Twenty-Five Days - A

drove for thirty minutes to the subway station, took a train for forty minutes, got into another for only ten minutes, and reached Queen's Park. Mornings are so hectic, people are rushing to their work-places. Fortunately found a seat beside the window, and looked at all the faces in the compartment. It was a university-bound train...many young faces, young men and women wearing fashionable jeans, and T-shirts with interesting quotes - from " life's a garden/dig it" to "Life is short/Talk Fast"! Some other people were heading to downtown work-places; their faces were grim! I wondered - were they having a fight with their bosses? Or contemplating whether it was time to quit that job! It wasn't extremely cold yet in Toronto, only sweaters were enough in September! A few private school kids were taking the subway - they were in white and blue uniforms, with smiling faces - bringing a lot of joy to their parents. I carried a book about art history to read. I really should have read the book before visiting the Louvre five years ago! How many people read art history in the subway? I did, and enjoyed immensely, in between looking at all the faces I had never met before, and probably would never meet! This happened for twenty-five days! Twenty-five days of my life I took a subway, and headed to a hospital where they treat cancer-patients! I read art-history in the subway, and slogged to the hospital imagining some day joining the universities around! How long was I carrying that dream? Now, for a completely different reason, I was walking on that path. They treat the patients very well - radiation therapy wasn't that bad...at least I didn't feel anything, any burn feelings...probably they are so kind knowing some of us won't be around for long! They asked me to bring my favourite music CD - I brought Beethoven. When lying on the radiation table, Moonlight Sonata made me almost fall asleep! I wrote an email to her brother - "feels like they are my children! I am supposed to text everyone when I am here. What worse can happen to me!" Nurse told me - Why are you taking the subway, we have so many volunteers here in Princess Margaret Cancer Hospital..volunteers can pick you up! I thought - "Okay, why not?" Mrs. Campbell picked me up the next day - her husband had a surgery for brain-tumour, he fainted while exploring in the rainforest! After a day, I told the kind lady - "Thank you so much. But I still feel alright, perhaps someone else can use your help!"The lady seemed shocked - "You are from India? Do Indians get cancer! I hear they spice their food with turmeric every single day!" Twenty-five days! Twenty-five days were gone from my life! But there are many more days to come - I really enjoyed the ride in the subway!