Reminiscence (Part 2)

It has been almost 4 months since my last entry in this blog. To those following this blog, pardon me for my short disappearance. I have been busy at work lately and a little caught up with wedding planning, holiday retreats scheduling and my new “partner in crime” (i.e. the new Ipad).

A handful of people have been asking me when is the Part 2 coming up...ok, I shall not keep you all waiting for too long…Here’s the continuation of the story...

We often bumped into each other in the hospital compound but never once did we greet each other nor exchange smiles. He used to be a very proud doctor, and I, not any better, was very sarcastic, especially towards those whom I have no fondness for.

Not long after the ‘Zoladex’ incidence, there were a few times when I caught JW eyeing me from afar while I was counseling and dispensing medications to the discharged patients in his ward. With his face all blushed, he would quickly turned away and pretended not looking whenever I noticed him ogling at me.

Our next impolite, direct confrontation was during Friday Continuous Medical Education (CME) session. Already late for CME, JW hurriedly went over to the library counter (where I was busy endorsing the CPD logbooks) and asked (in a rather unfriendly tone) where to get the extra chairs. Neither did he notice it was me over the counter nor there’s one high stack of chairs nearby. As I looked up, pointing to the chairs with a sardonic grin, he blushed instantaneouly and quickly walked away. Perhaps, it was a little mean of me. Nevertheless, any snobbish, unfriendly person like that would definitely deserve the same kind of treatment.

March 2011

It was during cell group meeting when Brian, my cell leader, announced that there’s a new comer in church and requested the cell members to join in for lunch cum birthday celebration with the newbie on the following Sunday. Brian also asked if I know this person as he is working in the same hospital as me. With all the descriptions given, I somehow had a strong feeling that this person is JW. I remembered telling the group that the person they were referring to might be the proud, unfriendly doctor that I very much disliked.

After church celebration on the following Sunday, Brian got us all to meet the newbie. A friend quickly nudged me and asked, “Seriously, is he that doctor?” I lighty nodded. JW might have overheard it and his facial expression changed all of a sudden. A thought then struck me: What would Jesus do in my case? I remembered how much Jesus loves the unworthy, the unrighteous and the undeserving. And I ought to do the same. To love. To show care. Even to the unworthy, the unrighteous and the undeserving. Hence, in order, to break the ice, I have to let go of whatever negative first impressions I had of JW. Acted as if nothing had happened, I went up to introduce myself.

As my escape plan failed (my lunch date turned me down suddenly due to emergency), I have no choice but to join the group for lunch. We gave JW a small surprise birthday celebration as it was just a few days before his actual birthday. I joined in the conversations, made a few silly jokes, exchanged phone numbers and ta-da, the unforeseen friendship started, just like that.