Chapter 41: chapter 41

My husband had a monthly visit to the physiatrist. He preferred to go with his sister's husband. I had insisted on accompanying him. He agreed at night but refused to take me in the morning. Those days his mind was enveloped with double opinions. A sort of dual conflict was reigning in his thoughts whenever an appropriate decision had to be taken. First, he seconded my opinions but later he shunned them without any cause. He also had some business in the city with his brother-in-law regarding the settling of car insurance policies which required a great deal of time. The policies were in the name of my father-in-law and needed to be transferred to my mother-in-law's name.I was relieved at least he was going to see the doctor with someone after a lot of persuasion. The doctor asked him random questions related to his sleeping pattern and confidence level in business. After hearing him he reduced the dose of medicines but extended the same doses for a month. He was not exactly declaring how long the medicines will continue. His general suggestion would be, "Take the medicines and come for a visit after a month." He had asked him specifically, "Where are you staying now?" "Chaibasa", he replied. The doctor seemed to be a little satisfied with his predicament of staying with his family. He felt anxious when I started giving him half a tablet. He told me, he is feeling uneasy and sleepy. He returned some extra money to a customer in the shop and remained worried all the time. He called me immediately to send his pill with my son. My younger son got ready and was about to leave for the shop, he encountered the staff at our doorstep asking for the medicines. The shopboy seized the medicine and hurried to the shop. My son thought of going and assisting his father in the shop but halfway he found his father coming back home. On reaching home he started with his unusual series of questions, "Boy, why did you return? Why didn't you proceed to the shop?" and so on........He asked me, "Who gave me the blanket at night? I remember I didn't pull it over myself." Then he began muttering his set of self-observations. The dose has to be increased, I am not feeling well. I don't know, what happened to my head while dealing with the lady customer. I experienced a blackout, my head started reeling and I handed over the extra change to her in my ignorance. This shouldn't have happened. I would be at a loss in business if this prolongs. After blurting it out he swallowed the pill and went to sleep. Seeing him asleep, I immediately called the doctor but his call was unreachable. I messaged him about my husband's plight. He responded within a few minutes, to carry on with the usual dose as I did the previous month. I was ultimately relaxed to find a solution. He slept for nearly half an hour and got up to say, "I am feeling better now" but the thought of the misgivings at the shop didn't leave his psyche.The next day, I gave him the usual doses of medicines. He often complained of getting exasperated because of the renovation task he had arranged in the shop. He had to stay there late till night. My mother-in-law made sure that he remained hydrated. She purchased a tetra packet of real juice of different flavours every day for him and bought fruits and dry fruits for him regularly. She had to remind him regularly to consume the stuff at regular intervals, otherwise, he still had the subtle tendency of forgetting.