Patience Pays

Once there was a small kid on earth.

One fine day she came to know that

God is distributing apples to humans in his place at heaven.

The kid was so happy to receive that news

and she went with lot of enjoyment to heaven to

get the apple from God.

There was a big queue standing to get apple from

God and this kid also joined in that queue.

While she was standing, she was

fully excited and thrilled for the fact that

she is going to receive in

person from god's hands.

Her turn too came and the kid showed both her

hands to receive apple.

God gave the apple but unfortunately the tiny hands

couldn't hold that big apple.

Apple fell down and got wasted in mud.

The kid got so disappointed.

The ministers near the God informed that if the

kid likes to have an apple from God again

then she has to again follow the queue.

Having waited for so long the kid didn't want to return back to

earth with empty hands so she decided to wait again in the queue.

This time the queue had become even longer than the previous one.

While waiting in queue, the kid could see lot of people who returns back

with apple in hands and utmost satisfaction on their faces.

The kid was so much disappointed and thought why me alone didn't get the apple in hand

when all others were easily able to get it.

What is the sin I did that

I

alone should suffer like this.

Now the kid was so scared that she should not

miss the apple again. Again her turn came and God gave the apple to the

kid's hands and after giving the apple, God spoke to the kid.

"My dear child,

last time after giving you the apple, I noticed the

apple I gave to you was a rotten apple and

that's why I made that to fell

down from your hands.

Having given you a rotten apple,

I

felt bad for you

and I wanted to give you the best apple in the farm

and that time the best apple in the farm was growing

and that's why I made you to wait such a long time in the queue.

Here it is.

Now the apple that you have in hand is

'The Best' apple in the farm till to date. Enjoy."

If it was another call

to be remembered, I can’t afford to forget this day.
In the early hours was a call for resuscitation.
A young Zimbabwean woman who had delivered a beautiful baby on the 2nd developed abdominal pains from 7th which had become worse since the previous evening.
Unable to bear,  the young couple had come to the hospital.
Whilst waiting for being attended she collapsed suddenly and was being resuscitated. So far, it’s a normal affair, which does happen in any casualty department.
Now,  the resuscitation attempt proves unsuccessful and the patient dies.
It’s another routine thing which happens and the certification is done for further formalities.

For a moment I thought, let me talk to the young husband.
There I saw, this young man may be just out of teens carrying the nice chubby baby wrapped in shawl and holding a milk bottle in another hand.
He had already been told of the death, so I asked him, if he had anybody for help?
He had thought that it will be just another ordinary ailment and he would admit her in the hospital and will go to work from the hospital direct, an inference born out of the fact that he was with his work suit.

My simple question had shattered him: Only then did he realize that he has a responsibility in the arms and a ritual waiting to be performed.
He silently pushed out a tear from his tired sleepless eyes and softly replied,
“No, Sir “.

May be in that moment the future of that baby was running like a cine film in his mind. Here is a man, who had left his home in another country,
Until recently life was overflowing with joy and happiness and now suddenly his better half is gone with the wind.
And the arms are carrying a huge responsibility.

To be a doctor and walk away after resuscitation like this is a routine,
but for a second just a courtesy enquiry pulls me back to become more humane...
His facial expression on that early morning sun has left a lasting impression in my heart...
I gently patted his shoulders, conveying my sympathies.
Untold words of comfort were passed on to his mind as I could see in his eyes the sense of thanks…..
It was not just another call...