Don’t Stop, Pursue: Dreams Don’t Wait For People!

Here’s a short story to remind you to pursue your dreams, and be who you want to be. People can wait, dreams don’t!

Abha sat inside her cabin in a multi-speciality hospital, her head reclined on the headrest of the black leathered  swivel chair, while her fingers played with the chest piece of the stethoscope that hung lazily around her neck. Her OP duty was over and she was waiting for a few scan results to be uploaded on to her computer. That was the rare free time she got.

While she relaxed, thoughts kept pouring in and she could not help but wonder how soon time had flown by. It seemed like only yesterday she was this happy-go-lucky, bubbly girl, so eager to chase her dreams; and now she had metamorphosed into a mature, successful, and independent lady.

At the age of 14, when she was confronted with her choice of subjects for Higher Secondary education, she had no doubt what to choose. Right from childhood, her favourite game was to hang a plastic toy stethoscope around her neck, and use anything – from pencil to pen – as thermometer, sticking it underneath the tongue of her father or younger brother, or writing prescriptions on bits and pieces of paper with the few words she knew then.

Yes, it was her dream to become a Doctor, and she had no doubt either, as to what she should specialize in. After her father had his first major heart attack, her desire to become a cardiac surgeon was etched deeper inside her heart.

Her father, a businessman running his own shop, worked hard to make both ends meet despite his ailing health. Her father too wished that his daughter’s dream would come true one day, and encouraged her as much as he could. Finally, her hard work paid off when she got through the state medical entrance test, that too, in the third position. Hence, admission to a Medical College was a cakewalk for her.

But then, fate proved to be the villain when her father succumbed to his illness, while she was in her third year of graduation. After her father’s death, life was not so easy for Abha and her family, and they were in dire financial straits. Her mother took over the business, while Abha assisted her in her spare time, and together they started picking it up slowly.

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During her house surgeoncy period, Abha fell in love with Rahul, a very gentle and soft spoken person, doing his Master’s in Business Administration. He was from a very rich family and a job was not a ‘necessity’ for him. At times, Abha felt he was not pursuing his studies as seriously as he ought to, and was just doing it for the sake of adding a tagline to his name.

As soon as Rahul completed his MBA, his parents came to Abha’s house to ask for her hand in marriage, and Abha’s mother was delighted at the bright prospects for her daughter. The wedding dates were set and in the meanwhile Abha too passed her MBBS exams with flying colours. She appeared for the screening test for MS at AIIMS, Delhi, and there too she excelled herself, and got admission in the prestigious institution.

Excited at her proud feat she spilled the beans to Rahul, expecting him to be overjoyed, but to her shock he simply shrugged it off. Later in the evening, Rahul’s parents called Abha’s mother, and said that they strictly expected their bahu to be a ‘ghar ki lakshmi’ and in no way intended to have on board a ‘working bahu’ . So, it was only prudent for her to shed any aspirations regarding further studies. And Rahul, their obedient son,stuck to his parents’ opinion.

This came as a huge blow for Abha, and for the first time in her life, she saw her dreams come crashing down, along with her heart. The wedding date was just four days away. Invitations were sent and preparations were on in full swing. Abha asked herself if this was what she really wanted, and every time, her heart seemed to say, If a man can, in a minute, trample all the dreams that she had nurtured all through her life, what happiness can he bring to her life in the future? If at all he had loved her truly, he would have seen it as a part of his own dreams.

That very day, Abha called off the marriage and walked out of Rahul’s  life, much to the disappointment of her mother and relatives, who tried their best to persuade her to take back her words. They accused her of taking a reckless decision (so unworthy of a girl!) that invited bad reputation upon the family as a whole. For them, it was only logical that she chose to be the woman of the palace, which was by itself, close enough to hitting good fortune.

But Abha did not think twice. After much coaxing,  her mother too agreed to stand by her decision, albeit half-heartedly. They managed to obtain a loan by pledging the deed of their shop, and Abha confidently went ahead with her dreams. She emerged as the first rank holder in MS from AIIMS, and also availed a scholarship for further studies in the US.

And here she is today, proudly sitting behind her name plate, “Ms. Abha Srivastava. MBBS, MS, MCh.” Her dream now hers, in more colorful hues than she herself had dreamt of!

Just then, a knock at the door had her stammering out of her reveries. And the attendant peeped in to say, “Madamji, there is a man by the name Zorab, waiting for you in the lobby.”  She gently tapped herself on the forehead, for having forgotten the dinner date with Zorab; a Surgeon himself, who she was seeing those days.

Abha quickly got up and left the cabin, and as she passed the Attendant, much to his amusement, she quipped with a naughty smile on her lips – “He can wait, but dreams…do they wait?”

Pic credit: pasotraspaso (Used under a CC license)

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