Chapter I

“Oh God! Please bless me on this very first day of my first employment, in an absolutely male-dominated Office atmosphere!

My Lord! You are aware I have no choice in this regard!

You cruelly snatched away prematuredly, the life of my father, who was the sole bread-winner of our small family consisting of my mom, their only daughter my humble self, and my younger brother who completes his school education this year.

My middle-aged mom is just a simple home-maker, quite unaware of the vicious masculine outer world with all its venom, deceit, ego, base selfishness, money-craziness, and domination over the other gender!

My father, coming as he did, from an agricultural family in a remote village in the southern parts of Tamilnadu, was abruptly thrown into the urban life due to utter collapse of our high-yielding paddy fields.

He was hardly twenty years old, with just tenth class pass school education, without any clue about urban life and modern social norms and on the top, his lack of knowledge to converse in any lingua franca other than his mother-tongue, Tamil.

My Lord! You know, I am sure, all these but still why do I elucidate all these travails my dad passed through!

In the guise of presenting you the situation in which I am stuck today, I recollect those experiences with a view to impress on my mind what sort and amount of responsibility has been overnight thrust on my slim and feeble shoulders!

Formidable, indeed!

But my Lord! You were there imperceptibly to guide me safe!

It is a long story. Oh God! I am sorry! You have to take care of the multitudinal planets, variety of people in the globe and especially Nature which is the source of succour to the entire creation!

Therefore My Lord! Let me please relieve you for the present and seek you whenever I direly need your presence!

I shall continue my soliloquy!"

"Sheila! Immediately come here and see....."

Hearing her mother's frantic call, sheila rushed out of the pooja room, as she was taken aback by the freak call of her mom!

There at the hall, she saw her grand-parents, both physically

dishevelled and sick!

My God! What happened to these two aged persons? Why have they suddenly landed here from the village? How did they manage to reach here?

With hundreds of questions parading her mind, Sheila first started helping both of them to lie down on the bed.

Meanwhile, her mom prepared hot tea and bread slices and gave them.

Slowly and gradually, both of them picked up stamina to mutter in low voice to the relief of both Sheila and her mom.

The sum and substance of what they could express, with great difficulty, was this:

At the village, there was an outbreak of a viral fever affecting almost the entire village.

First, it was grand-ma, who fell sick with high fever and the local native doctor gave medicines.

Third day, grand-pa too was afflicted with the virus fever with none to help them.

The native doctor took pity on them and brought them over here by bus.

Sheila looked at the wall clock. Five to nine!

“mom! I have to join the Office today at 10 A.M. It takes about half an hour to reach the Office. Let me therefore rush to the nearby clinic and see what best can be done, as an emergency measure!"

Without waiting for mom's reply, Sheila leaped out of the house and reached the clinic, nearby!

At the Enquiry desk, Sheila was advised to go to Emergency wing!

There, she could talk to a doctor, seeking immediate medical assistance for her grand-parents.

Thank God! On hearing Sheila's predicament of time pressure due to her joining the Office at 10 A.M., the doctor was considerate enough to send home a nurse with Sheila immediately.

Looking at the clock, Sheila beseeched the nurse to take charge of the situation and left