Shot in the arm

Our silver-grey haired sutradhars are nudging Bombaywallahs, especially from their age group, to go ahead and take the vaccine shot

“How are you feeling now, Lady? Did you experience a fever, headache, or any other health concern just as the good doctor had told us to watch out for?” An impatient Sir PM seemed worried, and called out to his friend Lady Flora, as she approached him. A few days had passed since their adventurous escapade, where both managed to get themselves vaccinated. He was wondering if like him, she, too, had faced any side effects after taking the shot. Dr. Viegas had forewarned them, and so it, thankfully, didn’t come as a shock. Since Sir PM hadn’t heard of any ‘bad news’ from his sources, he knew she was fine.

The setting for their midnight stroll this time was near Sir PM’s pedestal, since Gargoyle and Dr. Viegas were to join them. “My dear Pheroze, I’ve never felt better,” Lady Flora smiled broadly. There was a spring in her stride. “That’s wonderful to hear. So, I gather you didn’t need to take any painkillers…” he enquired. “None, whatsoever. I was up and about the next morning, in full form for my tourist friends. But, what about you? Here I am going on about myself…” Lady Flora felt bad that she forgot to check on her friend. “Well, I did feel weak, and was running a temperature all night. The doctor’s medication was a timely help, since the missus was away in Navsari; I was getting a bit panicky and…” but before he could complete his sentence, Lady Flora interrupted, “You poor thing! Now, I am feeling terrible. Why didn’t you say something before?” He could manage a sheepish grin.

By now, Dr. Viegas and Gargoyle had arrived. “So, were the two of you the ‘mysterious troublemakers’, who slunk in and out for your vaccine shots at Sir JJ Hospital?” the good doctor thundered, before breaking into a laugh. “What derring-do! So, tell us all, quickly,” Gargoyle nudged. “The previous day, I overheard a passer-by telling his friend that he managed to cut the queue because he helped wheel his mother into the vaccine centre. He was over 60 years himself, and she, in her 90s. That’s when it struck me. See, people like us, who’ve crossed 100 need to be even more careful, what with these new diseases and medical conditions. We survived the plague, Viegas, but this is something else, isn’t it?” Dr. Viegas nodded vigorously in acknowledgment.

“I made some enquiries, and learnt that Sir JJ Hospital would be the most convenient, and also because Edward had contacts there,” Lady Flora chimed in. “We slipped in, in the middle of the night through one of the exits; Edward’s ‘people’ helped us with perfect alibis, and incredibly believable identity details when our turn would come to take the shot. He even organised for our modern-day wardrobe. It was fool-proof. No eyebrows were raised. I was 65 year-old Flora Pinto who was to be the caretaker of nonagenarian Pheroze Mehta. My recently restored looks had to be done justice, too, after all!”

Sir PM joined in, “Oh, and then we located this wheelchair just in time. Lady Flora was my caretaker. Since we were the first in the queue, we played our parts to perfection, and took the injection. It was a memorable experience — to be part of something so massive and important in India’s medical history.”

“All was well until I noticed that a medical staffer had been staring at Pheroze and a framed portrait on the wall of the waiting room. There was Tilak, Gandhi, Nehru, Gokhale, and…even our dear Pheroze. By then, we had taken our vaccine shots and were under observation. To my bad luck, the man had joined the dots, and had alerted security. That’s when I decided to make a quick getaway. I’ve never ran so fast in my life, especially while pushing someone in a wheelchair; these modern clothes also made it tough to negotiate the corners and stairs, but we made it to the gates, since the crowds gave way for us seeing a dazed Pheroze in a wheelchair,” Lady Flora was thrilled at her adventure.

“It’s all over the news today – ‘Mysterious senior citizen duo make daring escape after vaccine shots: Identities unknown’” Dr. Viegas, updated them, quickly adding, “I suggest that you both stay away from Byculla for a while. And when it comes to your second shot, please let me know, so we can do it legally.”

“Yes, of course, Viegas. No Bombaywallah should repeat what we did. It was wrong. But senior folk should certainly get themselves vaccinated. It is the only way that we can return to some semblance of normalcy and stay safe against this killer virus,” thundered Sir PM, silently pleased that he made headlines, even if it was against his legal grain.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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