Covid,David and CCD
‘Hey Danny , how about a cuppa this evening , at our usual hangout ? ‘ I could sense the excitement as he called me , coz we all hadn’t yet got together after the Christmas and New year break . ‘Oh sure definitely , who else is in ? ‘Andy and Ben are joining us ‘ , he said excitedly and after a brief pause John , my good friend and colleague at the hospital said , ‘ and David too .’ ‘Well John , in that case , please excuse me , maybe someother time . I’m not in the mood to listen to someone whine as I sip my coffee . I’m sure you’d agree with me , maybe not always , but most of the time , a trip to CCD with him is a waste of time , a punishment , and not worth the drive . Though 2020 is a new year , I don’t think there will be any difference in how he approaches it mate , I’m sorry but please count me out .‘ If it was just us without David, Im sure I would have not refused .
Café Coffee Day, popularly known as CCD, on the highway, a little outside of town , was our favourite hangout , but David joining us would only mean half an hour or more of non-stop whining , fretting and complaining . David , whom I have known for the past few years , initially as a co-trainee and now as a colleague, had lots of issues at home . His wife, also a doctor was working elsewhere, in another city about 6 hours away , and taking care of their 2-year old twin girls . David would feel extremely guilty about not being there with them , but however hard he tried he could not get a job closer to his family . He also had ailing parents living with his wife and kids in their ancestral home . And he had to tackle his dad’s unpaid loans as well , something which he was very bitter about , but had no choice as his dad lost his job after having suffered a stroke . And to make things worse , he had started showing early signs of dementia . And everytime any of us met him , David would only talk about the grim situation at home . It always seemed that those challenges and struggles were the only thing on his mind 24×7 .
Corona had hit India , and a strict lockdown had been announced in March . Travel had been banned . The district borders had been shut . David found it difficult to visit his family . And this had only added to his already long list of woes . I knew he was still visiting them occasionally over weekends using a special e-pass that all healthcare workers could apply for online . All of us would consciously try and avoid bumping into him in the hospital canteen . And then he disappeared suddenly . I hadn’t seen or met him for more than three weeks . We slowly learnt that he had lost a close uncle , and his dad too had been unwell requiring ICU care but had eventually managed to pull through . His grandfather , unfortunately , succumbed to the virus . We were all dreading his return to work , coz he would now surely complain about the new villain in town , Covid .
He did join back , but I never managed to have a chat with him after those three difficult weeks he and his family had been through . Or rather , I managed to sneak away everytime I sensed he wanted to have a conversation . Though I and my friends were fully sympathetic to him and his troubles at home , none of us was ready to give him a listening ear . But very soon it was my turn . I had developed anosmia , a complete loss of smell and no other symptoms . As recommended , I went for a swab which came back positive for David’s new villain . As per government guidelines , I had to be admitted for atleast a week . Three days into my stay , I was absolutely bored . I just wanted to get out of the ward . David tried calling me a few times , but I did’t answer coz I was in no mood to listen to all his troubles at home while I myself was nowhere near my family who had all tested negative and were quarantined at home . I finally got discharged, and while at home for a mandatory two-week quarantine, the landline rang . My eldest son answered and told me ‘ Its uncle David on the line dad ‘ Unfortunately , he had caught me this time , there was no escaping . But as I was down with terrible fatigue , I politely excused myself and managed to hang up , without making him feel upset .
But deep inside I knew I was very upset , very unhappy . I had been extremely careful at the hospital , following all guidelines with regards to doffing and donning of PPE , and failed to understand where or whom I contracted the virus from . And those 7 days in the hospital were not at all easy . My mobile network was not great, so staying in touch with the family too was a challenge at times . More than the symptoms , what was killing was the loneliness . A friend JSH did pay me a visit and introduced herself when she came with all the PPE on , and I’m still extremely grateful to her for that .The doctors and nurses would come and check on me regularly , with all their PPE on . But many times even identifying who was talking to me was a formidable task . And they were all quite busy as the ward was fully occupied , and other than my temperature chart and symptoms and government guidelines regarding discharge policy , there was no time to discuss anything else . I felt alone , I felt terrible .
As I went back to work after finishing the mandatory quarantine period , I bumped into David . I still wasn’t ready to have a chat with him , but he gave me no choice this time . ‘ Hey Danny , I’m sorry I couldn’t catch up with you earlier .’ He sounded very different this time , the usual sad tone had been replaced by a somewhat bolder voice , and he seemed to have a smile on his face . ‘You know , I’ve been through a lot mate , those three weeks was horrible . I’ve so much wanted to talk to you about it but didn’t manage to .’ I almost felt like cutting him off , even while recuperating he wouldn’t let me be at peace . ‘David , this time I too have something to talk about , but its your turn first , I mumbled to him ‘ . ‘ I’ve been through a lot Danny , but looking back those three weeks have , in a way , been the best I’ve had in a long time ‘ I could’t believe what I had just heard . David sounding positive , and that too after going through an extremely rough time as a family ! ‘ I lost my uncle , and my grandfather , but thankfully dad pulled through . But you know what , through all this I’ve realized I’m fortunate and blessed to be still alive . Yes , my wife still works somewhere else . My dad has dementia . I still need to pay his loans , and clear some hospital bills . But Covid made me realise I need to be glad just for the fact that I’m still alive , I’m still breathing , and I’m still talking to you . I’m still counted among the living , and after all that I and my family have been through , isnt that in itself reason enough to be thankful and grateful ! ‘
Whoa , this was something compleltely unexpected , I never saw that coming from David after having known him for more than half a dozen years . ‘And what did you want to talk to me about Danny ? I thought you said something .’ ‘Well , David nothing much really , can we make a trip to CCD sometime ?’
‘Hey John , how about a cuppa this evening , for a well-deserved break , at our usual hangout ? ‘ I’m sure John could sense my excitement as I spoke to him on the phone ‘Oh sure definitely , who else is in ? ‘Andy and Ben are joining us ‘ , and without a pause I said ‘ and you know what I’m so glad David is gonna be there too ! ‘
John called back to tell me that unfortunately CCD had closed down during the lockdown . But I had learnt my lesson – I’m fortunate and blessed to be alive , to be still counted among the living , and to have David for a friend . Here’s a guy who’s been through so much , having lost family members to a deadly pandemic , while I only had mild symptoms . My whole family was still doing well , and all that I could think of was being resentful and bitter about why I had to go through whatever I went through . Im not sure when CCD would re-open for business , but as and when it does , a drive there on the highway is definitely on the cards . Thanks to Covid , I have now realized , a visit to CCD with David will no longer be a punishment or a waste of time – but a blessing , a time well-spent and a trip that would , for me and my friends , definitely be worth the drive .
