January the Thirteenth

13 Jan is my birthday and 14 Jan is Simi's (my wife) .

If you think THIS is coincidence, that's because you haven't read any further !

13 Jan 2018

Me and Simi got down at the Thrissur bus stand. We were coming from Bangalore and the purpose of this trip was to attend a Pooja to be held at my mom's place. All our cousins and relatives would also be coming, so it was also a 'get-together moment' we had been waiting for.

We directly went to Simi's house to freshen up. The plan was to have breakfast and then head to my mom's place. As soon as we reached Simi's house, I called up my dad. The conversation with dad every time I come to Kerala and get off the bus/train was kind of similar.

Me: Haan Acha, We reached.

Achan: Was the bus/train on time?

Me: Hmm..buses/trains are never on time..

Achan: Okay, you guys catch a bus from Thrissur and ask them if they will stop at our bus stop. Otherwise you call me, I will come to Changaramkulam to pick you.

For a person who used to travel from home to Thrissur and back daily during college days, this statement seemed to be a bit redundant. But then, some things never change.

Me: Okay

The conversation went as usual and we cut the call. I however had a smile on my face as I hung up.

'What happened? Why are you smiling?', Simi asked.

'Achan probably forgot that today is my Birthday'

'He wouldn't have forgotten it..may be he just missed to wish you at this moment..'

After a while I saw that I had a notification on my phone.It was a message from Achan,'Many many happy returns of the day' 

'You were right', I told Simi as I thanked Achan for the wishes.

I went on to take a bath and have breakfast. It was when I almost finished breakfast that I got a call from my uncle (my mom's brother who was present at my mom's place).

Uncle: Nithesh, where are you?

Nithesh: I reached Thrissur, will start from here in 10-15 mins; should be there at around 10.

Uncle: Your Achan suddenly collapsed and is taken to the hospital in Changaramkulam. We are waiting to see the doctor. He should be okay. but, it is good that you come fast. Don't wait for bus. Call a taxi and come.

I was shocked because I had just talked to Achan a few minutes back.  My co-brother's car was available at Simi's place,  we took it and quickly drove to the hospital.

The hospital was an hour away from Thrissur and during the drive I started getting calls from various relatives querying where I had reached. I sensed that the situation was not good, however I did not get any definitive status from any of them who called.

15 minutes more to reach the hospital was when I got a definite news. Another uncle called me up and told me not to go to the hospital, but go directly to home. That was when it struck to me that whatever had happened, the hospital couldn't do anything and Achan had bid farewell to all of us and moved on to a better place...

Less than an hour back, Achan had just wished me 'happy returns' of the day. But the returns were not happy after all.

Achan had a cardiac arrest and couldn't make it to the hospital. As I drove past Changaramkulam, I realized that Achan will never again come to pick us up. 

I was wrong that some things never change. Everything changes !

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13 Jan 2019

A year passed and one of the big changes in our lives was that Simi was pregnant and due for end of Feb. Well, when the doctor mentioned the due date, both of us were kind of relieved because we did not want another birthday in January (as I mentioned earlier Simi's is on Jan 14). We needed something to celebrate for the rest of the year.

On the night of  Jan 12th, I baked a cake which was ready to be cut on the midnight of Jan 13, as a single cake cutting for both our birthdays.

When the calendar struck Jan 13, Simi wished me and we went off to sleep. We did not have any specific birthday plans. YET.

7.30 in the morning, Simi woke up tensed. Her water broke ! 

 What ?? Seriously. Today of all days??? 

We immediately called up our doctor and she asked us to go to the hospital.

We quickly grabbed whatever we could and started our journey to the hospital. While driving, for a moment, I was taken back to the previous year when I was driving to the hospital at around the same time, but for a different cause.

We reached the hospital and saw the doctor. She suggested to do a C-section and took Simi to the Operation Theatre.

It did not take much long, a dcotor called me up and told, 'Congrats, you have a girl' and pointed towards the teeny tiny 'Nakshatra'.

Speaking of the name, when Simi came out of the operation theater, even though she was in sedatives, the first thing we exchanged was a sigh of relief that we no longer had to think of a name. Because we were not ready with a name had it been a boy !

Needless to say, we couldn't cut the cake on Jan 13 midnight, but we did cut the cake the next day in the hospital for Simi's birthday !

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Jan 13 has been a literal roller coaster ride for me. However, when I think how should I look at this day, isn't it best to look at the positives? As Achan said, 'Many many happy returns of the day'. True that it did not turn out to be happy on that specific year, but I am sure he meant it for years to come.

Happy Birthday Nakshatra, Simi and me. Miss you Acha.

                                13 Jan 2018                                                                    13 Jan 2019