Why i remain illiterate..

An early monsoon this time, brings along with it some heavy downpours, cleaning up the streets a bit, if you have a paved one that is. Better if you have a garden or atleast some trees in the vicinity. The leaf blades sparklingly clean and a morning that doesn't need a plaster on the nose from the dust spray that makes you think seriously about noble deeds like skipping shower and water conservation.

If there's anything that upsets me in this season of joy and freshness, its nothing but a running nose and to add to the effect,a slight temperature. Incessant complaints from mom that i do not consume enough vitamins has not done any good to my immune system. During the daily gab with mom, she found that i caught a cold and i innocently(damn!) bluttered out that i have a temperature too..

Used to (f)hearing her lectures about popping in tablets without consulting a doc, i readily agreed to visit a doc the very evening, won't be a big deal i thought.. just a 5 min halt on the way back home. I was greeted by the wardboy cum receptionist at the hospital which looked more of a marraigehall with all the lights(who said patients shouldn't breathe in the festive air) who gave me a "Patient datasheet" and asked me to fill it in his Telugu/American accented English.

Sighing at the thought of filling up mine to dad's details i started it nevertheless and handed over the completed form, with the same amusing accent he asked me for a two hundred and fifty five rupees. I thought i probably didn't mention that i was to consultant just a general physician and not a cardiac...

I repeated the same only to hear him say that the money was for the registration and consultation, which would additonally give me free consultation with any specialist valid for 15 days from then. Now did I hear that right?, They treat me for my disease and tempt me to fall sick while i pop in the medicine.

Guessing right from my expression, he mouthed,,, "if you don't want to take up this offer then the fee is 200", Where the heck am I? In a hospital or a local departmental store? Cursing under my breath i apologised for the waste of paper( a glossy one unfortunately, here's where a good percentage of my fee would have gone), and walked out.

In the very pharmacy i bought some antibiotics and a paracetamol to escape the fever.