May I Help You?

He: Come a little closer?

I move a step forward.

He: A little more...

I look at him blankly.

How close darling? I don’t find you attractive enough. Besides, the stench of your deo is killing me. I thought doctors were smarter these days.

I move one more step forward.

He: That's better... Now turn a little left.

I comply.

He: Now a little right.

I comply, again.

He: Yeah that's perrrrfect!!

I look at him in suspicion.

Perfect? What does that mean? What are you looking at exactly? I hope I have reached an orthopaedician's clinic and not Kingfisher model hunt?

Me (agitatedly): Can you please hurry up? It hurts!

He: Just a minute... nah! I think we need to do this in water.

Water!! What do 'we' need to do in water? I am scared. This is my first.

He: Step in and out of this water tub.

I follow his instruction, almost mechanically.

He closely observes my footprints and then... shrieks at the top of his lungs, almost giving me a heart attack... there! you've got a flat foot.

Me: I know that already. Btw, my feet ain’t really flat, just a little low arched... but what that has to do with the sprain in my toe which I developed running on a treadmill.

Let me give you some background here. You see, I have always been told, "Never work at the expense of your physical and mental well being. No work or career in the world is worth it!" Resonance of these words and my urge to run led me to a treadmill. Of course, running on a treadmill is very boring. But I not only gathered boredom, I developed turf toe as well. Difficulty in walking normally and its possible effects on my gait coerced me into visiting an orthopaedician. Here, I was welcomed by a young man, somewhere in his mid-twenties. Though he didn’t have a personality of a doctor but he was wearing a doctor’s coat. So I had to keep my doubt to myself. Now, back to the clinic.

He: Oh! I didn’t diagnose that. You'll have to wait for the doctor. He'll be here any moment.

Yourself then? - I probe looking at him in derogation.

He: I am his assistant, was just trying to help, you know.

Me: I see... you've been really helpful!!