He is out, eating a hurried breakfast when he sees the child with her bloated belly, coppery hair and runny nose, sharing her meal with her 5 siblings and a host of flies. He has to look away and steel himself . He buys her a good meal every time he sees her, and tells himself that tomorrow when he is a somebody he will throw his life away for the upliftment of her lot.
That was a long time ago.
Today, he has call days and long tiring OPD’s and it’s a struggle not to snap at the obese lady who wake him up in the middle of the night because she has abdominal pain or the drunk who fell down and needs to be sutured up. He does not want his life to be dictated by the sorrows in other’s lives. He hates sick people, they screw up his life.
He staggers back to his room and drops into his bed, waits for sleep to come and hopes he is not on duty this weekend. He is not, he is free, he lazes around in his room, sips orange juice, and bitches about the heat.
The girl is probably out in the sun, begging for food and money.
He drags his ass to the computer, reads his fave webcomics and blogs. With nothing more to do he reclines on his bed and ponders what he really wants in life. Does he love those little girls enough to leave what he wants; a comfortable daily routine, money and fame? Is it of any use to chase so frivolous a dream, surely the idealism of youth is impractical. Is he going to ever keep his word, after all he is his only witness. If he decideds to feed the little girls and educate them how will he travel the world and go on road trips with his friends? Who will want to marry a guy like that other than a similar nut case?
The thinking is tires him he falls asleep mid thought.
The girl is covered with a cardboard. She watches her mom sneak away with a man. This is the fourth one this night, she will have food in the morning.
“Tab famotidine 20 mg bd” he writes and dismisses another idiot with stomach pain who has come to the hospital just to bug him.
09/04/2007 at 10:54 pm Permalink
Hey Schizo. A real doctor (namely a Dr. of medicine) is perhaps one of the few professionals who can really serve other humans at any stage in his life…is n’t it? Not lift the girl in question out of poverty may be…but certainly out of sickness. Other people (like me) have to take a career break everytime we feel the urge to serve. So I was under the assumption that real doctors never need to face such a crisis…guess not.
10/04/2007 at 1:29 am Permalink
the internal conflict
my family always tells me “you could have been a millionaire by now with your brains” and they’ve never understood why I didn’t become a lawyer and left the US searching for other “gold” that which lies within people.
through my travels I know that I have found happiness but of course I don’t have millions and while it shoudln’t be a goal only a means it is not negligible because unfortunately my dear you and I do not live in a bubble we sady live in a capitalist society devouring our spirits with the quest for monetary gain.
I like simple things and even they costs money - food, housing don’t come cheap and so all this to say that you have to find a balance between the two, something like Doctors without Borders so that you can help the needy and wounded while doing one of most worthy professions on the planet MEDICINE MAN!
profound post and yes you will find her, what woman doesn’t want a man that follows his heart!?
20/08/2007 at 9:55 pm Permalink
it’s just ‘another day in paradise’
do listen to it, more recently by Brandy, first I think sung by Phil Collins.