The alarm clock had failed Zainab. As if that was not enough, the elevator joined the conspiracy making it look like the morning was jinxed. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought of missing her bus. She was barely out of the house when she saw the bus leaving the bus stop. With every bit of strength she could muster she ran, waving her arms wildly and shouting after the bus until the bus driver saw her through the rearview mirror and placed his legs on the brake pedal bringing the bus to a halt.
Zainab arrived at her consultation room late and disheveled. The little morning race had some strands of hair misplaced from the lock. She brushed it and dressed up in her lab coat before settling down into her chair to look at the pack of files on her table.
It was going to be a hectic day. She carried the topmost file and silently read the name. She locked eyes on the name and read it aloud. There was a feeling of familiarity with the name. She wondered where she must have heard it. She opened the file and studied it. The patient has been diagnosed with internal hemorrhoids and needed to see a proctologist.
Zainab felt a rising panic. She bent over the table, gasping in half breaths. Even though the AC was in good working condition, she had bouts of sweats gathering on her forehead. Her tear glands were ready to function. The name David Idowu was definitely familiar, University of Lagos. How could she not have remembered? David Idowu was her Basic chemistry lecturer in the university during her pre-medical year. Their last encounter was filled with disdain and chagrin.
David had wanted sex for grades. He had threatened to fail her and turn her dreams into a figment of her imagination if she didn't yield to his demands. He had remained unpersuasive to all her pleas and made right his threats during her first year. Zainab was forced to quit the school and seek admission elsewhere. Luckily for her, her dreams of becoming a medical doctor were realized.
She heard the soft knock on the door. She wouldn't let him see her, not in this state . She moved the back of her palms to her eyes, drying the tears that had formed.
"Yes, come in". She answered from within.
The door opened, ushering in David. She wondered why nature was so kind to have kept him looking the same after thirteen years.
"Please have a seat", she said. She stared as he shrugged from the door to the open chair. He held both arms of the chair for some seconds creating a balance before sinking his body's weight gently into the chair. It must be the hemorrhoids.
David lifted his arms from the chair. He crossed and uncrossed it almost immediately. He turned his face slowly and looked behind at the closed door but no one was there. Why the staring? He cleared his throat and looked at the little paper with some scribblings on his hand. "I was told to see you,'' he said. "Doctor Zainab Makeleba? I was told to see a Doctor Zainab Makeleba". He raised his head towards her. "I believe I am in the right place?".
Zainab faked a smile. She nodded and looked at his file.
"It says here that you have hemorrhoids. How long have you been experiencing this? She quizzed, her pen ready to write.
"It's been on for weeks now. At first, I thought I could take some native prescription and it would go away but it got worse. I went to the general hospital but was referred to see a specialist".
"Okay! First, I'll need you to lay down on that examination table over there so I can examine you". She pointed at the bed with side rails and a mattress base at the other end of the room. "The examination will help me understand how serious it is. I'll also be able to tell if surgery may be needed but don't worry, it's nothing to be afraid of because you are in good hands".
David held the arms of the chair again for some seconds before lifting himself off it. He walked to the examination table. Zainab pressed a bell on her table and a male nurse walked in. She gave instructions to the nurse to help him change into a more comfortable medical cloth for examination.
She walked to the examination table after he was made ready. She placed a stethoscope on his chest and held his wrist. She looked at his face wondering if he didn't recognise her or perhaps he did but didn't want to show it. She battled with the desire to wrap the stethoscope around his neck and pull it so hard until he was breathless. Perhaps, during surgery would be the perfect time to rid the world of his kind.
She was done with the examinations in minutes. She walked back to her desk as the nurse helped him change into his clothes. Zainab watched him for the remaining part of his consultation. His calm demeanor unnerved her. She wrote down some drugs on a piece of paper and handed it to him.
"Here, take this to the pharmacy. Come back after three days.If there are no improvements as expected, you will need to be booked for a surgery. Also, when you come back, ask for Doctor Austin. He will be taking over your case".
David raised his eyebrows. "Is there a reason why you are referring me to another doctor?"
"Not at all. Doctor Austin is more experienced with your case. I believe with him you'd be in better hands". She forced a smile.
David thanked her and left. As she watched him leave, a sob rose in her throat but she deactivated it. She won't cry for him, he doesn't deserve her tears. He is a temptation she has resisted twice and hopes their path never crosses again. Her day may have started badly but she definitely was not going to let it end badly.