I'd taken the slot of the first appointment of the day with my mom's doctor and accordingly, reached his clinic on time. Mom was sporting enough to limit her breakfast to a cup of Horlicks and a banana, to meet the deadline as she knew that it would take time for her to walk up the short distances between our flat and the vehicle and then at the destination, from the vehicle to the innards of the clinic.
The doctor has become a good friend and mom and he get along well, discussing other things not related to her medical woes and at times, I've to step in to remind her that there were other patients waiting for his attention. This morning, the numbers outside were just beginning to fill in and therefore, we'd more time to ourselves for a chat and the good doctor seemed to be in a mood for just that - unburdening himself of a sad incident that had happened around 10 years ago, as I came to realise by the end of his narration!
He'd begun by inquiring about my recent trip abroad and then said that the city of Kuala Lumpur gives him painful memories. His sister and her family - her husband and two children - had spent a fortnight's holiday with him at Kochi and had left for Kuala Lumpur. Since the flight was dot on time, his brother-in-law had decided to go to his office direct from the airport, while the lady and the children headed for their flat. They must have just about entered the flat and begun to unpack their personal belongings when the multi-storeyed building crashed. The survivors were many but the doctor's sister and her children were among the unfortunate lot who'd kept their tryst with death.
I realised that the incident continued to be a raw wound, deep within the doctor's psyche, as his eyes had become moist. My mom told him a few words of comfort and I leaned over his table and gently gripped his shoulder, implying that I could feel his agony and as a sort of reflex action, he kept his hand on mine acknowledging my very belated condolences.
Tailpiece.
1. Life is mysterious with all its ifs and buts. The doctor's sister and her kids seemed to have kept their appointment with death after having traversed over 3,000 kms!
2. In Malayalam there's a saying, the gist of which goes something like this, "The grain that you eat, the person that you marry and the place of your end have already been scripted". The doctor's loved ones were just enacting their scripts!!
PS.
His brother-in-law continues to stay at Kuala Lumpur immersed in his work.
The doctor has become a good friend and mom and he get along well, discussing other things not related to her medical woes and at times, I've to step in to remind her that there were other patients waiting for his attention. This morning, the numbers outside were just beginning to fill in and therefore, we'd more time to ourselves for a chat and the good doctor seemed to be in a mood for just that - unburdening himself of a sad incident that had happened around 10 years ago, as I came to realise by the end of his narration!
He'd begun by inquiring about my recent trip abroad and then said that the city of Kuala Lumpur gives him painful memories. His sister and her family - her husband and two children - had spent a fortnight's holiday with him at Kochi and had left for Kuala Lumpur. Since the flight was dot on time, his brother-in-law had decided to go to his office direct from the airport, while the lady and the children headed for their flat. They must have just about entered the flat and begun to unpack their personal belongings when the multi-storeyed building crashed. The survivors were many but the doctor's sister and her children were among the unfortunate lot who'd kept their tryst with death.
I realised that the incident continued to be a raw wound, deep within the doctor's psyche, as his eyes had become moist. My mom told him a few words of comfort and I leaned over his table and gently gripped his shoulder, implying that I could feel his agony and as a sort of reflex action, he kept his hand on mine acknowledging my very belated condolences.
Tailpiece.
1. Life is mysterious with all its ifs and buts. The doctor's sister and her kids seemed to have kept their appointment with death after having traversed over 3,000 kms!
2. In Malayalam there's a saying, the gist of which goes something like this, "The grain that you eat, the person that you marry and the place of your end have already been scripted". The doctor's loved ones were just enacting their scripts!!
PS.
His brother-in-law continues to stay at Kuala Lumpur immersed in his work.
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