Representative image of a hospital.
Credit: iStock Photo
My friend had an appointment with a busy doctor at the hospital. Getting an appointment was a feat in itself, and being late was not an option. The doctor was known for not tolerating excuses or explanations. He was an excellent doctor, but a tyrant nonetheless.
Understandably, my friend was terrified at the thought of meeting him. My friend nearly collapsed with fear at the thought of meeting him. In jest, my niece told her to collapse in front of the doctor but to get there on time.
My friend had an appointment for 11.30 am. She was ready by 10 am. She asked me to accompany her. I told her there was no need to leave so early and tried to comfort her.
But she tied herself in knots in her nervousness. Soon I realised the futility of trying to make her see sense. So we set out. All the way to the hospital, she was sitting on the edge of the seat and directing her driver to speed up and reach the destination quickly. The driver told her, "If I go any faster, the police will catch me.”
That quietened her for a while but did not prevent her from checking her watch constantly. Strangely enough, there wasn’t much traffic that day. I pointed it out to her and asked her to relax. But she persisted: "There will be a traffic jam nearer the hospital, and there will be a long line of vehicles waiting for passengers to get off.” Again, I saw no point in making her see sense, and I looked out of the window.
We reached the hospital in no time, for there was neither traffic on the way nor a long line of vehicles waiting to drop people off.
We went in and completed the formalities. Then we sat in the nearly-empty waiting area The time was 10.30 am and we had an hour’s wait ahead of us. I began to read a book I had brought, ignoring my fidgety friend.
Suddenly, she gasped, realising she had left her medical file at home.
"You wait here. I will go home and get it," I offered and rushed out before she could raise any objections. By the time I collected her file and returned at 11.20 am, a good 10 minutes to spare.
Then the receptionist announced that the doctor would not be coming that day. The patients could reschedule their appointments! He had to attend to an emergency. He was sorry for the inconvenience caused.