"That is a proof" the men say, "that you have a head."
So it's a bit embarrassing, you see, to admit that I had bad headaches all of last week.
Yes, I have had headaches before... the one that comes on the night before incomplete homework, the one that comes on when you are out in the mid-day sun for too long, the one that comes on after dehydration, the one that comes on after a heavy dose of anaesthesia during surgery, the one that is triggered by a powerful ray of light or loud music, and so on.
This headache was unlike any other. It came on like a tsunami wave. One moment all was calm and peaceful, and the next thing you know is that you are engulfed by super-high terrifying waves. The pain concentrated on one point in my brain and I felt like my head was going to explode.
No, I did not take any pills. I don't like chemical painkillers.
I tied my head up tightly with a scarf, rolled myself up into a ball, and prayed that it would go away. But it didn't.
The next night, the headache came again. When I refused painkilling pills, my husband offered me a glass of wine. It went straight to my head and I sang old Hindi film songs late into the night in a particularly pathetic voice. Our daughter thought that I had totally lost my marbles.
Well, Amitabh Bachchan singing "Khaike paan Benaraswala, khul jaye band akal ka tala..." is one thing, and someone like me singing it late at night is quite another!
The night after that, the headache came again. I refused painkilling pills and the glass of wine, applied some Tiger Balm on my forehead and fluffed up a soft pillow. I nursed my headache alone.
Last night, I quietly took the pills and slept soundly.
I do have a head, after all!
(Picture courtesy: Clipart)
