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Parental advisory - The following blog may contain explicit materials some readers may find objectionable, parental guidance is advised. Not suited for pregnant women and heart patients. If rash, irritation, redness, or swelling develops, STOP reading immediately.And if symptoms persist, start scratching where it itches. It helps.
It was just another normal day for me. I woke up at around noon and decided to catch a bus to office. On reaching the bus stop , I realised that I don't have a one dollar bill with me . Unlike in India, US buses does not have conductors to give back change. So, if you dont have a dollar bill , its as good as you dont have any money. I decided to walk the 1 mile distance to office , which I do once in a while. The only problem with walking is that the sun would always be on one side of my face. By the time I reach office , that side would be burning.
On reaching the office , my normal day took a sudden change. Its Tuesday. Tuesdays always reminds me of the traffic block infront of Kalloor Church. Here, its not traffic tuesday . Its Taco Tuesday. Ever since I landed in Phoenix, I'm in love with mexican food. ( thats the nearest to Indian food ). On Tuesdays, Tacos are cheaper than any other days. I'm not going to miss that Tacos ( which is basically a roti wrapped around meat & veggies) as I was famished. As always , there was a problem . No car available. Chris has his bike ( bicycle) which I borrowed in lieu of promises of tacos.
I enjoy biking ( cycling ) on the lonely pedestrians of Phoenix downtown. Its flat and that makes it very easy to bike. The heat was unbearable but the thoughts of hot tacos made me charged up to reach the place. Bought 12 tacos for a little above $3 ( please don't convert to Indian rupees ) and I rode all the way back through a different route. Once I reached the office , all 4 of us in office literally massacred the tacos.
Few hours later I was back on the road again , waiting for my bus . I felt a little heaviness on the head , which slowly changed its posture to head-ache. By the time I got back to my apartment, the headache was unbearable that I could not even think properly. I drank a glass of water and quickly crashed. Some people say you've to sleep over your problems for them to vanish. But I felt as if someone is pressing 10ton weight on my head crushing every side of it. I feel homesick when I'm in pain. So, I switched on the TV so as to see Vinita Nair (Trust me , she looks a lot prettier in TV ). Watching her is the closest I would ever be to India. However, tonight even her sight was unbearable. The light from TV was piercing my eyes and drilling my brain ( if its there ). So I switched off the TV.
Four hours passed with me twisting & turning on the bed for a mirracle to happen, but nothing came. I tried to rewind the entire day's schedule to see what could have prompted a headache. Could it be too much Sun ? I decided to take a bath in warm water eventhough it was already midnight. Moving my head turned out to be as difficult a task like driving to Menaka on Tuesday evenings. Somehow I dragged myself to the tub and sat under shower for an hour .
Nothing changed. My head was still about to burst. So its not the Sun. I tapped on my tummy to check how it feels. I get headaches when my tummy is upset , but usually it gives a warning before the headache starts. It feels like a jelly when I slightly tap. Tonight there is no signal from the stomach. It cant be Tacos. Anyway, I didnt want to sit there like an idiot ( with headache) doing nothing. I decided to do the last resort - SIV ( Self Induced Vomiting) . Basically , stuck my finger into the throat until I vomitted. I dont know if its puke or just my saliva, because there was hardly any content. And the worst part, I didnt feel any relief after that too.
I was not feeling hungry , though it was almost 10 hours since I had anything to eat. I know there is enuff food in the fridge for me to just heat & eat. But today is not a normal day, its a headache Tuesday. I suddenly felt so lonely. Here I'm in a place all alone , in severe pain at wee hours and nobody to help.
I was enjoying the solitude till this day. Like Kishore said, "When you have all the freedom in the world, you become a prisoner of your own conscience". I had all freedom in the world and I was truly a prisoner of my own conscience. But the excruciating pain on the head changed everything about my concepts of solitude. I realised I need support & care. So I quickly got online and put out this poster.  (Click image to enlarge)
Inspired from the headache , puke & a sign board which read "Wanted : Residents ...... No experience required"
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