days.
He had a swollen face and legs. At 78, I thought it a normal complaint. 

0900 hrs:
21 May 2008

He had had
his breakfast. I walked into the dining hall. He looked quite frail. And since
the time I remember, he has always looked frail to me. I sat down beside him
and told him bluntly that he could not stay for long. My father had been
diagnosed with lung cancer in February this year. Mother was as it is weak but
still managing the house hold chores. I had quit my high paying job abroad and
had decided to look after my dad for the remaining part of his life. Mother was
finding it very difficult to manage the house. These were the factors that
weighed on my mind when I told my uncle that he could not stay for long at my
house. I told him that I would find a old age home for him within 2 weeks and
that I would foot the bill for all his expenses thereafter. But as soon as I
said this, I thought I saw despair on his face. And maybe at some point during
this conversation I thought that I should not have made this statement. He was
a proud man. Never asked anyone for help. And maybe he did not expect me to say
something like this.

1500 hrs:
21 May 2008

I had got
used to sleeping in the afternoons since the day I came home from abroad,
especially since I would spend near sleepless nights, looking after father.
This was no different day. I was shaken awake from my sleep by a weird
sound,  one which probably would ring in
my ears for the rest of my life. I snapped out of my sleep and what I saw next
was my uncle gasping for breath accompanied by the most horrific deep throated
sound that I have heard. I helped him to a chair and he through his miserable
gasp for air, said that he has to be taken to a hospital. I still cannot recall
how I took him out of the house or how I reached the hospital about 12 KM away.
I remember driving the car in a daze, with my uncle reclined at the back and
the inhuman sound from his throat ringing in my ears. The headlights were ON
and the horn was blaring as I covered this distance through a heavy traffic.
The first hospital that I arrived at gave him a first aid and said that he be taken
to a better hospital since he is suspected to have a cardiac problem.

1545 hrs:
21 May 2008

I drove the
car to the Casualty department of Lakeshore hospital. It was 45 minutes since
he came gasping into the house. The deep throated sound was getting worse. He
was shifted on a stretcher into the emergency ward. Tubes and wires were
inserted into him. ECG, X Ray and the whole lot of tests followed. I could hear
the uncanny sounds coming from machines. Doctors asked me his medical history.
I knew nothing. They said he has a pulmonary and a cardiac problem. Something
from within told me that this was just not right.

THE WAIT

It was a
long wait. He was shifted to the ICCU. I kept sneaking into the ICCU. And he
seemed no better than the first time I saw him gasping for air. By now he could
not talk legibly. It was only gasps and his flailing arms. This went on for 18
hours.

0300 hrs:
22 May 2008

I asked my
cousin to wait at the ICCU and drove down to my uncles wife's place. The woman
who opened the door looked much beyond her age. She had seen the worst. But I
had to tell her. And I did. Informed her that things were bad with her husband
and it may be the end of the road for him. I thought it is my responsibility to
tell her. I did, and as I walked out of her house, I could hear her sobbing
behind me.

0830 hrs:
22 May 2008

I took my
mother to the ICCU. She was sobbing uncontrollably. I let her be on her own. By
this time the gasp had reduced to a shiver. He was almost gone. The instrument
which showed his BP read 70/13.

0900 hrs:
22 May 2008

Anu, the
ICCU head nurse called me and said that it was all over. I felt a bit glad I
should say. He suffered for 18 hours gasping for breath. The sleepless night
and the tension got over me. I felt numb.

By 1045 hrs
I got the body released (Sounds strange to address my uncle thus) and took him
to Ayvar madom in Palakkad distict for his last rights according to Hindu
custom. Came back home at 2130 hrs. As the car sped along the highway, I
realized that maybe it is that one statement of mine which hit him hard. An old
man who probably had high hopes on me to take care of him in his final journey
was shocked by what I said.

 SO WHO KILLED MY UNCLE?