Raj opened his eyes after nine days of being in a coma. His appendix had burst almost immediately as they had cut him open. The doctors told him later about what a mess it had created on the operating table. They also realised that Raj's life had been saved by a ridiculously fine margin. Even after the operation Raj was in a really critical condition. The school had contacted his local guardian, his uncle and a telegram was sent immediately to his family back in Mumbai.
Raj's dad Ramchandra had managed to take leave and was sitting by the bed when Raj surfaced from the coma. Raj saw that Daddy looked worried and relieved at the same time. Raj looked weaker than ever. He closed his eyes again as he was already exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. Daddy knew that Raj would need to rest for at least two weeks before he was hopefully fit again.
As he sat there Daddy felt upset and a little guilty looking down at his son and thinking of how the little boy had had to face all this alone. He felt his chest tighten at these thoughts and noticed he was clenching his jaw. He remembered an old prayer that his mother used to sing and found himself relaxing as he remembered her voice. But years of having to make several big decisions for his entire family involving his widowed mother, the education and lives of his seven siblings and even the family land and livestock had meant that Daddy knew the decision he would have to make even as his son was still recovering.
Ramchandra battled with the idea of taking his son back to Mumbai for a month due to his sickness and the fear that Raj would probably never want to go back to school here in Bangalore. He then calmed himself again and reminded himself of the long journey through life that he had managed to face all on his own. He would be able to convince his son after his convalescence. Raj was a really good boy and Ramchandra knew he'd never question his parents' decisions. Deep down he also knew that he could never have been able to provide his son with as good an environment for learning and growth as that which was available in the school. He also had a great deal of faith both in God and his own abilities to convince his son.
He drew his fingers through Raj's hair and rubbed his head gently. Softly he started to sing his mother's prayer aloud for Raj to hear.
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