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Perspective

"It's quadraplets"

A wave of thoughts ran through Mukund as Sudha's face beamed in excitement. The Gynecologist was speaking about a lot of things, but Mukund's mind was lost in thought.

" Will Sudha be able to work during the pregnancy. Do we earn enough to handle 4 kids. If Sudha leaves her job, will my salary be enough to support us."

Mukund and Sudha had been living in Bangalore for the last 4 years. Mukund and Sudha both private sector employees, were what marketeers called DINK (Double  Income No Kids). While Sudha was the quintessential IT worker, Mukund worked as a Manager in an MNC. It had been 6 years since they were married and although every thing had been going on fine till now, the elders in both the families had started hinting at the obvious.

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" I saw a baby girl calling me out in my dream yesterday" exclaimed Radha.
"Are you sure its just a girl, damn it looks like there is an entire football team in there" responded Vinod.
Radha : "What if there was, would you like that".
Vinod :  "Well I have always wanted a girl, they look so cute when they learn to say Baba"

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Celebrations were on at the Mukund household. Four bundles of joy had filled their hearts with joy to the brim. "Lakshmi, Ganesha , Kartikeya and Saraswati have descended on our house" exclaimed Mukund's mother.

Mukund was still in deep thought.
The caesarion operations were not cheap. The private hospital had charged him 3 lakhs for the operations and 10 days of post  operative neo-natal care. And although his office had been generous in offering a lakh for the maternity package, he still had to pay 2 lakhs out of his own pocket. In his mind he had estimated that he would need another 3-4 lakhs in the next 2 months on baby care and doctor visits.

The loud ringing of his phone broke his train of thoughts - It was his driver . What does that man want now , he thought .

" No, no, I dont have that kind of money with me now . Please understand , I myself have to pay for my wife's hospitalization. No no I can't spare 50 thousand now. Sorry I am busy, I wish I could have helped." Mukund cut off the phone and ran in to change his daughter's diapers.

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All emotions had drained of Radha, as she looked at the 4 life less bundles that lay before her, with stony eyes. Vinod had not been able to get the 50 thousand loan from Bade Sahab, and they had to take the 4 new born out of the neo-natal care. Rickety as the Government hospital was, it was still better than her creaky cold house in Jabalpur in wintry November.

No sound came off Vinod's throat as he cried in anguish while lowering his babies in the freshly dug grave. Vinod "The Driver" had lost his faith in humanity.


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