Real.Doc - Part 1 (English Version)

Rony

(external narrator)

Ron was the oldest immortal who lived with Lilian. He was about a thousand years old, but he stopped counting. He stopped even caring.

He was practically a black cat (his favorite color of clothes). He came and went as and when he pleased. He hadn't had a permanent residence for a long time and he honestly didn't care. Ron completely abstracted the notion of money. He didn't mind sleeping on the street or spending several days in the same clothes. When he felt uncomfortable, he stayed in a 5-star hotel or rented a house, which could be luxurious or a shack. It depended on your mood.

Much of his time, he lived like a wanderer, but when he felt like it, he bought a classic car, for example. Like a good old immortal, he had true fortunes spread across the world and rescued them when possible. Ron was an absolutely free person.

Another concept he gave up many years ago was relationships. The last time he was married was around the year 1300, and interestingly that involved Les, but we won't see that until a lot later. Here's a note: Ron discreetly avoided Les, but he was so discreet that no one noticed. Les, for his part, didn't say a word about Ron either. For a long time, no one even suspected that they knew each other from past carnivals.

From then on, I didn't care about relationships anymore. He continued his life, spending time with women here and there, but always without commitment.

He was amused by Lilian's presence. Standing next to her, he watched all the other immortals freak out to a greater or lesser extent.

He loved hitting on her. I loved it. Perhaps because he feels somehow immune to its effect. Rony always managed to get along with her in a good way. He never felt the urge to do something stupid, as he witnessed so many others doing.

Ron could read minds. I couldn't at first. Over the years, through natural coexistence, he learned to read people. This gradually improved, until one day he realized he could tell what they were thinking. It was no longer an external reading, he could see and hear people's thoughts.

From then on he started having a lot more fun. There was even a time when he specialized in manipulation, but over time he got tired of that too. Nowadays he walked freely, reading thoughts whenever he wanted, but without interfering. He valued peace above all else.

And then, he met MaryAnne.

He met her in a clinic waiting room. At that time he became interested in medicine. Sometimes I would sit for hours in waiting rooms, studying people's diagnoses. He spent a long time without saying a word. As these places are usually crowded, their presence was rarely noticed.

It was in a not-so-crowded room that he saw her for the first time. She was waiting to read her scans, but didn't seem worried. He watched her in his classic peace and tried to guess her diagnosis. MaryAnne was in her 40s to 50s, so he thought of the basic package for her age. She wasn't overweight, she didn't look tired. His skin was healthy and his posture impeccable. With her every movement he updated his perception. I would estimate high cholesterol, at most.

Then she was called to the office and Ron concentrated to hear everything through her and the doctor's thoughts. It was then that he realized that the doctor had blatantly lied. Rony read in the doctor's mind that she had signs of having cancer, and the symptoms she reported were a reflection of that, but the doctor basically said it was a virus. Rony was so shocked by that farce that he became interested in the case.

As a result of the consultation, the doctor sent her to take an IV drip to help with dehydration, and nothing else. He asked to retake the exams in six months.