AMAZING BUT TRUE ...

Reyman woke up and opened his bedroom windows. It was a sunny morning in the streets of a South Indian town. The town where he lived was in a coastal state with beautiful sceneries and long beaches. He had been living in that part of town for almost fifteen years. That was when he had just graduated from high school and got a job in that town. The nature of his job was stressful and his working hours were not regular. Most of the time he had to be up at dawn and returned home at dusk. There were times when he was woken up in the middle of the night by the shrill ringing of his mobile which meant an emergency. When he was at work, he often lost track of time. It suddenly amazed him that he had been an ambulance driver for fifteen years.

At that instance, his mobile sounded. He guessed it right. It was from the hospital. His duty for the day was scheduled in the evening and he did not need to rush that morning. However, the call from the hospital made him hurry with his morning chores.  He got ready in a jiffy, gulped down some bread and rushed out of his flat. It was almost noon when he was out in the busy streets. When he reported to duty that afternoon an important and urgent assignment awaited him.

That evening the public would see an impossible feat getting accomplished. A feat that makes for a tale to warm the coldest of hearts. Later that afternoon , with the life of a month-old infant hanging in balance, Reyman raced his ambulance across nearly the entire length of the coastal state. The distance was almost 500 kilometers apart.

With light traffic, travelling that distance by road, would take a minimum of 13 hours. The everyday congestion on the narrow roads would make the trip at least fourteen hours. The ambulance, however, completed the journey in seven hours. The emergency vehicle and its convoy took a fifteen-minute break to top up fuel.  The one and only stop in the entire journey.

A tiny infant named Sulaika had to be transported to the hospital in the state capital as quickly as possible as she needed to undergo an emergency heart surgery after developing prolonged breathlessness a few days ago. Sulaika couldn’t be air lifted as the nearest airport was three hours away, while arranging for an ambulance would require at least five hours. So, it was decided that the baby would be transported by road.

As, Reyman signed up for their assignment that afternon, the police force rose to the occasion, finalizing plans to unsure a hassle and obstacle free journey for the ambulance. The first official to get involved was the District Police Chief, who deployed a special team to coordinate the entire journey. Another team was setup to accompany the ambulance and one more team was assigned to regulate traffic on the roads which Reyman’s vehicle would race by. As word of the journey got out, members of the Child Protection Team, which is a non-profit organization, joined hands with the police in order to coordinate the journey.

Therefore, at 4.43 pm on Tuesday Reyman turned on the sirens of his ambulance and pressed the gas-peddle as he embarked on the five hundred kilometer journey to the city hospital. News of the ambulance journey spread like wild fire on social media and the public lined up on roads to catch glimpses of the vehicle screaming by with its siren wailing. The social media was filled with videos shot on mobile phones showing the ambulance and its convoy racing towards the state capital. The ambulance was accompanied by at least two teams of the state police. The teams kept changing at district borders in order to ensure smooth changeovers and also make sure that Reyman did not have to slow down during the journey. At around 7.00 pm, the convey entered a fuel bunk, making its only stop during the journey. 

Finally, at 11.55 pm that night, the ambulance came to a halt at the casualty ward of the busy city hospital. The waiting doctors and the medical team rushed the infant inside the emergency room and began treatment immediately. 

It was five minutes to midnight. In five minutes, fireworks will light up the night sky, people will end the count down and start celebrating. Indeed, it was New Year’s Eve. It was unfortunate, but true. Reyman was not able to celebrate New Year’s Eve with family and friends. He had just got out of the ambulance to rest and stretch his arms and legs. It was the same situation for his team as well. 

They walked out of the hospital towards the streets and entered a restaurant. It had been hours since they had a decent meal and everyone was ravenous. At that moment fireworks lit up the sky and everyone watched happily. Reyman and his team was not able to spend New Year’s Eve with loved ones but they were happy and satisfied that they had helped to save the life of a baby. 

As they headed back to the hospital after the meal, the press was waiting. Praising the state police and their team, Reyman said the successful journey would not have been possible without the officials’ and organisations’ help and support. It was a well-coordinated effort. While Baby Sulaika reached the city hospital in record time, her condition was still critical. Everyone prayed for the well-being of the baby and Reyman’s crew left the hospital and headed home. They had to travel for many hours to reach their destination.

The hospital which Reyman worked rewarded him with an award certificate, cash and a week holiday. Reyman was happy as he was able to spend a week with his family. He took his wife and two children to the sea side where they were able to relax and enjoy the sea. After a really long time Reyman was able to have a good time and get some rest as well. 

He returned to duty after a week and took his place in the driver’s seat of his ambulance. As usual, important feats awaited him, and his vehicle mingled in the busy traffic as usual. Yes, Reyman was back to work.

(1057 words)