Page 177 - Musings 2020

Akio could read no more, he had tears in his eyes and so did Yoko. He gave her the phone
back and rushed the car towards the station. The only thing that could satisfy them was a
glimpse of their daughter’s face. They boarded the train and reached Nagoya station. The
station was bustling with activity and it was hard to keep track of a single person for even a
few seconds straight. The scene was completely unusual with police forces with their dogs
patrolling the area, queues in front of the ticket windows spanning the whole length of the
platform, and all the shops closed and hawkers absent. The speakers were blaring with
announcements of all kinds, ranging from train timings to calls for lost people. Akio grabbed
the tender wrist of Yoko and pierced through the crowds towards the station gates. He got a
cab and they started scaling each and every hospital that crossed their way. The city had
hundreds of them and they were too busy and shaken to realize it. After inquiring about a few
hospitals though, they realized it. Akio didn’t know what to do and buried his head in his
palms in despair.

Just then Yoko realized that she had luckily brought the issue of the Daily along with her. She
immediately pulled it out of her bag and pushed it towards him. Akio was moved to see this
as his eyes lit up and he began searching for the list of hospitals where the injured victims of
Tokyo were admitted. It took a few minutes for him to realize that the Hospital that they had
to look for was far away from the station and the city was full of traffic and commotion. They
didn’t lose hope and instructed the cab driver to keep moving towards the Municipal
Hospital. Hours passed and they kept moving forward, undeterred. Only once did they stop
on their way, when the driver begged them for a meal at the roadside restaurant and resumed
their journey thereafter. They reached the Hospital after a long and tiring journey of 6 hours
straight. As soon as they reached the entrance, Akio pulled out a 500 ¥ note from his pocket
and flung it towards the driver.

They rushed towards the reception hall and to no surprise they found the hall jam-packed
with people waiting in queues for their turns at the reception desk. The telephones were
ringing continuously and ambulance sirens blaring outside the gates. After every five
minutes, a stretcher went past them towards the Trauma Care Unit. They were horrified by
the screams of the patients and the look on their faces grew pale. Yoko couldn’t bear this
anymore and began crying badly. Akio consoled her and caressed her warmly. “Don’t cry
dear, everything’s going to be fine. Yuri should be somewhere safe. Don’t worry.” He said in
a reassuring manner, though completely shattered and clueless from within. They had no
choice but to wait for a long, long time. The clock seemed to have stopped ticking. Each
moment was mental torture and Yuri’s memories played in their heads continuously. The
News on the TV ran the headlines of the aftermath constantly with heartbreaking visuals.

As time passed, the queue in front of them grew shorter. Finally, their turn arrived and to their
disappointment, Yuri was not admitted to the Hospital. They were sunk in hopelessness. Both
of them sat down in the lounge. Akio could no longer be the strong husband that Yoko
believed him to be. Never before had he been so helpless. To her surprise, he began weeping
silently which grew stronger gradually. Yoko hugged him tightly and began patting his back
softly.

The lounge was empty within an hour and they were sitting silently resting their heads
against each other. Silence prevailed and they blankly stared at the white marble floor. Just

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