The Man Who Couldn’t Escape

 

By February 2020, the HAPP Township in Trichy was on high alert. The second wave was beginning to stir, and Saheesh, an employee at the Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project, was becoming the township’s unofficial expert on isolation. He had already survived two separate 14-day stints—first because of a neighbor, then because of a person in the opposite block. Each time, he had finally returned to work, only for the cycle to reset.

Now, his family was away in Kannur, and he was back in his quarters for the third time because a co-worker had tested positive. The frustration was no longer a flicker; it was a bonfire.

The phone rang at 11:00 AM. Saheesh grabbed it, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Nurse: "Hello? Is it... Somreh?"

Saheesh: "No, I am Saheesh."

Nurse: "Ya, ya, I meant Saheesh only. There is bad news. You have been tested corona positive. You need to be admitted to the General Hospital at the earliest. Kindly make arrangements."

Saheesh: (A long pause, the room feeling smaller) "Positive? But I’ve been inside. I feel fine."

Nurse: "Is family living with you?"

Saheesh: "No, they are at my native in Kerala."

Nurse: "Lucky. Lucky your family is not with you. So be ready by 12:00 PM. An ambulance will be reaching your doorstep. Kindly inform your family and friends."

Saheesh: "Madam, listen to me. I am not having any symptoms. No fever, no cough. Why is it so?"

Nurse: "It happens. It changes from person to person. Don't worry, you are healthy. Just wait for the ambulance."

The line went dead. Saheesh sat in the silence, his phone a heavy weight in his hand. He called his co-workers first, his voice trembling. The news moved through HAPP like wildfire—shock, panic, and a strange pity for the man who couldn't catch a break. He stared at his suitcase, half-packed with a few dresses, waiting for the siren that would take him away from his solitude and into a ward.

12:30 PM arrived. No ambulance. Instead, the phone buzzed again. It was the same number.

Saheesh: "Hello? I am ready. Is the ambulance outside?"

Duty Doctor: "Sorry, Saheesh. This is the duty doctor. There has been a clerical error. It was not you who tested positive, but a person called Somra—the General Manager. So sorry for the miscommunication."

A massive, shaky smile broke across Saheesh’s face. He slumped against the wall, the tension draining out of his limbs like water. "Oh, thank God. Thank you, Doctor. Thank you."

Nurse: (Taking the phone back, her voice returning with a sharp pause) "Wait, Saheesh. Don't get too happy. I am looking at the log now. You gave your swab yesterday at the facility, correct?"

Saheesh: "Yes, at the same time as everyone else."

Nurse: "Exactly. And Mr. Somra, the GM, was standing right next to you in the line for the testing. Since you were a primary contact during the testing time, you need to go for a quarantine for 14 days. Take care. The HAPP duty nurse will call you soon."

Saheesh stared at the wall. The suitcase was still open. The freedom he had felt for exactly sixty seconds evaporated.

Saheesh: "Madam... honestly? It was better to just test positive than to be quarantined again!"

He hung up and threw his phone onto the bed. He was negative for the virus, but he was officially a positive prisoner of the HAPP quarters. He sat back down, looked at his suitcase, and wondered if the walls had missed him during his one hour of hope.