Smile though your bones are aching
Smile even though they’re breaking…

I went to visit the doctor yesterday to see if my broken ribs were mending. I need not have worried. While he looked at the numerous x-rays I provided him, he smiled and laughed out loud as I told him what had happened. If you want the full story, you can read it here.

I didn’t actually take it he found it amusing, rather his reaction was all he could manage because he’s Syrian, I’m English and we both live in Greek speaking Cyprus. His English is poor, my Arabic is non-existent, his Greek is good, I can speak and understand one language, English. So, we smiled.

“Hurt?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Painkiller?”

“Yes,” I said.

“X-ray?” I asked indicating my ribs.

He shrugged, nodded his head and issued the relevant documents for painkillers and an x-ray.

And that, dear reader, was that. The notes and x-rays issued by the private hospital I found myself in when I had my accident remained with me, not in my National Health file. My National Health file simply noted I needed painkillers and an x-ray was asked for by me, the patient, and reluctantly issued by the doctor.

The wonders of modern medical science will never cease to amaze me. Illness and disease will soon be abolished with the nod of a head and a smile. Nirvana has been achieved… at least until the pain killers wear off.

Copyright © Tom Kane 2019

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