“Borderline high B.P., Type 2 Diabetes! You hit some milestones for sure this month, didn’t you, Ritvi?”
Suhas adjusted his spectacles on his nose to take a closer look at his wife’s health reports that had just shook both of them to the core. Ritvi felt like a boulder had fallen and hit her from the top of the hill she had been gaily hiking along for the last few months.
How was it possible?
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That morning witnessed a different kind of sprint in her walk. Hadn’t she checked herself out from head to toe in the mirror for the nth time that day? 67 kgs! A steep drop from 80 kgs… She even bit her finger to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming.
“It’s all about determination; once you’ve set your heart and mind on achieving your goals, nothing can deter you.” Ritvi bragged about her 13 kgs. weight loss on phone calls to numerous friends, in front of her neighbours, her maid, her vegetable vendor and who not.
Despite the deep realization that she hadn’t worked out or even tormented a single limb to stretch last month, the weight loss felt like an achievement. Gods must have been kind to her..
Dresses of size L were bought with much enthusiasm while shifting her XL size clothes to the lower drawers with a mocking glance; they were so-looked-down-upon that day. Calories intake saw a sudden increase; carbs and fats enjoyed their soirees over every meal of the day.
Turning a deaf ear to Suhas’ warnings, Ritvi tried to hush his fears, saying that he was getting jealous of her, just because she had hit the same weight as his. The devil of gluttony had conspired with the monster of snobbery. They played their wickedest tricks on the poor girl.
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It was in the wee hours that Ritvi felt sudden palpitations; drenched in her own sweat, she could breathe with much difficulty. She jolted Suhas awake from sleep who immediately took her to a nearby hospital.
A staggering 92 kgs of weight had presumably caused the upheaval. A drastic increase of 25 kgs! In just a single month!
The devils of gluttony and snobbery had given up their front seat to the monster of self-pity. The duo, now in a mood to enjoy the scenes from the backseats, guffawed while holding each other’s hands even tighter.
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Suhas, who had always been a fitness enthusiast, had just returned from his early morning jog. Once in a while, he would check his weight on the weighing scale; the same machine that Ritvi used to despise, for it would call a spade a spade. He was content with the latest reading – 67kgs.
Neither Suhas nor Ritvi had an inkling of the prank that the devil of mischief had already played on them while he was out and about on his business.
The scale had gone kaput the moment Suhas stepped down from it.
