Revolving around 'Blood'

‘Drink a glass of water and come to room no 18’, said the nurse with a white coat.

The day was old then. Nurses and staffs were packing up. The nurse with curly hair gave a “Lion Look”, when I had come and started to fill the form of 'Blood Donation'. However, they had to take my blood pressure.

‘Fill your form properly’ same nurse had shouted at me while I gave it to her. I was paused. I was amazed. The response they did to me was unacceptable. ‘Why?’ I asked. She looked me with big eyes and asked ‘What is your Blood Group?’ My expression was Numb then. I kept quite. Actually, I didn't knew it.  ‘Don’t know’ I said. ‘So you have never donated blood?’, ‘Is this your first time?’  She asked same question in two different ways. ‘No, I have never donated and this is my first time’ I also answered in same way with slight smile in my face.  But it was worthless because she had already given me form and asked me to sit in the chair nearby. I put my earphone and played it. Noah and the Whale’s ‘L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N’ started playing from somewhere between. I was listening the song. And the nurse with a white coat came to me.

The nurse with white coat was sexy enough. She was slim around 50 kg, height 5 feet 7 inches, eyes were lovely and face was clean. ‘Small Chest’ was out, which made her perfect, as a girl. I went near the filter and drank two sip of water from the bottle. Then, I went directly to room no 18.

‘18’, I guess her age was around 18. I had no guts to ask it. However, it was not my concern. ‘Yeta’, she called me inside and asked to sit next to her. She took out Sphygmomanometer and started checking my Blood Pressure. Her long wavy hair was disturbing her as it had slipped from her hair band. She also smelled good. I was looking her. ‘Ok! It is fine’, she said and looked at me. I turned around and gave an ‘Ok’ look.

 I think she knew that, I was looking at her. Anyway, it does not matter to her. She gave me fake smile and asked to lie in a chair (used for Blood donation) and I did accordingly. The, she banned my arm tightly with pipe in a yellow color and also cleaned my layers of nerves with spirit cotton. ‘Tighten your hand’, she said touching my fingers. ‘She is really soft’, I thought. She took a blood storing packet and opened a covered syringe, which was really scary. She injected me and slowly blood started moving towards blood storing packet from my arm. The, she immediately removed the pipe. ‘Move your fingers’ she again asked me, really she said it with love. I was looking her.

‘Please, I need only a packet of O -ve blood, my brother is dying, this is my last option, please’, I listened a boy in tensed voice. ‘I am sorry but there is not even a single packet and O –ve is rarely found. ‘Well, we will try’, a nurse with a curly hair said with chaotic look, outside in the same reception desk. ‘Please, you can’t say that’ the boy sounded helpless.

I was also helpless then. Eight years back my best friend Ramesh died of Blood Cancer.

‘Are you feeling good?’ a nurse broke a silence suddenly. ‘Ya’, I said. I kept silent.

I was 11 then, he had also died of cartage of blood. ‘He is fighting but can’t for long’, doctor had said to his father. ‘He need a lot of blood’, he had added. My father had also kept me in cue if we got more blood, but I wasn't used then. I can still remember his father had gave a big advertisement in Kantipur. ‘O -ve’ was written in Big letter. But, it didn't matter at all. He went.

‘So, you’re done!’ nurses said to me and slowly tighten the pipe and also took out the syringe from my nerves. I didn't say her anything and gave a fake smile. I was suddenly in trauma of Ramesh death.

‘Rest for Sometime’, she said and catching my hand. I said nothing. So, this is your cell number?’ she again asked me showing my application form. But I was not interested.

I was thinking of that boy’s brother and Ramesh, then a ‘Packet of Blood’. I stood up and ran. Everybody was amazed. The same guys had already gone outside of the ‘Red Cross Gate’ in tensed mood. I thought nothing and ran. I reached in the gate; he was 10 steps ahead of me. I shouted ‘Dai’. He looked back, with same look. ‘I can help’, I said.