“Hey want to join us for tea?” Ramesh asked me as soon as the morning rounds got over.
“No thanks” I replied
He looked at me as though he knew I was up to something.
I had enough of all these ‘doubting Thomas’s’ in my college, so I told him
“Dr. Bhatti is doing an Ascitis tap and asked me to stay back”
“Oh, when?” Ramesh looked very surprised
“Now”
“Then perhaps I will stay back too” He replied
I shrugged my shoulder.
I can’t deny that I was a bit annoyed with Ramesh. Not because he was going to learn more about Ascitis tap, but because he was taking that precious time that I could have shared with Dr. Bhatti alone. There was so much I wanted to talk to Dr. Bhatti.
I walked to the first bed.
Nurse was talking to the patient, so I took the charts to read it again.
For the first time I noticed the patient’s name. Mariamma.
Until that moment she was just a patient that occupied bed 1 and I wondered why I didn’t even bother to learn what was her name.
One bad mark for Nina. I told myself.
Then I noticed her age. 54.
Occupation: Agriculture.
I looked at Mariamma. She definitely looked older than 54, years of hard labour in the sun has certainly done its share of damage. She saw me looking at her and smiled at me.
“How are you Dr Amma?” She asked me in Kannada
I smiled and told her ” I am fine”
She nodded her head happily. I noticed the matching gold nose ring and earrings. Her hair was tied in a bun and looked a lot more tidier than my duck tales!
I felt so embarrassed knowing that I looked so unkempt unlike Mariamma.
I knew it is time I took care of how I looked.
But I never had the time or the interest to groom myself.
One day. I promised myself.
One day I will learn how to wear makeup, wear proper clothing and carry myslef like a dignified lady!
“So what do you know about the case?” Ramesh asked.
I told him whatever I knew.
“TB?” Ramesh looked at me as though I spoke Latin
“Yeah” I replied
“I didn’t know TB can cause Ascitis” He replied
I didn’t reply. What could i say anyway?
Dr. Bhatti came with the staff nurse. He looked at me and at Ramesh
“You are?” Dr. Bhatti was staring at Ramesh
“Ramesh, Sir” Ramesh looked so humble and gentle!
Pretentious! Sensible one spoke
“yeah” I agreed.
“So what is the procedure for Ascitis tap?” Dr. Bhatti asked me.
I answered how to prepare the patient and the actual process.
“What did she miss?” Dr. Bhatti asked Ramesh.
I was really annoyed with the way things were going.
I know I didn’t miss anything and I didn’t want Ramesh to find faults with my answer.
Ramesh repeated everything I just said as though he spend all of last night reading about Ascitis tap procedure.
“good” Dr. Bhatti spoke
Good? How can he say good to Ramesh when all he did was to repeat whatever I answered.
“Both of you can’t see the forest for the trees!” Dr, Bhatti shook his head.
“Where is the consent form?” Dr, Bhatti looked at me
Damn!
“Sorry sir” I whispered
“Sorry isn’t going to help you miss. You need to be through in your work. Only then you can call yourself a doctor. You have to explain the procedure to the patient and get the consent form signed. Do you understand that?”
“Yes sir” I mumbled.
It was such a simple thing and I wondered why I didn’t think of it first.
“Now explain the procedure to the patient” He asked me
My first Kannada lesson ended even before it actually took off when I converted Patti to Hatti. I knew to speak basic Kannada, but I didn’t know how to explain to a patient medical Lingo in Kannada.
“Sorry Sir, I don’t know how to explain in Kannada”
Dr. Bhatti looked at Ramesh.
“Do you understand Tamil?” Ramesh asked the patient in Tamil
Mariamma nodded her head and I stood there and watched Ramesh explaining to the patient in Tamil, a language I knew much better than Kannada.

Ramesh was stealing the thunder from me and I felt so bitter.

It was supposed to be my moment of glory.
I regretted telling Ramesh about the Ascitis tap. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have.