Short Stories

By Shanti Deodhari

Guyanese born and UK trained Registered Nurse has published Short Stories through XLIBIS publishers in 2011.
She has captured the minds of the reader by expressing how a couple bade sad farewell to their beloved pooch when his time was up The Contented, in the first chapter.
The Day I Rode into Balloch Town follows a Native American womans unforgettable dreamlike encounter with a handsome young man by the name of Clint Eastwood.
Shanti shared My Experience as a Nurse and the traumas and dramas that led her to success. She set up the Orthopaedic Pre-assessment Clinic in 2002 for her local NHS Trust and brought it from Doctor to Nurse led after two years. The clinic has been running smoothly since and merged with other specialities in 2006.
Readers can discover other intriguing stories as they immerse in this collection of fascinating yet insightful tales. It reminds readers how people can become so caught up in trivial things that the little things in life seem to slip through without any acknowledgement. Short Stories explore the thoughts of adult behaviour which will keep the readers glued to the pages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Jul 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465302694

Shanti Deodhari

I was born in Guyana and came to the United Kingdom in 1971 to do Nursing. I am still working for the NHS, and retirement is not too far away. I did quite a lot of travelling and lived in various parts of the country. I am a watercolour artist and hold many exhibitions. I wrote Banglar Bow(Bengali Bride) and got it published through AuthorHouse in 2007. My next art exhibition will be in August 2011 at our local church, where all local artists share their creations. I take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read my book with many stories. I understand and appreciate how we are all very busy and the little things in life seem to slip through without any acknowledgement. Once again my thanks to my readers, my friends, and my family for their support and encouragement.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Shanti Deodhari.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011912315

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-0268-7

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-0267-0

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-0269-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

[e-mail]

302369

Contents

The Contented

The Day I Rode into Balloch Town

Rosemary

Caught Up

Guyana

John and Julia

My Experience as a Nurse

A Black Mind

London

Acknowledgements

To my mother Joyce, family and friends,

Associate Orthopaedic Specialist Mr Sumati Bothra, Orthopaedic consultant Mr Shabux Lashari, and consultant Anaesthetist Dr K. Manickam for their support and encouragement.

To Orthopaedic consultant Mr Ragai Gadelrab for his magical fingers on Caudal Epidural and to the Pre-assessment Team.

Special thanks to Xlibris team.

The Contented

As I walked into the fragrant room, there he was lying, with his head on the pink-coloured silk-covered pillow and quilt cover thrown over that handsome tall body. The room was dimly lit and gave a sense of security. The lampshades were black, the rose-coloured curtains coordinated with the king-size bed headboard of grey and rose. The remaining furniture was white with grey borders.

He did not realize I was staring at him. I stood there, looking at him and admiring him. Suddenly a number of questions propelled into my mind: ‘Did I come into this world to serve this powerful creature?’ ‘I am happy to be your servant,’ I muttered. ‘Why did you come into my world?’ I asked. ‘Is it a blessing, or is it a test of my faith to look after another of God’s creature?’ I am not sure. He lifted his head slightly and, with half-closed eyes, dropped his gorgeous dark head on the pillow. He was certainly contented in this life. ‘But what gave you the right to choose to lie between my silk sheets instead of the comfortable cushioned sofa?’ The hair on his head was shining as if he had rubbed it with special oil. He stretched and gave a big yawn as much as to say I am satisfied with this life. He felt uneasy and stretched again, then rolled on to his back, his large head twisted to one side of the pillow, and his leather studded collar appeared as if he was choking. He snored, his legs were up, and the bedclothes fell to the end of the bed, revealing more of his wide chest. The hairs on his chest were short and slightly darker than those on the rest of his body. He suddenly jumped out of the bed and gave himself a good shake, yawned, and stretched. He rubbed his black and tan body next to mine with assurance—I am here for you, your faithful friend.

He slowly walked out of the room and checked the remaining rooms in the house. After all, he was the security guard of the house. He looked out of the window facing the front of the house and gave a few long barks. It made the door bell ring. He had a very loud, heavy voice—after all, he said, ‘I am a Doberman, a well-respected pedigree guy. I am here to look after you’.

He opened the sliding kitchen door with his long face and looked around for something to eat. He was human but in a different form. ‘Oh, Mom,’ he cried. I knew what he wanted. I always knew what he wanted. I opened the fridge door and took out his semi-skimmed milk and poured some into his dish. He gulped it as fast as he could. ‘Thank you, Mom. That was refreshing.’ He then swallowed his cake. I was telling him not to eat so fast or else he would choke. But I always told him not to rush his meals. He had done the same for nine years, so there were to be no changes, until 26 October 1992, on his birthday.

He could not get out of his bed. He always slept in the sitting room, on the sofa, for the first part of the night, and then, slowly, he would creep into my bed. Unknowingly, when I awake, he was always at my feet. I was made very uncomfortable by him but I had grown accustomed to him sprawling his heavy body on my legs. He was seven-and-a-half stones. So, why did this creature I loved so dearly found it difficult to get out of the bed? His pupils were semi-dilated. ‘Oh, Kalia,’ I cried, ‘what’s happened to you? Please wake up!’ I felt something was wrong because I had missed the heavy weight on my legs. He remained motionless. I made him comfortable and called the vet.

But yesterday my husband took him for a long run in the woods. I called my friend Ann to help with spiritual healing. ‘His time is up,’ she said. I felt worse. He was my first baby. I had no children but I treated him as a child—an intelligent child, a worker. He always helped me with the work. He would open the door if I had too many things in my hands. He would bring the washing basket after I finished hanging the clothes outside of the house. Whenever I hand washed the clothes, his nose was in the suds. He wanted to listen to anyone who is on the telephone. He got very involved with my life. Every job I did in the house, he followed me. He was my shadow. So, what had happened to my shadow?

The vet came and said he had a high temperature-cause. He could not stand; it was as if his hind legs were paralyzed. I felt exhausted, mentally and physically, because I had woken up early and missed him. I made him comfortable and did all the healing I could. ‘Please, dear God, help him.’ I am a spiritual person; then why couldn’t I accept it if his time was up in this life? Perhaps, it was a shock. I felt he would be here forever.Little did I know he too was mentally and physically exhausted. He was ready to leave this world and enter the other world. But I was not ready. I wanted him like he was before. He kept me alive during my good and bad days. But how could I, another human, be so selfish in not releasing another life from this living world? Is this how we humans are made? I wanted him to be alive forever. I prayed, and with several healings and antibiotic injections, he was able to stand and went to fulfil his needs and back to his bed. All I had to offer was to nurse him to the best of my ability. I fed him in bed as he found it difficult to lift his head. He enjoyed being pampered. I gave him a warm wash with his flannel, followed by cleaned sheets. He loved cleaned sheets. He appeared peaceful. I felt a little satisfied. I made him comfortable the way I knew.

God is Merciful. The third day, he was in my bed, on my legs, and ready for his breakfast. But he was not the same as before. After his