Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 12:41:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sujit Saksena <sujsak@yahoo.com>
Subject: As Time Goes By 3 (A Story From India)

The fever was high, coming down only by the periodic
doses of Paracetamol. Even a strong person like Ashok
seemed highly weakened and almost unconscious. Knowing
well that it was just viral fever it was not a good
idea to leave Ashok isolated at the health centre. So
he brought some ice water from one of the married
research fellow's suit and tried to control the
fever at night. Ashok finally had some peaceful sleep
and he slept half reclining on Ashok's bed too
tired to weigh if he was doing the right thing. It was
around 4 o'clock in the morning when he was
woken up by the grunts of unease coming from Ashok. He
checked the fever. It was not too high but keeping in
mind the restlessness, he tried the time tested method
to control uneasiness due to pain-rubbing Vicks on the
chest and back. It worked. The next morning he went to
his room just for the wash and change. With the mess
now operating for a very small number of students, he
had to make sure he was there in time to order the
preparation of the special light food supplements for
Ashok, which was not prepared during the semester
break. Ashok was feeling much better that day and by
night he in fact was laughing his heart out the way he
always used to do. The laughter that he dreaded as
much he loved-for the laughter made Ashok look so much
at peace with himself and enhanced his masculine
innocence (how many women say they see a child in
their man, and that is why they often end up nurturing
their lover). As Ashok was laughing while narrating
some incident, he looked longingly into his eyes,
little realizing the implications. It was a gaze Ashok
could not miss. And it was a gaze that forced Ashok to
grown quiet suddenly. One of those awkward moments
when speech is lost and so is the nature of outcome
for the communicators. But the actual outcome was not
something either had envisaged.
 Ashok moved forward and caressed his face with his
feverish warm hand...